The long Bench

That bench, which originally existed in the form of a tree. It was a date palm tree, standing in front of the old family home. Later, the village to repair the street in front of the door, the tree in the way, the father cut, look left and right, think the wood can not be wasted, it made the bench. Father is an amateur carpenter.

Neighbors came and laughed at the ugly bench Dad made. But he liked it very much, as a treasure, around the stool to touch around, giggling. At that time he was small, only three or four years old, not as high as the stool.

Dad came back from the field, if the weather is good, will carry the bench to the yard, sit down, and then call him to sit next to him, together with watching the chickens running in the yard, and the flowers on the edge of the fence. When neighbors came to visit, they laughed and said, "Hey, these two men, one on each side of the bench, a big mold carved out of a small mold. The two of them laughed together, and even their smiles were identical. He did not sit quietly just like that. Sometimes he slipped off the stool, stepped on his father's shoes, climbed up on his knees, and then held his neck, playing the swing, or climbing up from the back, riding on his father's neck, shouting "driving, driving, driving" - riding a big horse. Father also cooperated, making a running pose. Occasionally, he tilted his head and hissed.

The village sometimes showed open-air movies, so Dad carried a bench to the river bank in the south of the village. He sat on the bench, the front of the head blocked, can not see, father let him ride on the neck, sometimes watching him fall asleep, a bubble of urine will be spilled.

After he went to elementary school, higher than the bench, he could sit on it by himself. But his father went to work abroad. He often sat alone on the bench in the courtyard, swinging his legs around, watching the birds in the persimmon tree fly in and out. A flower bloomed and a flower failed.

Dad came back once every two or three months, and he couldn't stay home, repairing the earthen stove, the chicken coop and the sheep pen, and then planting and harvesting crops in the fields. Like a gyroscope, always turning around, can not stop. He sat on the bench and called out, "Father, sit down for a while." He wanted to tell Dad himself about what was new in school. Dad, who was busy, turned his head to look at him and said, "Okay, son, come right away." But Dad never got to sit on the bench for a while.

The other side of the bench was always empty.

Later, he went to study abroad. Father continued to work abroad. Occasionally, when he went back, his father was not at home. He wiped the dust off the bench and sat by himself in the yard for a while. Dad finally stopped working after he went to college because of back pain, and fed the pigs at home. When he went back during the holidays, if it was a good day, Dad brought out the bench to the courtyard and greeted him to sit down with him, wanting to hear what was new in his college. But he was busy going to play with his hairdresser or classmates, so he said, "Dad, I'll sit with you when I come back." But almost every time he came back, it was already dark. Once his mother secretly told him, your father, ah, in the yard has been waiting for you until the sun went down.

When even if he does not go out, he plays games. In addition to eating, going to the toilet, sleep, the rest of the time to stick themselves in front of the computer. Dad sometimes comes over to watch silently for a while, and then walk away without a word.

After graduating and joining the workforce, he came home less often, only in the Spring Festival every year. At home he was busy visiting friends and relatives, time is simply not enough. In those days, if the sun is good, Dad will still carry out a bench, sitting alone in the courtyard. Sometimes he would look at him going out, wanting to say something, but finally not saying anything. He was finally able to sit on the bench with dad again after he suddenly got a cerebral thrombosis. After the disease, Dad stumbled and slowed down. He took time off to go home and take care of Dad.

It was a winter day. He moved the bench to the yard and placed it against the wall, so that Dad could snuggle up against the wall and sunbathe. But Dad couldn't get on the bench. Finally he helped, barely went up, but could not sit still. He got a saw and sawed the four legs to a very short length. So then help Dad sit down. Sitting shoulder to shoulder. Dad said little. Can not say a few words, a tilt of the head, leaning on his shoulder, fell asleep, a faint snoring. He wrapped his jacket around dad. Then just sit there, sit .......

He wished he could always sit down like that.