Father

A Story by Hsieh

This short story is inspired by my father, I'm currently writing this to take a break from writing my first novel, hope it's good

“My father is a strong man” is what I thought to myself. I am a single child raised by a single father, my father drinks and gambles, he is a terrible man.

My father was born into a middle-class family in a small village in the east of the country in the mid-sixties. He was a mischievous boy who neglected his studies and played with the hearts of innocent girls his age. My father loved playing with his friends and betting with bottlecaps he found on the ground. He also loved cooking, as he watched his grandmother cook food every day for him.

My father is a fashionable man, when he came of age, he started dressing formally. Colourful button-ups, sleek business trousers and odd loafers. He would go into Central with his friends and hang around malls and clubs to pick up girls. When he flew overseas, his main objective was look fashionable, his hair has a natural curl to it so he would have it cut into a mullet.

My father is an unorthodox man, he dresses lazily yet somehow still fashionable, he works hard yet cuts corners, he is happy all the time yet he cries when he is alone.

My father was in the army, he was sad when he had to shave his hair, he formed long-lasting friendships during basic military training, he was an excellent marksman. He was assigned into logistics and had to move heavy boxes, from day to night.

My father is an addict who can quit his habits, he smokes but is about to quit, he drives fast yet has to stop driving. But when he drinks, he is unable to stop, he drinks until he is unable to walk, he drinks until he is red in the face.

My father loves to cook food for people, he works different jobs to earn enough money to open up his own stall to sell dim sum. Each of them is priced cheaply and yet so tasty. Recalling back to hot summers and cold nights, he would cook us our favourite dishes with our favourite soup, the foods were delicately seasoned, the soup heartily warmed our hearts

I love my father