CHAPTER 58

Original: 2007-11-22

Rewritten: 2026-04-21

My wife was holding our younger son’s hand as she went to pick up Lun after school. On the way home, Lun suddenly broke free from his mother’s grip and dashed ahead…

When Lun was about ten years old, he began using the school bus. We hadn’t requested this service—it was arranged by the school on their own initiative.

We hadn’t asked for it because it simply hadn’t crossed our minds. We had seen school buses picking up and dropping off students before, but since most students didn’t use the service, it never occurred to us that Lun could benefit from it.

From kindergarten up to Primary Three or Four, we always handled the school commute ourselves. I drove him to school in the mornings, and in the afternoons my wife would take our younger son along to pick him up.

One day, as usual, my wife walked 15 minutes to the primary school with our four-year-old younger son. Holding one child in each hand, she started the walk home. Suddenly, Lun broke free and ran ahead. In her panic, my wife forgot that she was still holding our younger son’s hand. She focused only on chasing Lun, and the younger one lost his footing, his knees dragging along the hard ground. In desperation, my wife shouted loudly at Lun Lun, and he stopped just before reaching a road junction.

Our younger son’s hands and knees were scraped and bleeding. After the three of them got home, my wife treated his wounds and immediately called me to vent her distress.

It could have been much worse. What if Lun  hadn’t stopped and had run into traffic?

That evening, I wrote a letter and reported the incident to the school the next day. Soon after, the school informed us that Lun’s trip home would temporarily be handled by taxi. In terms of cost, a school bus would have been more economical, but since the incident happened mid-term, it would have been inconvenient to adjust the bus route and disrupt other students’ schedules. So a taxi was arranged instead, paid for by the school. The following school year, he switched back to the school bus.

I continued to drive Lun to school in the mornings, so that I could maintain contact with his teachers and stay updated on his learning situation.

When Lun advanced to junior secondary under Coquitlam’s system, Grades Six, Seven, and Eight were grouped into middle school, and dismissal time was 2:50 p.m., earlier than in primary school.

Meanwhile, our younger son had started Grade One. When my wife picked him up and returned home, it was already 3:50 p.m. By then, Lun, now in Grade Seven, would have arrived home around 3:00 p.m. But there would be no one to receive him, and the school bus could not wait. We suggested that the special education assistant adjust his working hours to help, and he was willing, but the union did not approve.

We had no choice but to ask Lun’s paternal grandparents for help. They readily agreed. So after school, Lun was taken to Coquitlam to stay with them, and after I finished work, I would go pick him up from their place.

Lun did not adapt well to the new environment and became increasingly agitated. He would turn lights on and off, throw tantrums, and make continuous “humming” sounds in protest. He refused snacks and drinks entirely, only calming down once he got home. This went on for over a month. Eventually, hunger forced him to eat at his grandparents’ house, and from then on, they always kept instant noodles (Mama noodles) on hand for him.

It was hard on Lun, and hard on his grandparents too—well into their seventies, yet having to cope with a little “emperor” even more temperamental than the grandfather himself. Fortunately, after some time, things settled down, and peace was restored.