Em uma narrativa tocante e introspectiva, esta história explora a convivência de três anos entre um genro e seu sogro japonês, um renomado físico, nos últimos anos de sua vida. Sem compartilhar um idioma comum, eles desenvolvem uma comunicação única, repleta de gestos e rotinas diárias, criando um vínculo profundo. A história se desenrola em torno do respeito, carinho e os desafios enfrentados pela família, culminando em uma decisão difícil e emocionante, que testa os valores e o amor familiar, em meio a despedida do patriarca.
Fonte: Quora.com
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| My wife's Japanese grandfather lived with us for three years before he died. | O avô japonês da minha esposa viveu conosco por três anos antes de falecer. |
| He did not speak English at all, but I thought his quiet, unobtrusive presence would not be burdensome to my wife as she cared for our three young children at home, just another mouth to feed, so I agreed to having him live out his last years with us. | Ele não falava inglês, mas eu pensei que sua presença tranquila e discreta não seria um fardo para minha esposa enquanto ela cuidava dos nossos três filhos pequenos em casa, apenas mais uma boca para alimentar, então concordei que ele passasse seus últimos anos conosco. |
| He was a brilliant man, a highly respected physicist, in his day. | Ele era um homem brilhante, um físico altamente respeitado em seu tempo. |
| In his eighties, he was a wise and gentle soul. | Já em seus oitenta anos, ele era uma alma sábia e gentil. |
| When he moved in, he chose certain daily chores for himself. | Quando ele se mudou, escolheu certas tarefas diárias para si. |
| He opened the curtains every morning and closed them every evening. | Ele abria as cortinas todas as manhãs e as fechava todas as noites. |
| He kept the entryway clean and straightened the shoes. | Mantinha a entrada limpa e alinhava os sapatos. |
| He swept the crumbs from under the dining table after every meal. | Varria as migalhas de debaixo da mesa de jantar após cada refeição. |
| But most of all, he insisted on greeting me at the top of the stairs every day after work. | Mas, acima de tudo, insistia em me cumprimentar no topo da escada todos os dias depois do trabalho. |
| He would take my arm and lead me to the dining table where he had set out tea for us to drink. | Ele pegava meu braço e me levava à mesa de jantar onde havia preparado chá para nós. |
| He would talk about his day — in Japanese — I had no clue what he was saying. | Ele falava sobre seu dia — em japonês — eu não fazia ideia do que ele estava dizendo. |
| Then it was my turn to unburden myself with the cares of the day. | Depois, era a minha vez de desabafar sobre os afazeres do dia. |
| We finished our tea and I felt deeply refreshed and ready to engage with my wife and children. | Terminávamos nosso chá e eu me sentia profundamente revigorado e pronto para interagir com minha esposa e filhos. |
| At first, I thought I was humoring him because he was lonely but, over time, I realized that he was doing it for me… helping me to debrief and unwind from my hectic day, better enabling me to enjoy and connect with my family. | No início, pensei que estava fazendo isso por ele por sentir-se solitário, mas, com o tempo, percebi que ele estava fazendo isso por mim… ajudando-me a desabafar e relaxar após meu dia agitado, facilitando minha conexão com minha família. |
| Then came the fateful morning when he died. | Então veio a fatídica manhã em que ele morreu. |
| His hand was pressed tightly against his chest and his breathing was labored as he leaned against the hallway. | Sua mão estava firmemente pressionada contra seu peito e sua respiração estava dificultada enquanto ele se apoiava no corredor. |
| My wife called me from my dressing room as I was getting ready for work. | Minha esposa me chamou do meu quarto enquanto eu me arrumava para o trabalho. |
| She asked if she should call an ambulance. | Ela perguntou se deveria chamar uma ambulância. |
| Her grandfather looked at her sharply and shouted, "No!" | Seu avô olhou para ela seriamente e gritou: "Não!" |
| He understood what she had said perfectly. | Ele entendeu perfeitamente o que ela havia dito. |
| Our eyes met and he nodded his head with finality. | Nossos olhos se encontraram e ele assentiu com finalidade. |
| I knew he was dying — and that he wanted to die at home. | Eu sabia que ele estava morrendo — e que queria morrer em casa. |
| My wife paced back and forth, wringing her hands. | Minha esposa andava de um lado para o outro, torcendo as mãos. |
| "We must do something… What can we do? … Maybe I should call the paramedics and ask them…" | "Precisamos fazer algo… O que podemos fazer? … Talvez eu devesse ligar para os paramédicos e perguntar…" |
| I answered, "If you call them, they must come." | Respondi: "Se você ligar, eles têm que vir." |
| She continued, "What if they could help him, add months, or even years to his life? What if they can just ease his pain? …" | Ela continuou: "E se eles pudessem ajudá-lo, acrescentar meses ou até anos à sua vida? E se pudessem apenas aliviar sua dor? …" |
| "That's not what he wants," I answered. "He has lived a full life. He's ready to die. He wants to pass at home with his family around him." | "Não é isso que ele quer," respondi. "Ele viveu uma vida plena. Ele está pronto para morrer. Ele quer partir em casa com sua família ao seu redor." |
| "But, what if… what if… what if…" she stammered. | "Mas, e se… e se… e se…" ela gaguejou. |
| Her body was shaking, her beautiful face twisted with doubt and anxiety. | Seu corpo tremia, seu lindo rosto contorcido por dúvida e ansiedade. |
| I thought of her and her love for her grandfather and I realized that if he died in our home that morning, she would always blame herself, never quite sure if she should have done something more. | Pensei nela e em seu amor pelo avô e percebi que, se ele morresse em nossa casa naquela manhã, ela sempre se culparia, nunca estando certa se deveria ter feito algo a mais. |
| I looked into his eyes. | Olhei nos olhos dele. |
| He looked downward and nodded his head without saying a word. | Ele baixou o olhar e assentiu sem dizer uma palavra. |
| Neither of us had spoken. | Nenhum de nós falou. |
| I went to the telephone and called the paramedics. | Peguei o telefone e liguei para os paramédicos. |
| They arrived shortly afterward. | Eles chegaram pouco depois. |
| Grandfather was calm and assisted them as best he could getting up onto the gurney. | O avô estava calmo e os ajudou como pôde para subir na maca. |
| He smiled at everyone, including me; I felt as though I had betrayed him and did not deserve his generous forgiveness. | Ele sorriu para todos, inclusive para mim; senti como se o tivesse traído e não merecesse seu generoso perdão. |
| I had made a conscious choice in favor of my wife's tender conscience over his final wishes. | Eu havia tomado uma decisão consciente em favor da consciência delicada da minha esposa sobre seus últimos desejos. |
| I knew it was the only choice I could make, but it grieved me to make it. | Eu sabia que era a única escolha que poderia fazer, mas me doeu fazê-la. |
| Forty-five minutes later, I arrived at the hospital. | Quarenta e cinco minutos depois, cheguei ao hospital. |
| He was in the cold, sterile emergency room, surrounded by strangers, with tubes in his nose, needles in his arms, strange incomprehensible voices shouting urgent commands filling his ears, and bolts of electricity jolting his chest… A doctor emerged and said he had passed. | Ele estava no frio e estéril pronto-socorro, cercado por estranhos, com tubos no nariz, agulhas em seus braços, vozes incompreensíveis gritando comandos urgentes em seus ouvidos, e descargas elétricas atingindo seu peito… Um médico apareceu e disse que ele havia falecido. |
| I turned and walked out into the parking lot and burst into tears, hoping that in the end he understood my choice — I felt assured that he did by his final nod — and that made me cry the more. | Virei-me e saí para o estacionamento e comecei a chorar, esperando que, no final, ele entendesse minha escolha — senti-me assegurado disso por seu último aceno — e isso me fez chorar ainda mais. |
Contagem de palavras
A tabela abaixo exibe as palavras encontradas neste texto, bem como o número de vezes em que aparecem.
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| Freq. | Palavra | Freq. | Palavra | Freq. | Palavra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | he | 27 | and | 24 | I |
| 22 | the | 21 | his | 15 | was |
| 15 | to | 12 | my | 10 | in |
| 9 | with | 9 | what | 9 | me |
| 9 | if | 9 | at | 8 | that |
| 8 | she | 8 | her | 7 | of |
| 7 | had | 7 | for | 7 | a |
| 6 | wife | 5 | it | 5 | him |
| 5 | day | 5 | but | 5 | as |
| 4 | would | 4 | us | 4 | they |
| 4 | them | 4 | our | 4 | not |
| 4 | home | 4 | grandfather | 4 | every |
| 3 | years | 3 | we | 3 | thought |
| 3 | should | 3 | ready | 3 | out |
| 3 | morning | 3 | looked | 3 | into |
| 3 | from | 3 | felt | 3 | died |
| 3 | did | 3 | could | 3 | choice |
| 3 | call | 2 | work | 2 | when |
| 2 | wants | 2 | understood | 2 | three |
| 2 | then | 2 | tea | 2 | table |
| 2 | something | 2 | saying | 2 | said |
| 2 | s | 2 | room | 2 | realized |
| 2 | paramedics | 2 | over | 2 | nodded |
| 2 | no | 2 | must | 2 | more |
| 2 | make | 2 | made | 2 | lived |
| 2 | life | 2 | knew | 2 | just |
| 2 | japanese | 2 | head | 2 | has |
| 2 | getting | 2 | final | 2 | family |
| 2 | eyes | 2 | do | 2 | dining |
| 2 | die | 2 | children | 2 | chest |
| 2 | can | 2 | called | 2 | by |
| 2 | arrived | 2 | answered | 2 | all |
| 2 | against | 2 | after | 1 | young |
| 1 | you | 1 | wringing | 1 | word |
| 1 | without | 1 | wishes | 1 | wise |
| 1 | where | 1 | went | 1 | wanted |
| 1 | walked | 1 | voices | 1 | urgent |
| 1 | up | 1 | unwind | 1 | unobtrusive |
| 1 | under | 1 | unburden | 1 | twisted |
| 1 | turned | 1 | turn | 1 | tubes |
| 1 | top | 1 | time | 1 | tightly |
| 1 | though | 1 | tender | 1 | telephone |
| 1 | tears | 1 | talk | 1 | take |
| 1 | swept | 1 | surrounded | 1 | sure |
| 1 | strangers | 1 | strange | 1 | straightened |
| 1 | sterile | 1 | stammered | 1 | stairs |
| 1 | spoken | 1 | speak | 1 | soul |
| 1 | so | 1 | smiled | 1 | shouting |
| 1 | shouted | 1 | shortly | 1 | shoes |
| 1 | sharply | 1 | shaking | 1 | set |
| 1 | respected | 1 | refreshed | 1 | quite |
| 1 | quiet | 1 | pressed | 1 | presence |
| 1 | physicist | 1 | perfectly | 1 | passed |
| 1 | pass | 1 | parking | 1 | pain |
| 1 | paced | 1 | or | 1 | opened |
| 1 | onto | 1 | only | 1 | on |
| 1 | nose | 1 | nod | 1 | never |
| 1 | neither | 1 | needles | 1 | myself |
| 1 | moved | 1 | mouth | 1 | most |
| 1 | months | 1 | minutes | 1 | met |
| 1 | meal | 1 | maybe | 1 | man |
| 1 | love | 1 | lot | 1 | lonely |
| 1 | live | 1 | leaned | 1 | lead |
| 1 | later | 1 | last | 1 | labored |
| 1 | kept | 1 | jolting | 1 | is |
| 1 | insisted | 1 | incomprehensible | 1 | including |
| 1 | humoring | 1 | hospital | 1 | hoping |
| 1 | himself | 1 | highly | 1 | herself |
| 1 | helping | 1 | help | 1 | hectic |
| 1 | having | 1 | have | 1 | hands |
| 1 | hand | 1 | hallway | 1 | gurney |
| 1 | grieved | 1 | greeting | 1 | gentle |
| 1 | generous | 1 | full | 1 | forty |
| 1 | forth | 1 | forgiveness | 1 | five |
| 1 | first | 1 | finished | 1 | finality |
| 1 | filling | 1 | feed | 1 | favor |
| 1 | fateful | 1 | face | 1 | everyone |
| 1 | evening | 1 | even | 1 | entryway |
| 1 | enjoy | 1 | english | 1 | engage |
| 1 | end | 1 | enabling | 1 | emergency |
| 1 | emerged | 1 | electricity | 1 | eighties |
| 1 | ease | 1 | ears | 1 | dying |
| 1 | drink | 1 | dressing | 1 | downward |
| 1 | doubt | 1 | done | 1 | doing |
| 1 | doctor | 1 | deserve | 1 | deeply |
| 1 | debrief | 1 | daily | 1 | curtains |
| 1 | cry | 1 | crumbs | 1 | continued |
| 1 | conscious | 1 | conscience | 1 | connect |
| 1 | commands | 1 | come | 1 | cold |
| 1 | clue | 1 | closed | 1 | clean |
| 1 | chose | 1 | chores | 1 | certain |
| 1 | cares | 1 | cared | 1 | came |
| 1 | calm | 1 | burst | 1 | burdensome |
| 1 | brilliant | 1 | breathing | 1 | bolts |
| 1 | body | 1 | blame | 1 | better |
| 1 | betrayed | 1 | best | 1 | before |
| 1 | because | 1 | beautiful | 1 | be |
| 1 | back | 1 | assured | 1 | assisted |
| 1 | asked | 1 | ask | 1 | around |
| 1 | arms | 1 | arm | 1 | anxiety |
| 1 | another | 1 | an | 1 | ambulance |
| 1 | always | 1 | agreed | 1 | afterward |
| 1 | add | 1 | about |
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