was enjoying my daily dose of taiwanese drama, which i consider really well-written and relevant so don’t judge. there was this really touching scene where the usually indifferent father was sitting at the dining table with the lead actress, talking about her mother who was currently in the hospital due to a fall in the bath. unable to understand her father’s sudden act of love of painstakingly cooking her mother fish soup, the lead actress randomly mentions that she never knew her father loved her mother till that day. her father’s response really struck a chord with me, and although the translation doesn’t do what he said in mandarin justice, perhaps you’d find it equally meaningful and touching:

“People always think that those who make you fall head over heels are the ones you can love. But being with your mother is much better than being head over heels in love. She constantly gets dates mixed up, makes you afraid of quietness, hurrying here and there all day, giving your life at home much background activity. She makes you picky about food and slowly makes you lose the capabilities you once had as an independent individual. After so many years, you suddenly realize you could never leave her. You can only tell yourself that this is the way things will be for the rest of your life. Actually what she wants in return is not much, sometimes just a smile or just a hug. She likes me to watch TV with her, to be with her while she cries and laughs. All she wants is for me to be by her side. She likes it when I take walks with her when it’s raining, intentionally carrying a smaller umbrella so that I would have to walk closer to her. Her worst trick was picking me up on her bike and speeding so that I would hug her tightly. This woman really doesn’t want much. Sometimes men are very selfish, but she loves me all the same.”