Dad and i were never close like most fathers and daughters. Since i was young, he had been very strict with my brother and i. He believed that children should be taught with discipline and must have respect for the elderly. My brother and i had to greet him whenever we saw him, and we must politely greet the elders before every meal ("爸, 吃饭; 妈, 吃饭").
Dad didn't believe in pampering the children because he wanted us to understand that nothing comes easy without hard work. He even told mom that if my brother and i wanted to further our studies after highschool, he would take it as loaning the money to us for the study and we would have to pay him back when we graduated. He wanted the children to know that everything we want in life must be earned and doesn't come free. I'm not sure if that was good parenting, but i'm glad that he instilled the right values into me.
Dad was a successful self-made businessman despite the lack of formal education. I was told that he, as a child, was very naughty and didn't like studying. He always played truant and went fishing or playing with his friends. Grandpa was so furious that he would give dad a good beating, but dad would just continue his naughty way. Eventually, dad just dropped out of school and never completed his primary school education.
He then started working in his teen and became an apprentice in a small electrical shop. That was when he met my mom. He was sent to fix something in a restaurant where my mom was working as a cashier. It was love at first sight and they got married within a month. It would have been a touching love story if we were living in the world of fairy tales where everyone would just live happily ever after. Sadly, this is the real world, where love weakens, happiness fades, and people die.
Over the years, dad picked up English and studied electrical theories on his own, and later became an electrician in a big Japanese firm. He was so good in his work that he was entrusted with the responsibility to mentor the newcomers. I vaguely remember seeing the pictures of dad teaching in a big classroom full of workers. I was amazed at how a person without any formal education could actually did all that.
When i was in my primary school, dad left the Japanese firm and ventured into his own business. At first, he opened up a shop that provided electrical appliances servicing. Then later on, he started selling Apple computers and the company was the first computer shop in JB.
Slowly, the business grew. Our cars became bigger. We moved into a rich neighbourhood. Yet, with increased wealth, the bickering between dad and mom increased as well, while our happiness reduced. Those were the days i lived in luxury but not in bliss. Just within a few years after the change in our lifestyle, dad was diagnosed with the final stage of colon cancer and passed away.
It was painful to think about those days. Compared to the days when i was driven in expensive car and returned to a big empty house, i missed the days more when mom was just a housewife and dad would come home on time and the whole family would go places together. Yes, i was proud of what dad had achieved in his 49 years of life, but i wished that he could have experienced more joy in his life than pain and sadness. No wealth in the world could exchange for the happiness of having dad still by my side.
Today is dad's 17th death anniversary. I miss him still.
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