Mrs. Brown, 86, wants to buy a one-way ticket to Papua New Guinea

Reprinted from the human world theLivings, it is recommended to pay attention to its public account

Pictured | stills from "The Grace of the Hedgehog"

Mrs. Brown, obviously not expecting me to hug her, stiffened for a moment, then gently patted my arm with her right hand and said, "Go, go back to your parents." ”

1

My neighbour, Mrs. Brown, lives alone in the south of France. She was a typical French woman, petite and well-proportioned, with a full forehead, and her short white ear hair was permed to the delicate hairstyle of Ingrid Baumann in the movie Casablanca. The skin on her face is also in good condition, white, no spots, not too many wrinkles, unfamiliar people simply can not see that she is 86 years old.

Mrs. Brown is physically tough and has a very simple lifestyle: twice a week she drives herself to an organic food supermarket to shop, and a little heavier things she asks her younger daughter to help buy, such as drinking water, cat food and cat litter. After the age of 80, she kept her eldest daughter's two cats in her own home, and in her words, "this at least gave the house some breath of life."

Mrs. Brown has 3 children, the son lives in Switzerland, the eldest daughter lives in Paris, and the younger daughter lives in a small town 30 kilometers away from her. The younger daughter would come to her house almost once a week, the eldest daughter could visit her four or five times a year, and the son was busy at work, only visiting her twice a year, but staying for a week each time.

Mrs. Brown's life had been so stable and regular until she was in trouble.

I was surfing the Internet at home that day when I suddenly heard a sharp knock at the door, and when I opened the door, it was Mr. Simon, the concierge. It was a stocky French man in his fifties, enthusiastic but slightly greasy. He speaks French with a thick southern accent, which may be of Italian or Spanish origin.

Mr Simon is a dutiful porter. On weekdays, he would loudly remind the residents of the weather conditions, sign all the couriers, and shout their names when the residents passed by. I thought that Mr. Simon's ears were not very good, but later I learned that he spoke so loudly because there were many elderly people in the neighborhood who did not have bright ears.

"Ling, can you please take a look at Mrs. Brown?" Mr. Simon was in a bit of a hurry.

"What's wrong with Mrs. Brown?" I was a little surprised.

Everyone in the community knew that Mr. Simon and Mrs. Brown were not very dealt with. Mr. Simon became the concierge of the community in his twenties, and Mrs. Brown is one of the oldest residents in the community, and the relationship between the two can be said to be "love and kill each other".

Mrs. Brown has a fierce personality and is a protester of all the systems of the community, but whenEver Mr. Simon posts a notice in the community, she has to theorize with it. For example, as soon as the announcement that residents were forbidden to dry bath towels on the railing of the terrace that day was posted, Mrs. Brown dried the bath towel on her own terrace, and Mr. Simon jumped to his feet in anger and rushed to the downstairs of Mrs. Brown's house to argue. Who knew that the old lady not only scolded him, but also put the bath towel on the terrace every day after changing colors.

Seeing that the dissuasion was ineffective, Mr. Simon posted the announcement directly on Mrs. Brown's door. A day later, the announcement was forwarded to the door of the concierge's office. Mr. Simon was so angry that smoke was blowing overhead, but there was no way but to complain to every resident who passed by the concierge's office, Mrs. Brown, saying that if she was not old, she must be a crazy "yellow vest" (a massive protest movement that broke out in France in 2018, named after the participants wearing yellow vests).

I was just an obscure Chinese in the community, and I had no deep friendship with Mrs. Brown, so how could Mr. Simon come to me to take care of her affairs? I was a little unsure.

"Mrs. Brown once said you were a good person." Mr. Simon looked at me with a flattering look, "I've been here for more than thirty years, and it's the first time I've heard Mrs. Brown say nice things about other people. ”

"Just because Mrs. Brown said I was a good person, I was going to go and see her and thank her?" I asked.

"No, no, Mrs. Brown has an accident."

Mr. Simon said that not long ago, Mrs. Brown was tripping over a tyre when she went to the dealership to pick up a repaired car. The clerk of the car dealership sent her back, and when he passed the concierge, he kindly advised her to go to the hospital to see, who knew that Mrs. Brown scolded him, and when she came home, she locked the door. A few days ago, there was an old man in the community who collapsed at home, no one knew about it for several days, and when he was found, he was sent directly to the funeral home. This upset Mr. Simon, who felt that he should not let it happen, and felt that Mrs. Brown had to go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination. But there were not a few people in this neighborhood who had conflicts with Mrs. Brown, and if he counted them, I would be left with whom I could persuade her.

I suddenly became nervous, and the elderly fell, most of them would fracture or have some sequelae, and locking themselves in the house was obviously a very dangerous behavior. I went out the door and raised my hand to press the doorbell of Mrs. Brown's house, and Mr. Simon shook his head and said, "It's no use, I've been here for ten minutes." ”

I pressed it a few more times, but there was still no movement in the house, and I reported myself to the door and persuaded the old lady to open the door, but there was still no response.

"It seems that your persuasion will not work." Mr. Simon was somewhat disappointed.

"Do you have a spare key to Mrs. Brown's house?" If not, then make a phone call with her child to make sure, and then open the door directly to take the old lady to the hospital. ”

In the community, older residents will put a spare key in Mr. Simon's place in case of emergency. Mr. Simon shook his head, "How could Mrs. Brown have left the spare key with me?" She doesn't have eyes, no ears, and her legs and feet are still very sharp, not only can she find a few old partners to go out for coffee every three or five minutes, but she can even drive herself to go shopping. So, she always felt that she was not old, put the spare key? That's definitely contempt for yourself. ”

I frowned and thought about it, and then I proposed to call the fire SWAT.

In the summer of 2003, shortly after I arrived in France, I encountered a heat that had never been seen before in France. At that time, there was an old lady living next door to me, one night the heat was so hot that she was unconscious, her puppy barked all night, I felt something was wrong, I called the fire SWAT when the door was not opened, and then the fire SWAT broke the door and took the old lady to the hospital for rescue.

The old lady was lucky enough to survive, but that summer, more than 10,000 elderly people in France died of rare hot weather. A large proportion of them are elderly people living alone, who are sick in their homes and have no one to take to the hospital.

Mr. Simon returned to the concierge, looked up the phone number of Mrs. Brown's young daughter, and with her consent, dialed the phone directly to the fire department.

About 10 minutes later, the fire SWAT arrived and we explained the situation. The SWAT officers inspected the terrain and found that Mrs. Brown had installed a fireproof and anti-theft iron door to her door, and the amount of broken work was too large. Fortunately, they also found that they could turn directly into the side balcony of Mrs. Brown's house from my balcony, which saved more time.

The SWAT officer moved quickly and flipped in to find mrs. Brown, who was full of silver hair, sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding her left hand in her right hand, motionless like a stone sculpture. Seeing the fire swatman, she could not get up, but could only scold: "Who let you into my house?" Isn't that Simon who should be killed! She gasped in pain as she scolded, and her forehead was covered with sweat.

With the consent of Mrs. Brown's young daughter, SWAT officers put her on a stretcher, put her in a car, and forcibly took her to the hospital for examination. Mr. Simon stood rubbing his hands and watched as the car door closed, and then he stood for a short moment. His expression is very complicated, there is a sense of due diligence and comfort, and there is also a hint of happiness after "revenge".

2

About 3 weeks later, I received a call from my mother from China, saying that my father had lost nearly 10 kilograms in the past half a month.

Not long ago, my cousin died of illness, my father was uncomfortable, directly admitted to the hospital, afraid that I was worried about being abroad, I have been pressing this matter. It wasn't until recently that he suddenly lost weight and my mom finally couldn't hold back before calling me. My heart suddenly hung up, and I told her to take my dad to the hospital for a comprehensive examination.

My mother was a little flustered, and said with a crying voice: "Your father and I are now sick all over the body, in case there is any accident, you are outside alone, what should you do?" Maybe she felt that it was inappropriate to say so, and she quickly added: "It's okay, you relax your heart, I and your father do a physical examination every year, and what serious illness has been discovered early." You're out there taking care of yourself, don't worry about us. ”

I knew that my mother was actually complaining to me in another way about not having children around in her later years, but I didn't know how to comfort her. From China to France, the desperate 10,000 kilometers cut off the possibility of a daughter staying with her elderly parents. What's more, the epidemic is not over. The parent-child relationship in a foreign country is the same as a foreign love affair, all of which are weak in heart. The two sides are separated by jet lag, each holding tiredness and loneliness. But the exotic love can not survive can break up, but the blood can not be broken, no matter how far it goes, there is always a line in the heart.

After hanging up the phone, I sat in the room in a daze, only to feel that my whole body was slowly festering from the inside out.

At this time, a soft cat call came from the side balcony, and after a while, there was another sound. Then, a super beautiful light brown long-haired cat appeared on the balcony, it was not afraid of people at all, and walked into the living room of my house without hurrying. It looked up at me for a moment and then walked up to my feet and coddled me.

I squatted down and gently stroked it, and after finding it particularly docile, I picked it up. I went to the balcony to check, not wanting to run into a frowning Mrs. Brown.

"Mrs. Brown, is this your cat?" I lifted the cat up.

Mrs. Brown looked at me with a somewhat aggressive look, and then nodded.

As a courtesy, I asked, "Are you better?" ”

Her head was slightly raised and tilted to one side, and around her neck hung a suspender that looked like a Hermès silk scarf, and her left hand, wearing a black wrist guard, was slipped in, and her right hand was on crutches. She looked at me condescendingly, looking gracefully at her prey like a wounded cheetah: "Would you mind sending my cat over?" I'm not very mobile. ”

"I don't mind." I nodded yes.

Mrs Brown lives in a very large apartment, about 160 square meters. Inside there is a huge terrace with a view of the garden, greenery and swimming pool of the district. I heard Mr. Simon mention it, as if someone wanted to buy her house for 1.5 million euros.

Mrs. Brown's house was tastefully decorated, with paintings on the walls and heavy hand-knitted wool carpets on the floor, and it was obvious that everything was expensive. Mrs. Brown's husband died in her sixties, and she took his pension and lived alone in the apartment, with nothing to worry about.

At Mrs. Brown's request, I took the chilled champagne from the fridge, opened it, filled her with a glass, and placed it on the table on the terrace. At this time, Mrs. Brown suddenly tapped me hard with her crutches and asked, "What qualifications do you and Simon feel to allow others into my house?" My home is my territory, and none of you have the right to come into my house without my consent! ”

I "clucked" in my heart, stunned for a while, and said: "You should go to the hospital for treatment when you fall, and it is very dangerous to lock yourself up at home." ”

"If I don't go to the hospital, it should be up to me, isn't it?" The old lady was flushed with anger, as if I was not helping her, but harming her.

I didn't expect Mrs. Brown to be angry with me, and I took a step back, feeling a little wronged, but quickly adjusted my mentality—the French are particularly self-conscious, and sometimes the starting point of their own affairs may be good intentions, but they do offend others.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Brown, I didn't take your feelings into account, and I'll never do anything like that again." After saying that, I withdrew.

3

I quickly forgot about this unpleasant event, because I was very anxious during that time - I ran a Chinese restaurant in southern France, and after the epidemic, France began to close the country, lockdown, and all restaurants stopped operating. For several months, I didn't see any signs of improvement in the epidemic, and due to the pressure of loans, I had to sell the store as quickly as possible.

At that time, I thought that since there was no way out in France, it was better to take the store out, go back to China to see my parents, and then make other plans. I hung the restaurant online to sell at a low price, the French were mostly not interested, Chinese had no desire to buy, only some Arabs or Moroccans came to inquire, but they kept the price lower, so low that I could not accept it.

Things dragged on, dragging my whole emotions to collapse, in order to prevent myself from falling into depression again, I could only force myself to go out and hang out every day. Even if the city is locked down, the French people still have the right to go out and exercise, just print a certificate of access, choose the reason for travel on it, write the time, and then sign it.

During the lockdown days, I went out almost every day, carrying an entry and exit certificate in my arms, but I didn't touch the inspection once. Of course, this only shows that I am lucky, because some people are lucky enough to go out without proof, and when they encounter a police inspection, they will be fined 135 euros.

Soon after, another thing happened in the neighborhood. An old lady named Lorraine fell at home and was found and taken to the hospital after some time, and then she never returned.

Mrs. Lorraine, like Mrs. Brown, was one of the first tenants in the community, and they used to drink coffee together in cafes near the neighborhood. I heard that Mrs. Lorraine was sent to a public pension institution after being discharged from the hospital, which mainly accepted some elderly people who could not take care of themselves. She seems to be the first old lady to be sent to a public pension institution since I moved into the neighborhood.

Mr. Simon chatted with some elderly people in the concierge room about the incident, and his voice was very loud: "I heard that the number of people who have been sent after the new crown has increased." ”

"Of course, COVID-19 is coming, we are almost isolated from the world, we have lost the joy of life, and we may have lost the right to live." An elderly old lady said.

"I don't want to go." Another old lady shook her head and said, "A friend of mine, who was originally very good, was sent because of the inconvenience of her legs and feet, and she died a few months later." ”

A few people sighed, and then someone asked softly, "Is Mrs. Brown also fast?" ”

Just then I had just returned from exercising outside, just as I was passing by the concierge, Mr. Simon looked up at me with a look of embarrassment on his face, as if he had caught me behind his back saying bad things about Mrs. Brown. I was also a little embarrassed, and after a short pause, I nodded at him, said hello, and prepared to continue walking forward. Mr. Simon, on the other hand, whispered a message in my ear—Mrs. Brown's eldest daughter, who had heard that her mother had fallen, had come to visit her from Paris, only to be scolded by the old lady and eaten behind closed doors.

I don't like gossip, but I can't pretend not to hear it, so I have to follow his words and ask why. Mr. Simon skimmed his lips and said, "Mrs. Brown thinks her wrestling is all her eldest daughter's fault." ”

Not long ago, Mrs. Brown's eldest daughter took her boyfriend to Southern France for a vacation, borrowed her mother's car, and when she returned, the car went wrong. The old lady took the car to the garage and fell while picking it up, so she put all the blame on her eldest daughter and her boyfriend.

"The old lady has such a big temper and still turns away her children, and is she not afraid that if anything happens to her, no one will take care of her?" I think of Mrs. Brown locking herself in the house, and I'm still a little worried, "She's so old, she really should have put a spare key in someone else's place." ”

Mr. Simon shook his head, "Mrs. Brown may have some mental illness, and she has a taboo that her home is absolutely not allowed to enter casually." She was such a strange person, as if she had some treasure hidden in her house. I remember a few years ago, her granddaughter lost the keys to her house, and on that occasion, I found her a locksmith to open the door, and then she changed the door from the inside out. Moreover, she refused to let her granddaughter go to her house again. Just because her granddaughter lost the key, she refused to let her granddaughter in the house, do you think that makes sense? Who can guarantee that the key will never be dropped? ”

4

After saying goodbye to Mr. Simon, I got home and got a phone call. The other party is a local who is interested in buying my store, and he has called more than once to ask for some details in the store, and I have gone out of my way to describe them every time. But how to describe, it is not as real as to see it in person.

I was thinking about whether I could let him visit the shop once, when the cat barked again from the balcony. I knew it was Mrs. Brown's cat, but I really didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, so I just didn't hear it. I asked the man if he would like to visit the shop, and the other party hesitated—the grounding was very tight at that time, and the two of us discussed countermeasures on the phone, saying that we could pretend to go out and exercise, and "just in" met in front of my restaurant.

The cat kept barking, and as I listened, I suddenly remembered the dog in the neighbor's old lady's house in 2003, and that night, it was also an endless bark. My heart tightened, and I quickly got up and went to the balcony to check it out. Sure enough, Mrs. Brown's long-haired cat was crouching on the fence of her own side balcony, and when it saw me, it suddenly stood up, circled the fence, and "meowed" at me. This time, Mrs. Brown did not appear on the balcony.

I explained it briefly, then hung up the phone and tried to shout into the room, "Mrs. Brown? ”

No one responded. I shouted again, and then I heard Mrs. Brown's voice come over: "Don't shout, I'm here." ”

She made a sound, but the person still did not come out for a long time, and I asked again: "Are you okay?" ”

"It's all right, that, can you help me?" Her voice was soft, "Can you turn over from the balcony?" I can't open the door for you. ”

The safety factor of the House where the French people live is relatively low, for example, there is a thin wall between the balcony of my house and the side balcony of Mrs. Brown's house. Previously, Mrs. Brown had put a hanging board in the middle to prevent people from turning over, but the last time the fire SWAT removed the board, so it was easy for me to turn it over.

I hesitated, not knowing whether I should take on such a responsibility, but finally I turned my heart sideways: "Forget it, if the old lady finds me trouble in the future, I will be scratched by the cat, and it will not hurt anyway." What's more, this time she called me over. ”

When I climbed over the wall and entered the house, I saw Mrs. Brown sitting cross-legged in the kitchen, conscious. Seeing me, she put her hand out: "Come, pull me up." ”

She said she had just tripped over a cat and fallen again, but fortunately the carpet at home was thick enough not to be injured. She could sit up, but she couldn't stand up and couldn't reach the phone. The animals raised by the old french man seem to be particularly spiritual, and her cat saw that the owner could not stand up, so he ran to the balcony and barked.

I was afraid that Mrs. Brown was injured, and remembering that she was a person, I insisted on calling someone to come and help. But like a shrew, she sat on the ground and said to me, "If you call someone, I'm not done with you!" ”

The two of us froze for a moment, and Mrs. Brown finally took a step back: "I assure you that I have no problems. I don't have any discomfort, I just can't stand up on my own, you just lift me up, how about I invite you to a glass of champagne? With that, she began to move the various joints in her body, trying to prove it to me.

Mrs. Brown was like a child, which made people look angry and funny, and in the end I couldn't help her and helped her up. She moved her legs and feet, and it was really not a big problem. Then, for the first time, she asked me to drink a glass of champagne on the terrace of her house and instructed, "Today's incident is a secret between us, and we can't tell anyone." ”

She is like a child who has done something wrong, trying to hide her dangerous behavior. I said, "Older people wrestle badly, and as you get older, it can happen unabated." I can't be at home every time, and your cat can't call someone every time. Mrs. Brown, you still have to think about your own safety. ”

Who knew that she ignored me, took a sip of champagne, and asked inappropriately: "Do you know Papua New Guinea?" ”

I searched my mind, as if I had heard it, but I didn't know where the country was. Mrs. Brown suddenly turned to her side, looked at me and said, "I once read a report that the climate is mild and the people are simple, which is especially suitable for the elderly." Can you go online to help me see how to buy a ticket to Papua New Guinea? ”

"Now there is a new crown, and you are so old, you are not afraid of risks on the road?"

"Don't be afraid, I'm going to find a babu there (in French, babu means old gentleman)." Mrs. Brown laughed.

"If that's the case, you can also look for it in France, don't we also have an old gentleman in our community?"

"No, no, I just want Papua New Guinea's Babs." Mrs. Brown waved her hand repeatedly.

I think this old lady is just fooling around, and can't help but get serious, even a little angry: "Is anyone with you?" Do you know what language is spoken there? Do you know how many nucleic acid tests are going to be done on this trip? Do you know how long you're going to quarantine..."

The old lady looked at the sunset outside the terrace and said only: "What are you talking about so much nonsense, you just have to help me see how to get there, and then I will pay for a one-way ticket myself." ”

I couldn't convince her, I ignored her request, and after drinking two glasses of champagne, we said goodbye in a friendly manner.

5

A few days later, I sneaked up on my store with the local buyer. He was quite satisfied, but he also wanted to suppress the price again: "I don't know when this epidemic will end, and the risk I take is very large." "He cut it half the price, and I refused at the time, almost vomiting blood.

The leak in the house was met with overnight rain, and when I rushed home angry, I was confronted by the police. On the phone, we said we would dress up and do sports, but when I actually went out, I forgot to wear sportswear. I was fined 135 euros for not being able to make a reasonable excuse for travelling.

The shop could not open, the rent had to continue to be paid, the shop could not sell, and I had to pay the fine, and my stubbornness had reached its peak that day. As a result, as soon as I entered the house, I received a WeChat message from my cousin, asking me if I knew about my father's illness.

I said I knew, and she asked, "So what did you do for your dad?" ”

I was not in a good mood and replied, "I can't do anything." ”

The cousin split her head and covered her face with a sentence: "Indeed, your father is now only extremely disappointed in you, telling people everywhere that he lives alone with his wife and has no daughter." ”

Seeing this sentence, I was stunned.

My dad was a former soldier, and before I was 6 years old, I basically only saw him once a year, and I didn't kiss him at all. After I was 6 years old, he changed careers and was very busy at work, staying home for about 300 days a year. Later, when I grew up, I got a job after graduating from college, bought my own house, moved out of the house, and then came home not many times, and the time with my father was very short. So, the relationship between us is strange and obscure, and there has hardly been a very effective deep-heart exchange.

However, this does not mean that he does not have my daughter!

I was in the living room in a daze with my phone in a daze, my mind pounding. I don't know how long I sat, but suddenly I heard a cat barking on the balcony again. Did Mrs. Brown fall again? The anger in my whole body immediately came up, and I thought: This old lady really doesn't know how to cherish herself, and this time no matter what, I will inform her family.

I rushed to the balcony, but I saw Mrs. Brown standing there nicely, saw me come out, and "meowed" at me again, not to mention, and learned a lot. The fire in my head was not good for her, so I had to be quiet and swallowed.

The old lady tilted her head and asked, "How about coming over for a glass of champagne?" ”

I said I didn't want to drink it, and she asked what was wrong, and I blurted out, "If your dad told someone that he didn't have your daughter, would you want to drink champagne?" ”

The old lady looked at me for half a day, and finally said slowly: "Every parent has his own way of loving his children." Perhaps, this is the way your dad loves you? ”

Love me just or don't recognize me as a daughter? I can't accept it. I said I was tired and wanted to take a break, so I turned and went into the room and shut myself in the room. About 10 minutes later, someone pressed the doorbell of my house, I did not pay attention, the doorbell stopped ringing, and there was the sound of the door and Mrs. Brown's voice: "I know you are at home, Ling." ”

This picture inexplicably brings some joy, reminding me of the famous "Aunt Snow Shoots the Door" meme on the Internet. I think according to the personality of the old lady, if I don't open the door, she will probably call the fire SWAT, and my house does not have a fireproof and anti-theft iron door, the SWAT officers are likely to unload the door directly, and then I will go to the insurance company to help me repair it. The epidemic has suddenly turned the not-so-fast pace of service in France into a turtle speed, which means that I am likely to live without doors for two or three weeks. Thinking of this, I immediately got up.

Mrs. Brown glanced at me quickly outside the door: "Come on, come to my house for a glass of champagne." "She seems to be giving orders, and they are irrefutable orders.

The old lady turned around and dropped another sentence: "Your eyes are a little red and swollen, I have ice cubes at home, I can make you an ice pack, but you need to do it yourself." ”

When I arrived at Mrs. Brown's house, I declined the offer to ice and poured only champagne. Mrs. Brown didn't ask any more questions, but showed me a bunch of photos, many of which were of her youth, and of her 3 children.

Mrs. Brown was a great beauty when she was young, and the children were as beautiful as dolls. She took the picture and told me the story of the children little by little, saying that the eldest daughter had a waterfall-like hair when she was young; The son is tall and handsome, and his academic performance is always among the best; And the little daughter is her most intimate little cotton jacket.

After looking at the photo, we drank two glasses of champagne together. That day, we all had a tacit understanding not to say too many sad words.

6

About two weeks later, Mr. Simon called me and said that Mrs. Brown's eldest daughter and son had come back to visit their mother and wanted to see me.

That day, we met for the first time in the concierge's office. Mrs. Brown's eldest daughter, a civil servant, wore a long floral dress, because she was very thin, her eye sockets were somewhat sunken, and her face was a little fierce. Mrs. Brown's son, a lawyer, wore a straight shirt and shorts, very demure, and his facial features were very similar to his mother's. They invited me to sit down at a nearby café, and I didn't know what they wanted to talk to me about, but they accepted.

"My mother is very difficult to get along with, but I heard that she got along well with you." The eldest daughter spoke very politely.

"Mrs. Brown is fine, not very difficult to get along with." I laughed and said, "My mother's personality is more difficult to get along with." ”

"Thank you so much for taking care of my mother these days, it's beyond a neighbor's scope, and I apologize to you if it bothers you." Mrs. Brown's son was very sincere.

I shook my head and said it didn't bother me.

"No, no, we all think our mother is very, special, very, very... It's hard to do, and sometimes it's even a bit vicious, so hopefully you won't get hurt. The two said almost in unison.

"Vicious?" I couldn't believe those two words coming out of their mouths, and though I didn't know Mrs. Brown very well, I felt that she was definitely not "vicious."

"You know what? I hadn't been with my mother in almost 20 years. Mrs. Brown's son looked a little lonely, "because she hates my wife—no, her ex-wife, with her children who hate me." She would even say something vicious to her child, so for a while I stopped interacting with her. Later, I divorced and my mother was older, so we slowly resumed our relationship. ”

The eldest daughter also shrugged: "She doesn't like my ex-husband either." All in all, my ex-husband wasn't a good thing either, so I got divorced. Also, the cat that ran to your house was actually raised by me, I often traveled on business, and sometimes I would put the cat in my mother's house, but when I kept it, she wouldn't give it back to me. ”

"My mother will help you with your children, but my child, from birth until he grew up to be in his twenties, has only seen his grandmother a few times." 」 Mrs. Brown's son sighed, "Of course, Grandma doesn't want to see them either. ”

I was shocked, but then I felt that what kind of person Mrs. Brown was had nothing to do with me. Mrs. Brown's children did not realize this, and they almost cathartic to me, saying a lot of complaints and accusations about their mother.

Finally, they made a request: "My mother likes you very much, and this time we came, and she mentioned you to us many times." Miss Ling, you see, can you persuade my mother to put a spare key in the concierge next time I drink champagne with my mother? After all, if she falls at home again, it's a dangerous thing to do. ”

I blinked, not thinking I could accomplish the task. If her children can't convince her, how can I, an outsider, do? Both said it would be better if I could help them, and it didn't matter if I couldn't.

"We knew very well that my mother's greatest fear was being sent to a nursing home. You can tell her this, rest assured, we will absolutely guarantee to let her stay in her room, until the end, we will have the best care. "They looked at me very sincerely and could tell that they were both very financially powerful.

I suddenly wanted to ask them if they knew if their mother wanted to buy a one-way ticket to leave France, but in the end I didn't ask.

The children left after a few days, Mrs. Brown stopped playing cats on the balcony, and I had no reason to go to her house. After about a month or so, my restaurant finally sold out at half price. Exhausted, I was ready to move to Paris and start preparing to return home.

That day, I called my father, hesitated for a long time, and finally asked, "Why do you tell others that you don't have my daughter?" ”

Dad quickly explained, saying that this was not the case, he just went to prepare himself for a little aftermath, because he was afraid that others would gossip about me, so he lied that he was a widowed old man: "You don't have to worry, don't be afraid, my examination is no problem." The doctor said that it was because I changed a diabetes medicine to suddenly lose weight, and now that I have changed the medicine, there is no big problem. I called you today to explain to you, after my death, you don't have to worry too much, people will always die that day Ha, but I have prepared my posthumous affairs. In this way, you people will be relaxed. ”

Dad said this on the phone, and I couldn't cry outside the phone.

That day, I contacted the moving company and ordered a lot of packed cartons on Amazon. Soon, Mr. Simon called out my name loudly as I passed the concierge: "Ling, there is your courier." ”

When I went to get the cardboard box, Mr. Simon told me that Mrs. Brown was very upset and depressed when she heard that I was moving. When I got home, I thought about it for a long time, and finally went to the balcony and shouted, "Mrs. Brown?" ”

About a century later, I finally saw Mrs. Brown sticking her head out of the side balcony, and she was visibly haggard than she had been a month earlier.

"Do you need a glass of champagne today?" I asked out loud.

"You don't have to learn Simon's set, I'm not deaf yet!" Mrs. Brown replied coldly, but after a while she added, "Actually, you can come over at any time, and there is always iced champagne in the refrigerator." ”

I cut half a cantaloupe and took it to Mrs. Brown's house, and we sat on the terrace as before. Mrs. Brown laughed and said, "I haven't been able to go to Papua New Guinea yet, so you're going to run first." ”

I laughed too: "I have to think about going back to China, otherwise my parents may want to go to Papua New Guinea too." ”

Mrs. Brown took a sip of champagne and nodded, "I said long ago that you are a good person and that your parents have a good daughter. ”

Hearing this, I was eager to find a hole in the ground to drill into—if I were a good daughter, how could I come to France, which was a hundred and eighteen thousand miles away from home?

"I sometimes think that my memory is so good, as if I remember everything, when the children were young, they were so cute." 」 Mrs. Brown laughed again, and the 86-year-old lady laughed quite nicely, and then she sighed, "It seems that all that is left of my life is left." ”

Remembering the task given to me by Mrs. Brown's children, I asked tentatively, "Wouldn't you really like to leave the key with Mr. Simon?" ”

"No, no, no, Simon doesn't have a safe, and he's not qualified to keep the keys of the occupants."

"Then you can hand it over to someone you trust." For example, you can give it to your own children. ”

Mrs. Brown panicked at once: "No, I will not give the keys to my children, I have lived here all my life, and no one can let me leave my house." ”

At this point, I suddenly understood Mrs. Brown—she had always been polite and distant from the children, and she did not owe each other money. The children lived a rich life and did not covet her inheritance, but they were full of distrust of each other. Mrs. Brown has been strong all her life, but she seems to be tough, but her heart is full of fear, afraid that she will lose control of the house in her old age. Or rather, she was afraid of losing her dignity as a human being.

I decided to stop the topic and start concentrating on enjoying the chilled champagne. Mrs. Brown turned, looked at me and asked, "Don't you really want to show me a ticket to Papua New Guinea?" ”

"Is this a way for you to say goodbye?" One-way ticket, go and never come back, right? ”

Mrs. Brown didn't expect me to be so direct, and she laughed, "Don't you think this is the best goodbye?" ”

Mrs. Brown said that the French don't think about what happens after her, but I think she's thinking about her own aftermath in advance. I don't know if she wants to go to Papua New Guinea to fend for herself, to maintain her dignity as she ages, or if she doesn't want to bother her children.

What is a truly dignified farewell? This is a difficult question to answer. I hope Mrs. Brown finds her answer.

7

The French all hope that they will be independent when they are old and not bring trouble to others, and when Chinese they are old, they always hope that they will have children to accompany them. I can't say which concept is better, but I think that as long as it is the old man's own wish, he should try his best to satisfy it.

That day, I did an exhaustive travel guide online about how to get from France to Papua New Guinea. I told Mrs. Brown all the details of departure, transfer, and quarantine.

As I left, Mrs. Brown sat on the terrace and watched the setting sun and sighed, "Sometimes, I feel like I've had enough of my life, I'm tired of it, but today's sunset seems to be different from yesterday's." ”

The sunset that day was indeed beautiful, and the sky was red, like a burning flame. Mrs. Brown's silver hair was dyed a faint red by the sunset in the sky, her face was also refracted with a faint red halo, a smile hung from the corner of her mouth, and a shallow halo was shrouded around the whole person, beautiful like an oil painting.

I stood behind Mrs. Brown for a long time, and finally I couldn't help but bend down and gently hug her from behind. I don't know why I did it, but for a moment, I felt that her back was lonely and lonely.

Mrs. Brown, obviously not expecting me to hug her, stiffened for a moment, then gently patted my arm with her right hand and said, "Go, go back to your parents." ”

(The characters in the text are pseudonyms)