“Love is doing ordinary things together” — A 50-year story in just 15 minutes at Hualien Station

Text & Photos /“European North Travel Observation Diary”by Tsai Da-fu

We stopped at a previously unheard-of small station and arrived at a place called “Haibian” (by the sea). Although it’s in Taiwan, the color of the seawater is different from that on the east coast; the sound of the waves crashing ashore is different from the east coast; the color of the sunset is different from the east coast; the distance of the sky from me is different from the east coast; even the scent in the air is different from the east coast.

“Excuse me, is there anything to eat here?” Just because of this question, although we only stayed at this small station for 15 minutes, we encountered a story written over fifty years.

“Grandma, give me a zongzi, I’m starving, it looks so good. How old are you? Have you been selling here for long?” I asked. Grandma: “For a very long time~~ over thirty years, I’m already 72 years old now. Here, your zongzi.” The sunset shone between the two of us as we chatted for quite a while, and Grandma’s smile never faded.

Our companions called out: “We have to go, the train is coming soon. If we miss it, we’ll have to wait another 90 minutes.” “Grandma, we have to leave now. I’ll come back to see you, I definitely will. You’re like my grandma. It’s getting dark, and you’re here all alone with all these things. I don’t see a car—how will you get home?” Grandma: “My husband will come pick me up.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the exhaust sound of an old motorcycle approached slowly and leisurely. Grandpa revealed his few remaining teeth, and his smile made the traces of age on his face even more pronounced.

Grandma: “My husband is here. He’s five years older than me. We’ve been married for about fifty years!” “Hello, Grandpa, you’re so sweet, taking care of your wife so well. Do you come to pick her up every day like this?” I felt warm inside. Grandpa didn’t reply. Grandma: “He’s hard of hearing, you’ll have to speak louder, it’s okay. Ever since I started selling here, he’s come to pick me up.” Grandpa kept smiling.

We waved goodbye. Grandpa said, “Come to our house for a meal next time.” Grandma hopped barefoot onto the motorcycle, which might even be older than me. We turned around, took a few steps, and looked back to see the small black figures of Grandma and Grandpa walking against the sunset. Yet I could almost see the faint upward curve of their faces, tinged with pink.

“The essence of love is simply doing the most ordinary things together.”