8 Lies of a Mother

This story begins when I was a child: I was born poor. Often we  hadn't
enough to eat. Whenever we had some food,  Mother often gave me her portion
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 gave me a little bit more
nutritious food for my growth. Once  she had caught just two fish, 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. Our
family's life was more complicated.  We suffered from starvation. Seeing our
family's condition worsening, my kind Uncle who lived near my house came to
help us solve our problems big and small.

Our other neighbors  saw that we were poverty stricken so they  often advised
my mother to marry 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 old
Mother to retire but she carried on  going to the market  every morning
just to sell a few  vegetables. I kept sending her money but she was
steadfast  and  even sent the money back to me. She said,  "I have enough
money."

That was Mother's Sixth Lie.

I  continued my part-time studies for my Master's Degree.  Funded by the
American  Corporation for which I worked, I succeeded in my studies.

With a big jump in my salary,  I decided to bring Mother to enjoy life in
America but Mother didn't want to bother her son;  she said to me "I'm not
used to  high living."

That was Mother's Seventh Lie

In her old age, Mother was attacked by cancer and had to be hospitalized.

Now living far across the ocean, I  went home to visit Mother who was
bedridden after an operation. Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken
because she was so  thin and feeble but Mother  said, "Don't cry,  son!  I'm
not in pain."

That was Mother's Eighth Lie.

Telling  me this  her eighth lie, she died.

YES, MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!