“She was not like anyone I’ve met. She was not a woman who was from a wealthy family. In fact, she was the opposite of that. She cared much more about her daughter than herself. It didn’t matter if she hadn’t eaten anything the whole day, but what truly mattered to her was the meals her daughter had. A remarkable mother, an epitome of a selfless mother.”
●
It was 12 noon. Maria was staring out the window and watching the kids play. She thought of how fun it is to be a little kid with no worries, responsibilities, and stress. She missed doing things like waking up at 8 in the morning and running outside to play with friends and eating street foods when she gets hungry. But as she was thinking of her childhood memories, her stomach grumbled all of a sudden. She was hungry. She forgot to take her lunch so she goes to check the fridge, but there wasn’t any food. She checked her kitchen counters to see if there were any leftovers, but here weren’t any either.
“I guess I’ll just eat somewhere outside,” she said. “Somewhere where I can reminisce my childhood,” she added.
Maria stepped out of her doorstep. As she walked, she thought of what and where to eat. “Why not just eat street foods?” Questioned she. “Perhaps, it was one of the things I loved doing as a little kid,” she added.
She headed towards the plaza which was known for having many vendors selling street foods. When she arrived, she saw a little girl with her mom both wearing ripped shirts and muddy shorts. The little girl was crying. Maria was curious as to why the little girl was crying, so she observed the girl with her mother.
“Wait, my little one,” Maria heard the mother said, “I’ll count the money that I earned today.” Fortunately, as the mother counted her money, it was enough to buy two sticks of barbecue. The mother did no longer hesitate to buy two sticks of barbecue.
“Can I have two sticks of barbecue please,” she asked. The vendor then handed her the sticks of barbecue saying, “Here you go, Ma’am. Thank you for buying.”
As soon as she got them, she gave them both to her daughter. “Thank you so much, mom! You are the best!” the daughter thanked, “But mom, where’s yours?” the daughter asked.
“I’m fine, my dear. Don’t worry about me. As long as you are happy, I will be too,” the mother replied smiling as she hugged her daughter.
When Maria heard of those lines, it immediately reminded her of her mother who fought on in the hopes of a better future for her; who continuously defended her when others try to demean her; and her mother who changed her whole world.
“This is the epitome of a selfless mother,” Maria whispered to herself. She smiled when she witnessed an act of selflessness. She was delighted as the mother had bought two sticks of barbecue and gave them both to her daughter when she could’ve gotten the other one.
Maria thereafter took money from her pocket. She then went to buy six sticks of barbecue and two sticks of barbecue in a separate plastic.
She walked towards the mother saying, “You know, Ma’am, mothers like you are the best to exist,” Maria said as she handed the six barbecues to the mother.
“Uhm, sorry, may I ask who you are?” the mother confusedly asked.
“Well, Ma’am, I am Maria,” she answered, “I witnessed an act of selflessness from you, so I want to hand these to you. Please accept these,” she added.
The mother smiled as she knew what Maria was talking about. “Thank you so much!” the mother thanked.
“But I won’t accept those,” the mother said. “Oh please accept these. I bought these for you,” begged Maria. “Thank you so much, my dear,” the mother thanked once again. “You are a blessing from above. Come sit and join me and my daughter,” added the mother.
Maria sat that down the bench and ate the barbecue with them. As Maria ate she said, “This is ecstatic. It’s like being a kid again.”
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
14
Fiksi Umum"Written here are all my stories of escape. How I escaped reality, how I escaped my own sanity."
