The day after the typhoon, I went back home to help my parents move to their new place. Heading out early in the morning, I got my first real glimpse of how powerful this typhoon had been — motorcycles were knocked over in dominoes. It was genuinely the first time I’d seen a domino effect made entirely out of motorcycles. Honestly, Taipei City government should consider reorganizing all motorcycle parking spots around the entire city — next time a typhoon hits, Taiwan could set a Guinness World Record. That would be one unique way to be in the spotlight.
Once at the new place, I kicked off my day as Taiwan’s one-man electrical crew — installing phone lines, checking outlets, inspecting every room. As noon approached, Mom mentioned that some friends would be coming to help. Then a whole crowd showed up — both my parents and I were stunned. So I quickly transformed into a waiter: buying drinks and snacks to host the guests. Since the place was still a mess (it was just the preliminary ceremonial visit), not the full move-in yet, I made a mental note: when visiting someone’s new home, read the situation first. Or it becomes awkward.
After seeing the guests off, I buried myself in work until evening. After midnight, I morphed into a driver and went to the airport to pick up my younger brother flying home from Korea. Four hours later, I was up again to start the formal move-in ritual. Mom, in all the busy-ness, forgot to bring the lard — so my brother and I drove all the way to Taoyuan’s old market near the temple to buy some. Only after the ceremony was complete did my final role begin: my day as a mover.
By the end of the evening I was completely drained. It had been a very long time since I’d “exercised” like this. Ever since my belly started enthusiastically expanding on its own, I hadn’t exerted myself like this. And that evening when I visited my girlfriend to drop off some things, my mind had gone completely blank. Well, not quite blank — there was a vivid image of a bed floating in front of me… surrounded by Z’s of various sizes…
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