Dad's body was as thin as a piece of wood. He was curled up on the wooden chair, his eyes empty, and he kept mumbling: "Where is Anxiu? Where did Anxiu go?" "Am I not here?" Mom put down the spatula and came from the kitchen. I ran out and touched his face, and he became silent.
Every evening, my mother would lead my father to the river. Doctors say that if you remain immobile for a long time, the muscles in your legs and feet will be lost, and your ability to exercise will also be lost. Dad pursed his lips and frowned, leaning sideways and being dragged by his mother. His wide black cloth shoes clicked against the bluestone, like a child who wanted to skip school and was dragged to school by his parents.
"Dad, get up and go for a walk. If you don't get up, the recliner will collapse from your sitting on it." Sometimes I would pull him, but he would ignore it, lean back, close his eyes, and pretend to sleep. Mom only used one trick: "Mingwen! Get up quickly, let's go out to eat." When Dad heard this, his eyes would light up, he would stand up, and follow Mom out.
As soon as he went out, Dad didn't know the way. After walking a few steps, he would ask: "Where are we going?" Mom coaxed him over and over again: "Go to eat." Halfway through, Dad would suddenly throw away Mom's hand. , standing there with a pout: "I want to go home." "Then go back by yourself!" Mom smiled mischievously. Dad raised his head and said, "I don't know the road." There was a bridge on the way to the river. There was a fish-shaped tower on the bridge, which looked like a sailboat from a distance. Mom pointed at the tower and asked: "Mingwen, look, what does that look like?" Dad took a look and smiled proudly: "It looks like a fish, but also like a boat." Mom saw that he was proud and smiled too. . Dad raised his head and became even more proud.
A lot of cars drove down the bridge. Every time I passed there, my mother would slow down, hold my dad's arm with one hand, and put my other hand around my shoulder. Dad was very obedient, and he let mom hold him in his arms. They walked forward in silence. Dad's shoes clicked, and the sound fell into the sunset and the roar of the vehicles.
Half of the sun's face sank in the river, and half of its face floated on the water. The reeds on the shore dance gently in the wind. A ship suddenly sounded a long whistle. Mom pointed to the boat on the river and spoke to Dad. Dad raised his eyelids, then lowered his head, saying nothing. Does he remember those ships? Does he still remember the waterway on the river?
Before my father fell ill, he would take a boat several times a month to Shanghai, Wuhan, and Chongqing to sell goods in small towns. He made some money in those years, but also endured a lot of hardships. Later, my father became ill, so seriously ill that he couldn't even remember his own name and could no longer run.
When my father was at home, what he said most every day was, "Where is Anxiu?" When my mother left, he shouted from behind: "Where is Anxiu? Where did Anxiu go?" After a while, he asked, like an automatic player. . Sometimes, my mother would come running over and say, "Where am I?" and my father would laugh.
That day, my mother was cooking in the kitchen when she suddenly dropped the spatula and ran out with a panic look on her face. She looked at the empty wooden deck chair and murmured: "I seem to hear your dad calling me." As she said, Tears came out of her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, my dad has passed away for more than a year. (Ye Jing)
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