Caroline was woken up by the whirring sound coming from the sewing machine. She checked her phone on the nightstand to find that it was in the wee hours of the morning. She got out of bed and walked to the hallway to find her aging mother sewing. Tiredly, she got closer to her.
“Mum, what are you doing? It is already so late,” Caroline asked, followed by a yawn.
“Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to wake you,” her mother stopped to study her daughter. “I am almost done. You go back to sleep.”
“Can’t your sewing wait? I am exhausted and I have an early flight in the morning,” Caroline explained, feeling annoyed with her mother’s behaviour.
“This is important. I need to finish it before I go to sleep. I’ll try to do it fast.”
Caroline nodded and went back to her room. She got back in bed and stared at the ceiling fan, thinking of her mother’s odd behaviour. Just last week, her mother rushed her to pack her suitcase when there was still time. For the past week, her mother had been forcing her to eat as if she needed to put on weight.
“I can’t eat ginger chicken anymore,” Caroline told her just two nights ago when they were having dinner.
“You have to. There won’t be such food there,” her mother replied, scooping more food onto the porcelain bowl. “You’ll miss it.”
“I don’t even like ginger chicken,” Caroline stared at her food and pushed the bowl away.
“Then what is your favourite food? I can go and buy.”
“We still have so much food in the refrigerator. No need to go and buy more,” Caroline’s father stated. “She doesn’t eat much but you cook as if we have a huge family.”
“I am fine with whatever food you cook,” Caroline added.
Thinking of this, Caroline closed her eyes while still listening to the white noise coming from the sewing machine. When she opened her eyes next, it was already morning. She stared at the red suitcase and smiled at the thought of being away from her family. When she received the acceptance letter from the university, she was on top of the world. She knew she would have all the freedom without her mother ruining her fun.
“I have prepared a good breakfast for you,” her mother greeted her as soon as she went to the kitchen the next morning. Sure enough foods with different colours and tastes were arranged orderly on the marble table.
“You didn’t have to do any of this, mum,” Caroline stated instead. “I was going to eat at the airport or in the plane.”
“You have a long and tiring journey ahead of you. You will need your energy,” Caroline’s mother explained. She pulled out a chair and patted it, “Come, sit down and eat. We don’t have much time.”
Her father was already eating and drinking black coffee while reading the newspaper. Caroline observed her parents while she ate, thinking if her mother prepared the same food for her older siblings before they left home. It was strange to have her mother dotting on her because all her life, her mother paid more attention to her older siblings. If anything, Caroline always thought she was her least favourite child.
Born into a family during one of the hardest times, Caroline was the fourth and youngest child. Her older sister and two older brothers had already moved away home. Her parents told her she used to be an easy child. They left her in a cardboard box while they ran their food packing business. Caroline didn’t mind, instead she slept and played on her own. That changed when she was two years old. She was always sick and needed medical attention. Caroline concluded long time ago that was why her parents loved her the least.
Caroline had seen how her parents reacted with her siblings, but when it came to her, they often reprimanded her. Everything she did was wrong in her parents’ eyes. She felt like a bird in a cage with no freedom to fly. The only way out was leaving home to further her education.
“I am done with breakfast,” Caroline announced when she stood up with her plate. Her mother offered to wash up for her and she agreed. “I’ll go and get ready.”
An hour later the taxi rolled up in front of the house. She took one look at her bedroom and carried her suitcase down. Her parents were waiting for her by the front door. She inhaled and walked towards them.
“I’m going now, mum and dad,” Caroline stated the obvious. The taxi honked.
“Take care of yourself and come home whenever you can,” her mother reminded her.
“Study hard,” her father added.
Caroline tasted freedom the moment she left home for the airport. She travelled for a day before finally reaching her hostel. When she opened her suitcase to unpack, she was shocked to find a crocheted sweater and a blue fleece blanket sewed by her mother. Looking at this, it brought tears to her eyes because she always thought her mother never loved her, but that sweater and blanket proved otherwise.
Carina Lim bears different messages through her fiction. These messages could be useful in life. She can be contacted at mermaidgal03@yahoo.com
