| Old Japanese living alone can now hire
a "family" for lunch and a few hours' pleasant talk. Just give them a ring and
ask for, say, a daughter, son-in-law and grandchild. They will show up at your
door, and greet you emotionally as if they hadn't seen you for years. Some 15 couples have so far hired "families". "We have nearly 80 people on the waiting list," said the president of the company that offers such services. "What is common about these senior citizens is that they are thirsty for human love. We are helping them make their dreams come true." Where once big families with three or more generations living together were common, now numbers are reducing fast. In cities there are very few indeed. Many old people see their families only rarely (稀少地,难得地) , if not at all. This may be because the children's bosses have sent them to a distant city, even abroad, or just because busy family members cannot find time to visit their parents. "We've seen many eases in which parent-children relations are not in a happy state," company president continues. "When a son finally visits his parents after a long while, it is often just to ask for money or for them to let him have their property (财产) early." Loneliness is not a one-way street. "One young mother came to us to ask about grandparents," he added. The company is now developing into other fields. Their services include providing "employees" (雇员) for businessmen to scold and "lovers" for young people unluckly in love. Company's "lovers" for hire is not a service to be misunderstood, company president makes clear. "You shouldn't think about our lover too romantically," he said. "She's there to act as an adviser (顾问)on how to find a girl- friend." |