Love to Parents

It happened in a hospital corridor. The oldest daughter in law grimaced and told her husband:

– I have to do everything at home, how can I have time to care for your father all the time? You should ask your sisters – aunt Fifth and aunt Seventh, they have time, should share and take turn caring your father.

The man has not got a chance to answer. Then one of them – the aunt Fifth or aunt Seventh, had curled her lip and rejected:

– I also have all sort of things to worry about, please forgive me. I can’t do that.

Another younger son scowled his eyebrows:

– In general, everyone is all busy, and father had infected diseases, who is staying near him might get that, how we could let that happen?

The oldest daughter-in law got in charge and announced:

– Do not need to discuss anything else. We will hire someone to look after our father. That finish the story.

Of course then, things happen exactly as their planners. A healthy woman, has the look from the poor village. She has been raising a sick person lying next to their father’s bed for a while. She voluntarily to suggest she could look after their father as well. She kindly do all caring works, from giving milk, medication to change clothes, wipe people (the old man lost his hygienic feeling), but she still made with the caring mentor, not to reveal any yet just disgusting behaves, even seemingly gentle, gentle as children to parents.

In the meantime, perhaps because all his children had assured that they hired the carer. The old man’s has more than a dozen of sons (and in law), daughters (and in law). They occasionally glide through as a slight breeze. Unfortunately, the caring from the village’s woman did not last as long, just over a week after the old man died. His children, and grandchildren all pulled into the hospital as a big noisy group. They were crying and morning, quite noisy but calm and preparing for the old man last journey in the traditional way. However, not long after that, in the hallway happened a quarrel see who spend the most for funerals? …

His eldest son holding a bunch of money to pay for the woman who had cared for his dad. Two red eyes, she replied:

– I felt sorry and regret for him who had lot of children and great grandchildren but nobody cared for him in the last minutes and all of you neglected or abandon him. Even, I am a stranger, and can do the caring jobs. I did that NOT for money.

Members in the old man’s family are crying, quarrelling … suddenly stopped… And then one by one was sneaking out …

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Daughter in law said: “I put less salt, she complained too bland, a little more she told me that she couldn’t swallows it, after all what does she want?”

The old Mon saw her son just arrived home. She did not say a word, just pick up food and put into her mouth to chew. The daughter in law looked at her husband in the nasty way. He tried to pick up a piece of food, spit it out immediately.

The son said: “I told you before, my Mon is sick and she can’t eat anything too salty!”

“OK! Your mother, from now on you can cook for her in your way…”

Daughter in law sulked and went into her room. The husband just have to sigh, and turned to say to his mother: “Mom, do not eat any more of that, I go to cook noodles for you.”

She said: “My son do you have something to tell me, so, let’s say, do not need to keep thinking about that!”

The son said, “Mom, in the next month I will get the promotion, I will be very busy … As part my wife, said she wanted to go out for work, so …”

Immediately the mother understood what his son wanted to say: “Son, do not please, do not send me to the nursing home!” Cried the inaudible voice as entreaty begging.

The son paused and thinking for a long time, in his head he like trying to find another better reason to convince his mother:

“Mom, the nursing home is not a bad place, you knew that. When my wife got a job, she will no longer has time to antedate caring for you anymore. In the nursing home you will have the right foods, a comfort place, and many carers, is that much better than you will stay at home alone? “

After had the shower, ate a bowl of noodles, the son went into the reading room. He stood at the window stiffened, seemed hesitant. Recalled the old days his mother was a young widow, raising him grown up with her hardships to become a dignity person, and even sent him abroad to study. But she has never used her youth that she had to sacrifice whole life for him. She had never brought menace bargain on his dutiful, conversely, his wife brought his marriage to threaten him! His mother should have to enter a nursing home really? He asked himself, is he the heartless man?

“Maybe the rest of his life he walked and companion with his wife, no mother could be forever with us?” Uncle driver’s son often lightly remind him so.

“His mother was elderly now, if you are lucky she may live for several years. Why not take advantage of that time with her, spend devoted real time anyway? “Plants want calm but the wind did not stop, you want to take care parents but they are no longer with you! “. Relatives often admonished him like that.

He does not want to think anymore, afraid of change, so that decision. The sunlight faded the blazing sun rays and fading after hill, returned the night sky an in dark.

An upper-class homes for the elderly built in the suburb on the hill. It is true, as spending more money, son more relieved. When the son took the mother entered the luxury hall, a brand new 42-inch television is playing a comedy, but people see that in the hall without a smile.

Older people wearing the same clothes, same hair are akin to sitting on the sofa lonely, dull aspect to sadness. Someone is sitting inaudible to himself or herself, others are being slowly bent to pick one for crumbs lying on the floor.

The son knew his Mom likes bright spot, so chose for her a room full of light. From the window looking out, the shade is a fragrant herb garden. Those nurses are pushing older people in wheelchairs, and they walk into the sunset, four surface tranquillity make people feel lament. Despite how much beautiful sunset, sunset light and also coming down, he sadly regret.

“Mom, I … I have to go now!”

Mom just nodded.

As he walks away, skinny arms of his mother waving raised, no tooth in her mouth, dry lips pale wish to call him, but not loud call, revealing a dark gaze falter looks melancholy.

Now the son realized the mother’s hair was greying, deep eyes and face appear more crow’s feet. Old mother had indeed grew older!

He suddenly recalled his old stories. That year he was 6 years old, Mum had a mission to go home, she could not bring him, so he had to stay in a few days at the driver’s home temporarily. At the time his mother was about to leave, he dreaded mother clutching leg and not let her go. So mournful cry and scream in tears: “Mother, mother, do not leave me and do not go! Mom, Mom, do not go! “Finally his mother did not leave him back alone.

He quickly left the room, shut the door fast by both hands, not daring to look back, he was afraid, afraid of what he does and on such memories haunted ghosts clung to him.

He came home to see his wife and mother in law. They are quickly try to discard all items in his mother’s room with excited faces amused.

A medal – the spoils won first prize in the contest writing his elementary school with the theme “MY MOTHER”. An English dictionary – Vietnam, is the first gift from his mother. She had saved for many months spending money to buy his gifts! And, she has to massage, oil bottles before bedtime, he massage that oil for her on her legs every night. He sent her to the nursing home, it has no meaning now anyway, as she will not have that anymore…

“Enough, do not throw any more!” The man shouted angrily.

“How much garbage, ensuring all should throwing away, how I can’t put my ones in.” His mother in law said her gasping.

“So right about that! You should hurriedly bring the old bed of your mother out go straight away, tomorrow I’ll buy my mom a new bed! “, his wife firmed.

A pile of childhood images suddenly appear, it is the photographs mother led him to the zoo and shoot as the souvenir.

“It’s all my mother’s property, nothing can be tossed out!”

“What’s your attitude, huh? How dare you yelled at my Mum? I demand you must apologize to my mother right away! “

“I was obliged to marry you and loved your mother, so you took me as your husband, why can’t you love my mother in the return?”

Rain after dark, it was a little bit chilly, gloomy abandoned streets, vehicles and people on the road gradually dwindled. A car running over the red light and drove past the dangerous signboards, constantly accelerated gallop on the road. Car that runs straight to the nursing home is located on a hill halfway up the mountain. He stopped the car and sped upstairs, open the mother’s bedroom. He watched motionless, Mom is rubbed her legs rheumatism and silently cried alone in the night.

She looked up and saw her son was holding oil bottle, feel comforted and said, “I forgot to bring it with me, but lucky that you bring it for me now!”

He hurried to her side and knelt down.

“It is late at night, I know you could not rub by yourself Mum, you can’t do that. Tomorrow I have to go to work, we go home now!”

He hesitated for a moment, but finally could not help himself but cried and said: “Mom, I’m sorry, please forgive me! We go home, MOM!!! “

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