The Father-Daughter Pair on that Bicycle Trail

The tale of the father and the daughter, how he’d, taken care of her, loved her, unconditionally, translated…

I have a preferred way of exercising, I’d often, ridden my bicycle around the neighborhood, I’d ridden all over the bicycle trails locally, mostly, these trails are, separated from the sidewalk for pedestrians and the flow of traffic of motor vehicles, with almost nobody around, the wind gentle, very, leisurely, I also got to, take in the sights of the fields, and, it’s no wonder, that this trail is, often populated with those who’d come out to exercise by walking or jogging.

like this, father-child pair…just to see his child, smile…photo from online

One day, at the “Pump Trail”, I saw a tricycle coming in the distance, that nostalgic look of it, with the brightly sprayed on colors, it’d caught my, attention.  As the tricycle came closer, I saw a girl in a sports cap, and dark glasses, from the posture she’d sat, and the looks, I suspect she may be a handicap person.

And the one riding the tricycle was older, close to my age, wearing a t-shirt, in shorts, sneakers, from his dark complexion and plump calves, I’m inclined to believe, that he must’ve been, ridden the tricycle a long, long time, to get his dark complexion and bulky muscles.

There were the rest stops of the bicycle trail, the tricycle stopped to rest temporarily, I was just running across the stop, with that curiosity, I’d asked this, “stagecoach”, how he’d come to own this, odd looking, tricycle, and who was he chauffeuring, around?  Turns out, the young lady he was lifting is his youngest daughter, severely mentally retarded, with the severe sort of scoliosis, she’d gone to special education school from her elementary all the way to high school, when she was younger, she knew how to call out “dad”, but, with the atrophy of her brain, she’d, not talked these days.

He originally owned a pickup to take his youngest to and from school, but during Typhoon Morakot, it’d, gotten, drenched and, became junk, so he’d, custom-ordered this, tricycle with the seats; after his youngest graduated from high school, she’d needed someone to watch over her, and he can only, quit his work as a janitor at a local college, and start working as a, full-time, dad.

caring for his handicap child…as both the parent and the child, ages…photo from online

The original tricycle didn’t have the covers over it, after two kind souls learned, they’d come all the way from Tainan, to install the covers, and they’d not received any payment, nor left any contact information, their acts of kindness, were truly, amazing.

The youngest couldn’t sit still at home, when she’d felt upset, she’d started, slapping herself, rammed her head into the walls, and so, he could take her out every day to divert her attention, to see the sights, their tracks covered almost all of Chiayi.  And now, as he grew older, he isn’t as agile as he used to be, but, so long as his youngest daughter is happy, he will, chauffeur her until he couldn’t do it anymore, and their story, touched me.

After this, short conversation with me, he’d, peddled on his tricycle, continued onward, looking at the backside of the man, I was totally in awe, such an, amazing, father!

So, this is, the dedication, the love and the care this man showed to his own, daughter who’s handicapped, and, it showed, how it takes, even MORE, energies, to raise a child with the mental decapacitation up into adulthood, and these children, will in turn, become their parents’, aging companions when they’re, older too.