Mia and her mom had always been extremely close. They shared their secrets, their troubles and happiness, and were there for one another whenever needed.
One day, Mia’s mom called her daughter and told her she would be renovating the house, something she did every now and then because she was a huge lover of making both slight and big changes to her home, and told Mia not to stop by in the few months to come.
As days gone by, Mia’s mom called less and less, and even when she did, she sounded awkwardly distant. Mia could sense something wasn’t right, but she was too busy with her work and believed her mom was just tired because of the renovations in her home.
However, that strange feeling that something off was going on was getting stronger and stronger, and one day, Mia found herself in her car, heading to her mom’s place.
Once there, she was greeted by a sight she has never witnessed before. The grass in the garden was overgrown. Her mom, the greatest enthusiast about flowers and gardening would never let her garden look like that.
Mia felt a punch in her gut. Was she late? Was her mom in trouble?
She quickly ran towards the house and noticed the door was unlocked, yet another red flag as her mom never left the door open.
Inside, there was no sign of any renovations. The place was as spotless as ever. No paint colors, no brushes, and no dust.
Mia started calling her mom’s name, but there was no answer. She then went upstairs and straight to her mom’s room. There, she saw the most fragile human being she has ever seen. Her mom was in the bed, but she didn’t resemble her former self.
Her once long hair was gone; her red cheeks turned pale, and she had no strength to get out of the bed. Having trouble speaking as her lips were as dry as cracked parchment, she barely managed to call Mia’s name.
“Oh, honey. I didn’t want you to find out this way,” she muttered. Mia was shocked. “Mom, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“I have cancer. I was receiving chemo for the last couple of months, I didn’t want to tell you because I believed I could handle it myself. You know, you were working hard for your promotion, and I…” she said as tears started falling down her face.
“I was always your rock, and I didn’t want you to see me like this…”
Mia started crying. She felt crushed for her mother’s condition and guilt filled her heart for not visiting her mom sooner, when she first suspected something wasn’t right.
But she couldn’t turn back the time.
Mia took her mom’s hand and embraced her in her arms, assuring her that she was now there and that things were going to be fine. She kept reminding her mom how important she was to her, and how she was who she was because of her. As she kissed her mom’s hands and forehead over and over again, reminding her how much she loved her, her mom slipped away. All of a sudden, she was gone.
Mia stayed there long, trying to hold onto the warmth of her and her mom’s last hug as sobs racked her body.
This story serves as a reminder to always keep in touch with those we love and care for, no matter how busy our schedules are, and to trust our gut feeling if it tells us that something isn’t right.
