Winner
Ruby N. selected a piece from Tiny Love Stories called “I Never Saw My Parents Kiss” and wrote:
Dinner at my friend’s house was an alternative universe, surrounded by warm smiles and flowing chatter. At home, our dinner table was unused, left cold for the ghosts in the walls to occupy. My upbringing mirrored the author’s: “Their marriage, like my childhood, was steeped in sarcasm and silence.” In a Vietnamese immigrant household, exchanging love confessions and expressing emotions was unlikely. As a result of the cultural differences between my Western friends’ outbursts of “I love you” compared to my parents’ nods in acknowledgment, I struggled to understand the concept of love.
The author revealed a love story between their parents that lasted a lifetime, even if it wasn’t transparent to the modern eye. This story helped me reflect on my parents’ love language, from the washed strawberries left on the kitchen counter by my father to the Costco pack of Martinelli’s my mother bought (after I mentioned liking it once). Despite the empty dinner table, homemade food was on the stove, and groceries were in the pantry. As time passed, the grudge I held blossomed to a realization that love could be silent but still hold value.
Today, I continue to return my parents’ love in small services they were familiar with, a massage after a tiring day or translating at their doctor appointments. The author and I shared a discovery, which I hope can bring attention to hidden acts of love that could foster beautiful stories.