Chapter 39 to son

I made a big joke on my first trip to America when I bought ten very nice -- but big -- dusters, which I've written about before, but in fact I still Bought something and it makes me sad when I think about it. It has been nearly thirty years since that trip to the United States. Among the stores in the United States, the card shop was the one that surprised and moved me the most when I was young.At that time, there were only Christmas cards in Japan, and they were only placed in the corners of shopping malls, but in the United States, there were card stores, and there were many shelves for cards in stationery stores.

Needless to say, Christmas cards and birthday cards, there are also wedding cards, sick visiting cards, birth cards, Mother’s Day cards, Easter cards, Valentine’s Day cards, etc., as well as Jewish holiday cards—that holiday is not called Christmas, but "The old year is over and the new year is over" cards are also sold around Christmas.Plus thank you cards.Thank you cards are really a good thing. The cards come in different shapes and sizes, with words of thanks written on them. They are used when you want to express a little gratitude. It seems that Americans are really rational.There are also very romantic cards with nothing written on them (they are also called multi-purpose cards now), and cards with interesting content and laughs.All cards are made of the finest paper I've ever seen, with individual graphics printed on them.These are not uncommon now, but at that time Japan was not able to make such exquisite things.What fascinated me was the shelving of the cards in a dizzying variety of categories.

For example, there are cards for visiting patients. There are visits to mild patients and serious patients, which can be distinguished from the content of the cards.When visiting a sick child, there is a card that pops out of a three-dimensional cat when it is opened, saying: "Hi! Hi! Get well soon!" When visiting adults, there are cards with pictures of flowers or landscapes that look pleasant, and beautiful words to comfort the sick are written on them.When visiting adult patients with mild illnesses, jokes are written on the cards, and the patterns are also witty and interesting.It is said that the words are "written", but in fact the words are all printed. The person who sent the card will add a few words in his own handwriting, sign it and send it out.

Among these cards, the birthday card is the one that attracts me the most.The birthday card does not just say "Happy Birthday", but also prints something like "For Mom, Happy Birthday to you", which directly indicates who is going to send it to.I'm not used to such extravagant cards yet.Paper and pencils were hard to come by when I went to school during the war, so these American cards seemed to me like a symbol of luxury.I held the card in my hand with some unease and looked at it carefully. "Give it to mom, happy birthday to you!" For a long time, the cards I've seen were red or green, brightly colored, and not very beautifully printed.Now seeing this kind of pastel pink, blue, gray and all that in-between color card makes me ecstatic.I was so mesmerized by the rainbow of colors on the dusters that I ended up buying ten of them, and again as with the dusters, I must have been longing for something in these beautiful colors.When I was watching an American movie, if there were cards attached to various gifts or unusually colored letter paper on the camera, I would be very careful and think, "It's so beautiful."

Each card comes with an envelope.I bought "for mom" and "for dad" cards from the birthday card rack, and gave them back to my grandma who was alive at the time (speaking of which, by the way, the morning TV novel "A Qiao" that was playing a while ago ", Ms. Yuki Saori played my grandma) bought a "For Grandma" card. I looked around and found that there was a "For Husband" card. I thought I could use it after I got married, so I bought it.Now that I bought a card "for my husband", I then logically bought cards "for my son", "for my daughter" and "for my grandson". grandson".Also bought "for sister", "for brother", "for nephew", "for niece".It never occurred to me that I even bought a card for my grandson, when will I be able to use it?It was the first time I went abroad, and many people gave me farewell gifts. I had a lot of money with me, so I bought a lot of cards, which could almost fill a carton.

After returning to Japan, my card came in handy when my parents and younger siblings celebrated their birthdays.However, the birthday card "to the husband" just isn't where it's at.Since the cards "for the husband" cannot be used, the cards for children and grandchildren can't be used either, so they have been kept there.But I often take the cards out of the box, open the envelope, and take a look at the lovely cards.I used to think "when will I be able to use these?" Unknowingly, these cards were stored in a large box for many years, and I didn't forget them, I just didn't get a chance to use them.

I found this box when I was moving about ten years ago.When I opened it, the paste on the envelope was stuck together. If I didn't tear the envelope, I couldn't see the contents.Twenty years later, the envelope had turned yellow, and I couldn't open the place where the paste stuck, so I had to cut the envelope with scissors.What came out was a "For Son" card, with a golden chicken painted on a tea-colored background.The chick's eyes are big, like the brushstrokes of cartoons. After thirty years, the chick's expression is still so innocent, funny and cute.I vividly remember being young when I chose this card.I bought the card for my husband first, and then of course bought cards for my son, daughter, and even my grandson.Thinking about the innocence at that time, it is really nostalgic.

The other envelopes were all glued together.I was reluctant to open the envelope to see the cards inside, so I put it away as it was. This year's Mother's Day, Higashiyama-kun, a member of the most popular idol "Shounen Team" who once participated in a song show with me, gave me a card.Dongshan Jun gave me a card in the background, and whispered "Oh... here you are" a little bit embarrassed.The card reads: Mom, thank you for always taking care of me, I wish you good health. The picture on the card is my favorite panda, Dongshan Jun is really a considerate child.There are many actresses who are called mothers by Higashiyama-kun including Sadako Sawamura, Mitsuko Mori, Haruko Kato, and Junko Ikeuchi.I never dreamed that I would receive a card on Mother's Day.Incredibly, my first Mother's Day card ever made me so happy, so happy, that I was surprised myself, thinking "why so happy?"

When I bought cards with great excitement in the United States, I never thought that someone else's child would send me a Mother's Day card in the future. For this reason, I'd love to advise anyone who wants to buy a lot of cards right now: "Please only buy the cards you need now!"