Parents - A Touching Story

Shared by:  Terence Lee
 

When the son came back, the mother immediately ate the food without a word.  She stared at him.  The son took a taste of his mother's food and spitted it out immediately.  He ranted at his wife, “Didn’t I tell you that my mother cannot take too salty food?"   The wife shouted, "Ok! She’s your mum!  You will cook for her in future!"
 
After saying that, she stormed into their room angrily.  Feeling helpless, the son told the mother, "Mum, don't eat this anymore.  I will cook you a bowl of noodles."  The mother said, "Son, do you have something to tell me?  Don't keep everything to yourself."
 
Son: "Mum, I am going to get promoted soon and my upcoming working schedule will be very, very tight... and as for my wife... ummm... she said she will be going out to work...."
 
The mother understood what he meant and said in a begging manner, "Son, please don't send me to the Old Folks' Home."  The son remained silent and tried to think of a good reason to persuade her mother.  Then he said, "There is nothing wrong with the Old Folks' Home.  Once my wife had gone out to work, no one will serve you as well as the Home which provides you with regular meals and care.  It would definitely be much better than being at home."  The son went for a bath after that and went into the Study Room.
 
He looked out of the windows and thought about what he said to his mother.... His mother has remained as a widow since she was young with him, and brought him up solely and painstakingly.
 
She tried all means to earn as much as she could, in order to support him in his overseas study.  Yet she expected nothing in return, nor used her past painful experience to threaten his son to be filial.  In contrast, his wife is threatening him with the stake of their marriage.
 
"Should I send my mum to the Home?"  he asked himself.
 
"The only person who will accompany you till the end of your life would be your wife," said a friend before.  "Your mother is old now, and even if she's lucky, she would only live for a few more years.  Why not be filial to her for this period of time?" Some relatives reminded him.
 
He was stuck in a dilemma.  He did not want to think about it anymore, in order not to affect his decision.
 
The son found a Home with high standards, built on a beautiful and tranquil mountain top.  He told himself that the more he spent on her living expenses, the better he would feel.  When the son helped his mother into the lobby of the Home, the 42" TV was turned on. The programme shown on screen was a comedy.  But no one was laughing.
 
A few old folks, dressed similarly in clothing, were sitting there, in a daze. There was one sitting improperly on a sofa, another bending down to pick up a piece of biscuit on the floor, and yet another talking to himself...
 
The son knew that his mother likes sunlight, so he chose a room with ample sun rays shining into the room.  Looking out of the window was a big piece of greenery. Few nurses were wheeling some old folks out for some fresh air.
 
The silence in the background was pathetic.  The sun was setting and soon, it was dusk.  The son told his mother, "Mum, I am leaving."  Opening her toothless mouth, his mother waved goodbye.
 
He turned to look at his mother. Her hair had turned grey and she had wrinkled skin with deep set eyes...
 
He realized that she was getting really old. He recalled what happened when he was only six. Due to some circumstances, his mother could bring him along with her to where she was going to and thus, placed him temporarily under a relative's care for a few days.  He remembered hugging his mother's thigh and begging her not to leave him alone.  In the end, his mother decided never to leave him alone and stayed by his side.
 
He stopped thinking about it and left the Home.
 
When he returned home, his wife and his mother-in-law were busy discarding things from his mother's room happily.  One of the discarded items was a tall trophy which he won for an essay he wrote on 'MY MOTHER' when he was young. It was a First Prize.
 
Another discarded item was a dictionary.  That was the first gift from his mother, who scrimped and saved for a month in order to buy for him.
 
He shouted, "Enough! Stop discarding anymore!"
 
His mother-in-law cried, "There is so much rubbish.  If we don't discard, there would not be any place for my stuff."
 
His wife continued, "Yeah!  Need to dump away that old, stinky bed of your mum too.  We will buy a new bed for my mum later,"
 
He saw some pictures from the stack… they were taken at a zoo and amusement park when his mother brought him there.
 
"These are precious belongings of my Mum! You can't discard them!"
 
"What sort of attitude is this?  I demand you apologize to my Mum NOW!" ranted the wife.  The husband said, "When I married you, which shows that I love your Mum.  But why can't you do the same too?"
 
He went back to the Home and saw his mother weeping in between her frail legs.  She was missing the moments when her son would apply ointment for her every night.
 
The son knelt before her and said, "Mum, here I come. I brought the ointment too."  The mother said, " I will apply it myself, Son! You still need to work tomorrow.  Go home, Son!"  Son said, "Mum, please forgive me!  Let's go home!"
 
Hope this story is inspirational and touching to you.  Without our parents, we won't be here.

For Daughters & Sons:  Please remember to show gratitude to your dads and mums.

For Daughter-In-Laws & Sons-In-Laws:  Please love your in-laws as you do to your parents because without them, you would not have found your partners.

From today:  Greet them every morning & thank them for bringing you to this world.
 

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