Quiet

Mom was quiet on the way home from Genting. She would not answer questions. Later on in a restaurant, I let my wife tried talking to her. It went something like this:

• 我们不是不让你赌，你可以赌，但你要让我们知道；当我们有空时，也可以带你来。
• 云顶是不会让你赢的；云顶是世界上最奸的赌场。
• 当你输完，就马上停, 不要继续赌。

I signaled my wife that this was not getting through to Mom. Mom avoided eye contact; she was far away in her own world. But at one point, she said in a soft voice 可以赢的，一次几百，几百是可以赢回来的。

It was difficult to talk to her. I knew I had to establish rapport before she would open up. I had to figure out and get to the center of her concern. I asked her directly:

• 你是不是欠阿窿钱？多少？十万？五万？三万？
• 你不要担心，我会为你解决。
• 利息是多少？你跟多少个阿窿借？

She would not say much. Just remained quiet. But eventually, we got a number.