Lies of My Mother

This story begins when I was a child: I was born in a poor family. Often we hadn'tenough to eat. Whenever we had some food, Mother often gave me herportion of rice. While she was transferring her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son! I'm not hungry."This was Mother's First Lie.


As I grew, Mother gave up her spare time to fish in a river near our house; she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could give me a little bit more nutritious food for my growth. Once she had caught just two fishes, she would make fish soup. While I was eating the soup, mother
would sit beside me and eat the what was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten, My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I gave the other fish to her on my chopstick but she immediately refused it and said, "Eat this fish, son! I don't really like fish."
This was Mother's Second Lie.

Then, in order to fund my education, Mother went to a Match Factory to bring home some used matchboxes, which she filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money to cover our needs. One wintry night I awoke to find Mother filling the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said, "Mother, go to sleep; it's late: you can continue working tomorrow morning." Mother
smiled and said "Go to sleep, son! I'm not tired."This was Mother's Third Lie.


When I had to sit my Final Examination, Mother accompanied me. After dawn, Mother waited for me for hours in the heat of the sun. When the bell rang, I ran to meet her.. Mother embraced me and poured me a glass of tea that she had prepared in a thermos. The tea was not as strong as my Mother's love, Seeing Mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my glass and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son!I'm not thirsty!".
This was Mother's Fourth Lie.

After Father's death, Mother had to play the role of a single parent.She held on to her former job; she had to fund our needs alone. Ourfamily's life was more complicated. We suffered from starvation. Seeingour family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my housecame to help us solve our problems big and small. Our other neighborssaw that we were poverty stricken so they often advised my mother tomarry again. But Mother refused to remarry saying "I don't need love."This was Mother's Fifth Lie.

After I had finished my studies and gotten a job, it was time for my oldMother to retire but she carried on going to the market every morningjust to sell a few vegetables. I kept sending her money but she wassteadfast and even sent the money back to me. She said, "I have enoughmoney."That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

I continued my part-time studies for my engineering Degree. Funded by theDutch Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies. Witha big jump in my salary, I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life inHolland but Mother didn't want to bother her son; she said to me "I'mnot used to high living."That was Mother's Seventh Lie.

In her dotage, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized.Now living far across the ocean, I went home to visit Mother who wasbedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble but Mother said, "Don'tcry, son! I'm not in pain."That was Mother's Eighth Lie.

For those people who are lucky to be still blessed with your Mothers presence,
Tell your mother, “ I love You” and do care about your mother...


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