1 Family

Su Lin was a quiet child. Both her parents worked and they would usually leave home around 8:30 in the morning. A nanny was usually there to feed her, and when Su Lin's mother got back around 3PM, the nanny would leave. Although a nanny sounds very good to hear, Su Lin's family wasn't rich. Their house was rented at a subsidized price in a small town, and they didn't own a car. Since Su Lin's parents' marriage wasn't really approved either of the families, they did not get any financial support or even get anything good for wedding gifts. They had to start from scratch, and were always stressed from running around earning money. Moreover, Su Lin's mother had overcome a serious illness during her pregnancy, and her health was frail.

When Su Lin was three, she heard her mother arguing with her father. Not just one day and not just once in a while, but almost every other day. She did not understand what they were shouting about, but she saw that they slept in separate rooms. Su Lin tried to keep to keep to herself and did not bother them. She would usually play with her dolls, or draw with watercolors. She did not go out to play with other kids nor did she ask her parents to take her out.

Su Lin would often see mother cry quietly. She did not know why she cried and had no words to offer to comfort. She was too young, but she also understood that home was not a place that was happy. When her mother talked to Su Lin, she never discussed her problems with her husband. Rather, she would tell Su Lin about the dreams that she could not accomplish. She had wanted to be an athlete, but despite being the fastest in high school, she could not pursue her dreams. She was inflicted with meningitis during her senior year, and a year in hospital with steroids and spinal surgery had shattered her dreams to be athlete. She wanted Su Lin to be an athlete- to reach the top of the world- to fulfill the dreams that she could not.

When Su Lin was four, her mother put her in swimming classes. It was a good way to train the body- the warm-up exercises and then learning the strokes in the water would help her become fit. When she trains for the track later, physical fitness would come in handy. That's when the bad news came. Su Lin had severe asthma. A short dash was enough to require inhalers. A longer run would make it necessary to send her to the hospital. Su Lin could never become an athlete. She could not fulfill her mother's unfulfilled dreams.