An Orphan Elephant:Kinship Love

            I do not talk about my past to people often, not even to some of my friends.  The reason is not only because my story is very depressing to talk about, but also because my audiences usually misunderstand me. 

As an only child of my parents, I grew up in a normal Chinese family and lived a normal life until when I was nine years old my father went to the U.S. for a job.   Because of the departure of my father, the responsibility of supporting the whole family had doubled on my mother’s side: She had to work extra hard to pay back the debts which my father incurred for his trip, and also, she had to take care of me and my grandparents. Since she had no time to take care of herself, and due the accumulative pressure she obtained, just roughly a year later, she died of cancer when I was ten. Moreover, due to the passport and monetary difficulties, my father could not come back, nor I could go abroad; so I was all alone.   When I tell my story about this point, my audiences would say things like “I’m so sorry to hear that” or “Dude, you must have or develop an adamant and mature nature to live a life like that since then. You are such a man.”  By saying this, they have already missed the point.

            It was the love from the kinship which supported and protected me after my mother passed away.  Without my kin, how could I possibly live by myself in a condition that has nothing to eat and nowhere to live?  It was my grandparents who provided a comfortable room for me to live. It was them who cook for me and took care of me daily.  Also, my other relatives: uncles and aunts, they usually gave me money and take me to shopping mall to buy new clothes and shoes, and even a new computer.  Moreover, it was my cousins who would like to spend time with me and chat with me.  It was my kin who raised me up, and took an extremely good care of me.  They used their love to fill up my broken heart.  Thus, this is my life and my world: A world filled with kinship love, and without these love, I would not be here today.  They saved me.

            Once upon a time, I watched a TV show which is about elephants.  It describes the elephant herds, especially the female elders, usually aunts, will take care the little orphan elephants, until they grew older and stronger.  Once upon a time, I was an orphan elephant, and the herd and its love, was my whole world.