CHAPTER 1
1000 Words
liya****.
“Mother!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, my lips widening into a smile, bouncing up and down on my bed.
“What is it, Liya?” mom came rushing to my room.
“Mother, you will not believe what just happened.”
“Come here, sit down. Stop jumping around like a rat,” she said, situating herself on the side of the bed.
My face turned red at her teasing. I gradually lowered myself to sit beside her, as I let my legs swing in the air.
“So what is the excitement all about this early morning?” she wrapped her hand around my neck.
My face lit up again immediately she asked me the question. I jumped off the bed, ready to break the good news to her. “I got accepted, mother,” I tried to bury the smile under my tongue, but I could not.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her face puzzled.
“I applied for an internship at Softlife Company Ltd last month,” my legs could not stand in one place.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, “and how come I do not know about it?”
I raised my shoulders, not knowing what to tell her.
“You now hide things from your mother?” she asked, and guilt struck me. I drew nearer to her and sat between her legs facing her; the smile vanished from my lips.
“No, Mother, I just did not want to disappoint you again," I choked out, my throat constricting as I fought back tears that streamed down my face.
“My sweet child, don’t say that. You have always made me proud,” she pulled me into her loving, warm arms.
“No, mother, I should have done something better for you by now instead of just sitting around doing nothing. I should have built you a house that you desire,” words formed in between my sobs.
“It is not your fault. We are happy just like this,” she said, forcing a smile on her face.
I pulled away from the hug and said, “I will make you proud, mama. I want to make my father proud. I want you to live the life that you have ever wished for.”
“I am already proud of you, my child,” someone spoke from a distance, and we both turned our heads to see who it was.
“Dad!” I jumped off my feet with excitement as I rushed to hug him.
“Be careful as you run for my husband; you will break him. I do not have any other,” my mother warned as I jumped for my Father.
“I am still strong, Becky,” My father responded, turning me around like a small girl.
“Enough, put her down now,” my mother said, pulling me away from my father’s hug.
“Hahaha, Becky, why are you still jealous at your old age?” my father teased as he hugged my mother.
“Because you met me first before her,” she responded.
“Hahaha, I love you, you know that right,” he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.
My Mother and my Father loved each other so dearly that some days, I would wonder if they ever fought as most couples do. They were adorable.
I stood there watching the two love birds, tears of joy welling up, but I blinked them back, replacing them with a smile.
“Enough of that!” I shouted. I could not wait to share the good news with him.
“Hahaha…” they both laughed as they disengaged from the hug, but my father’s wrinkled hand was still wrapped around my mother’s waist.
My parents were aging, and it was breaking my heart because I had not yet done anything good for them. My heart craved more than just operating a grocery shop that was in our front yard.
It was through the store that we acquired money for our basic needs.
“Father, please, come take a seat, I have something to show you,” I pulled him away from my mother.
“Did something happen? Because this is not your usual mood,” he asked curiously as he sat on the bed with my mother by his side.
“So dad, I am for the internship program at Softlife Ltd Company,” I said, taking a deep breath
“What?” his eyes widened.
“Yes, father, I just did not tell you about the application because I did not want to disappoint you again,” I said, looking down at my feet.
“Come here, my baby girl,” he stood up and hugged me. Tears began to crawl down my face as emotions mixed within me.
“I am so proud of you, as always, my child,” he said with a smile wrapped around his face.
I disengaged from the hug and went to the other side of the bed where I had placed the acceptance letter. I got it and placed it in my mother’s hands.
“What is this? It looks like today you are full of surprises,” she asked while she pulled my father to sit beside her.
“Read it first, and you will ask me later,” a smile formed reaching the top of my head. I gave them time to read, and my heart was racing for their reactions.
“What! You are going to the city!” mom shouted.
“Yes mom. I am so excited,” I responded while jumping up and down.
“Relax, you will injure yourself even before you go,” my father teased.
“Come jump with me then,” I said, still bouncing.
“No, not my husband. You need to find yours to jump around with.”
I felt my face heat with embarrassment.
- Writer
