Holding Mom's Hand
Technically speaking, my Mom is old－she is in her 70s now. She once used to be a woman full of life and laughter. All of that changed after my Dad passed away about ten years ago. Although they were not what you would call a "lovey dovey" couple, Mom did take his sudden death quite badly. To make matters worse, my brother decided to relocate to another city, while Mom decided to stay behind with her sister.
Whenever my Mom comes over to stay with me for some time (I live with my husband and his parents), she always demands constant attention from me. She generally gets nostalgic (怀旧的) of the good old times we used to spend together discussing pets, books, cooking, or life in general. Sometimes it turned into a complaining session－"You never spare time for me anymore" or "I have become useless to everyone". I always used to retort (反驳) with "Oh, Mom, please don't start all over again" or sometimes rudely remark, "How can you expect me to do the things we used to do together years ago? There is no time for such things anymore!" Mom would become silent, probably because she had resigned herself to the way things are now. I could sense I had hurt her but there was little I could do, or so I thought at the time.
Then it struck me－I always try to be nice to people at work. I do random acts of kindness for strangers. I sometimes surprise an old friend with a phone call. But what have I done for my Mom? Why is it that I am so reluctant to hold her hands in front of others? Is it because I am embarrassed to be labeled as "mama's girl" at my age? Well, I am no longer young myself. Is it because I have taken my Mom for granted because her days are done?
Today was yet another chaotic day. I was occupied in dealing with my own things, getting ready for work, leaving my Mom to have her breakfast all alone at the table. I had so many things on my mind－the deadline at work, an appointment with my dentist, what to cook for dinner...
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Mom stared at me silently, with a wronged (委屈的) look.
……
Then, all of sudden, I stopped myself.
……
