(899) My mother the monster

The other day I met my daughter's friend's mother. While the friend was growing up, her parents were working abroad for many years. Since they were working illegally, from ages six to sixteen, this poor girl did not get any visit from her parents.

Now that the friend was grown, her mother finally came back. At first the friend refused to see her mother. Later, after some intervention of relatives, a meeting was arranged. Things were made very clear during the meeting. The young girl claimed that while she needed a mom, the mother was missing in action. All the maintenance that contributed to her upbringing actually came from her dad. She feels she is old enough to be on her own two feet now and does not need  any mother.

While all these was going on, the mother that left her children to be with her husband really had a terrible time across the seas. First her husband got into some trouble involving gambling debts. Next he had a mistress. It is futile arguing about whether the mother did send money home, as it was quite obvious she must have been bailing her husband out financially in the beginning. It is well that in the end she was able to save up a sum to purchase a house and set herself up as a street vendor upon her return.

And so the story drags on, the daughter blamed everything on the monster that happened to be her biological mother. I wonder if she would treat her stepmother any better should dad return with her? Meanwhile those who counsel the original mother said that as long as she is too proud to eat humble pie, she would stand to lose a grown daughter. Looking at the situation, I see poverty, loyalty that was betrayed, sacrifice, and generally the lot of an Asian woman working illegally overseas. In this particular case, she was smart enough to ensure that she is financially independent after her divorce, else she would be a dead duck!! Imagine her strength in overcoming all the obstacles! In spite of  everything against her, she was still making a living and weathering the storms.