Life Is Not Hopeless

[ 1. ]

Above is Natalie's picture.

Natalie emptied her yellow ochre purse, now worn out by overuse, on the old wooden 4-legged stool—the only real furniture in the entire household. She shook it and out came a few coins, the worthiest and most treasured possessions of her. Almost instantly, she grabbed the coins and held them in her right hand. After thoroughly examining the contents of the purse for a while, she let out her breath in a long, ragged sigh. No, it was hardly enough for catering to her needs.

Well, something is always better than nothing, she told herself as a mean to console herself.

Little Bo cried out, "Ibu, I want choco."

"I will go to the shop in the afternoon and buy a yummy treat for you, I promise," Natalie replied impassively, focusing on the coins in her palm and not taking her eyes off them.

Immediately, his face contorted in rage. Bo glared at her and hollered furiously, "I WANT IT NOW!!!" His resonating, high-pitched voice shrilled through the house. He was extremely stubborn and adamant. And needless to say, when he demanded something, that 'something' must be provided to him and that too as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would not hesitate to throw a tantrum. He was as persistent as a mosquito can be.

Suddenly losing her calm, Natalie screeched in anger, "Oh God! Bo! Stop that! Enough is enough!"

Bo burst out crying. No child likes to be yelled at.

Wearing a pitiful expression, she soothed him, "Hush my little baby! Hush! Stop crying. I am going out now". Saying that, she gave him a tight hug and went outside to buy his all-time favourite chocolate, Teuscher.

Teuscher was fairly expensive and meant for the wealthy blokes' children. Natalie's financial capacity was not that much as to buy this chocolate. But, considering Bo's desire for this chocolate, she had, after storing money for a long time, bought a tiny piece of Teuscher's chocolate on his most recent birthday - which was actually the sixth one. Since then, it had become his favourite and he kept demanding it.

Natalie, a middle-aged woman in her late-thirties. She was a strikingly pretty Singaporean lady with two children, Bo and Dawan. Twelve-year-old Dawan went to school, while Bo was too young. 

She had been leading a happy life with her family. But that has become past.

Her husband had been the breadwinner in the family till his very recent death. This marked the beginning of her struggles and sufferings.  Ever since then, Natalie has lived as a widow and destitute. Yes, she was a widow. Her happy days were ruined with her husband gone. The event left her bereft. Her grief caused her to look a decade older than she actually was.   

The responsibility of financially managing her family of two growing children fell naturally upon her. 

At first, forced to collect money from whatever source possible, she was inclined to sell all the furnitures inside the house (excluding the small stool and some shabby mattresses), along with her ornaments and precious memories. However, for how long can a family with two hungry mouths to feed live on that little amount of money?

Therefore, to sustain the family, she joined the factory as a worker, finding no other alternative. In exchange for her services, she was given wages. Nevertheless, it was merely a pea-sized amount which could hardly be called income.

Overall, she was facing a great difficulty in paying the school fees of Dawan and in bringing up Bo, who often craved for food or toys of a price far beyond what she could afford to give.

Glossary:                                                               
Ibu - mother