我妹妹小賢 My Sister Athena

My aunt and me, in Taiwan  (我姑姑和我，於台灣)

My aunt with her children and grandchildren, in the States (我姑姑和她的兒孫們，在美國)

我不稱小賢為表妹，因為我不愛這個「表」字，就像我不愛外婆的那個「外」字一樣。對我來說，母親的媽媽是「姥姥」，姑姑的女兒是「妹妹」。

小賢的母親，姑姑，是我祖父母惟一的女兒、我父親惟一的妹妹。

然而，記憶中，我從沒見過父親疼愛姑姑。

我，正好也是家中惟一的女兒；和姑姑一樣，也有個孤單的童年。

十三歲唸初中的時候，我每天搭火車去萬華女中上學；姑姑的家，正好就在火車站旁邊。有一天放學後，忍耐不住想和兩個妹妹玩，到站下了車，看著火車嗚嗚而過，我鼓足勇氣轉入了姑姑家的巷弄。

那是一個永難忘懷的快樂又痛苦的記憶！

回到家，遲了一個多小時，我誠實地招供出來，卻遭到父親用一根竹條猛抽我穿制服裙的小腿，直抽到兩條小腿肚浮暴出無數的紅粗印子。

那個記憶的印象真的太深了。

我痛苦的，並不是父親打我；我痛苦的是，再也不敢去姑姑家了。

感謝神！妹妹卻從來未曾放棄尋找我；台灣、美國、加拿大、又美國。

感謝神！因祂的恩典、賜給我和妹妹信心滿滿地一同努力， 終於，爸爸和姑姑和好了。

感謝神！任何時候，有任何悲哀，妹妹一定在。

謝謝妳，小賢；姊姊愛妳。

I don't call Athena  "Biao Mei" which literally means "the superficial sister" as I don't call my mom's mother "Wai Po" which literally means "the outsider grandma".  

I rather call Athena “Mei Mei” as I rather do to my mom’s mother “Lao Lao”, which means younger sister, and, grandma.

Athena’s mother, my Gu-Gu, my aunt, was the only daughter of my grandparents and the only sister of my father. 

I never remembered my father being loving to Gu-Gu, somehow.

It happened that I also was the only daughter, and similar enough, had a lonely childhood. 

When I was 13 years old, I used to go to a girl's middle school by train, and the train station was right by my gu-gu’s house.  One day after school, I was so tempted to play with my two “younger sisters” that I walked toward Gu-Gu’s house right after I was off the station.

I will never forget how happy I was at Gu-Gu’s house, and I will never forget the consequence I had either!

Upon returning home a couple of hours late and reporting to my parents honestly, my father took a bamboo stick and whipped me so hard on my legs that they appeared all red and swollen.

It was a painful memory.

What really hurt were not my legs, but my heart which never dared to go to Gu-Gu’s house again.

Praise the Lord! Athena never gave up on me, from Taiwan, the States, Canada, and the States again.

Praise the Lord! Through His grace, Athena and I had worked hard together, and we eventually brought my father and his sister back to reconciliation.

Praise the Lord! Whenever I need a loving ear, my sister is there.

Thank you, Athena;  “Jie Jie” loves you.

(By Julia Chou)