(Written by a former resident of Shanghai)

          My neighbor has a pain in her hip and always uses a special cane when she takes a walk.  I saw the cane one day, and though I’d never seen it before, it somehow seemed familiar.  It was different than the usual kind, and I knew how to use it immediately even though she couldn’t resist demonstrating it for me.  

          It has three legs and the longest one has a seat.  When all the legs are spread out, the seat becomes a chair.  It was exciting to see it, as it was exactly what I’d had in my mind for a long time but had never been able to find one.  I wanted to know its name, and she told me that “Cricket Seat” is used in England, “Sports Seat” in America.

          It was exactly what my husband had needed.

          Almost 30 years ago, the company that my husband worked for built an apartment building.  He hoped that we’d be assigned a suite in it that would be bigger than the one in which we were presently living, and one day we went to the building to see the size of the rooms.

          We didn’t accomplish that, however, as my husband started to feel very uncomfortable, and we decided it was best to return immediately to our home.  We had to walk to the bus station, and it was a long walk.  His heart beat increased as we plodded on our way, and from time to time he felt that he couldn’t walk anymore for he was very tired.  No taxis appeared or any other vehicle that could have taken him home.  I encouraged him to continue the walk and eventually we arrived home.  The very next day, he was hospitalized with heart disease.

          After that happened, I thought that what he really needed was a cane with a seat.  It would be a great help.  I designed one and tried to make it of wood, but it was much too heavy.  I felt that I needed a mechanic to help design a lighter one, but I didn’t know anyone with that kind of skill.

          I finally gave up trying to make one, but never stopped thinking of exactly what we needed.  I had an image of the cane in my mind.  I knew that it would not be difficult to make and believed that one day I’d get one.

          In 1990, I visited my children in America and found many kinds of canes there.  I also saw walkers, but I didn’t find a sports seat.

          My son gave his father a cane for Christmas in 1992, but my husband didn’t want it.  He said he didn’t need it, that he could walk perfectly well on his own.  It was unfortunate that he felt that way, as he really needed it. 

          A wheel chair had also been provided for him, but he rarely sat in it, as he didn’t like the idea of me pushing it. 

          So every time he took a walk, he became very tired.  A cane with a seat would have been exactly what he needed.  I wanted to get one even though it remained a dream.

          When my neighbor showed me her Sports Seat, the dream finally came true.    Words can’t express how happy it made me.

          At the same time, I felt great unhappiness, too, as my husband is not in this world any longer.  My discovery had come too late.