Popo always has such a serious look on her face. D tells me she used to be a formidable matron who kept the daily cogs of their entire household of 14 running smoothly. She was a renowned doctor in China, sacrificed everything to bring her family to the US, went to ESL classes at night to better navigate this new country, and handled all the finances of purchasing their first home in California.
But about 7-8 years back, she slipped while walking down the stairs and was perhaps faced with the reality of her fragile mortality. She’s never been the same since.
Now, she sits in the same place in front of the TV all day, drowning out the world and all its potential dangers. I’ve only ever known this cocooned, atrophying grandmother, but sometimes when I capture her like this, I wonder what stories she has buried.