A parfait media publication Monsoon Journal MAY 2020

Special Feature
World News

H
rifice
er “Lies” that really rep-
resents her genuine sac- This was Mother’s
Fourth Lie.
By: Raymond Rajabalan 4 After my Fa-
ther’s death, Mother had
“M” is for the Million things to play the role of a single
she gave me, parent. She held on to
“O” means Only that she’s her former job; she had
growing old, to fund our needs alone.
“T” is for the Tears she shed Our family’s life was more
to save me, complicated. We suffered
“H” is for her Heart of gold, from starvation. Seeing
“E” is for her Eyes with love- our family’s condition
light shining in them, worsening, my kind Uncle
“R” means Right, and right who lived near my house
she’ll always be. came to help us solve our
problems big and small.
Put them all together, they Our other neighbors saw
spell “MOTHER” a word that that we were poverty
means the world to me. stricken so they often ad-
vised my mother to marry
For those of you who are again. But Mother refused
lucky to be still blessed to remarry saying “I don’t
with your Mom’s presence need love.”
on Earth, the story below
is beautiful. For those who This was Mother’s
aren’t so blessed, this is even Fifth Lie.
more beautiful.
4 After I finished
Mothers very often try to my studies and got a job, it
hide their sorrow and pain was time for my old Moth-
in order to make sacrifices to er to retire but she car-
bring up their children un- ried on going to the mar-
der trying circumstances. In ket every morning just
the process they often resort to sell a few vegetables. I
to telling various ‘lies’, which kept sending her money
actually are different forms of but she was steadfast and
her sacrifice. even sent the money back
to me. She said, “I have
The story below, written enough money.”
by an unknown author illus-
trates this very beautifully. That was Mother’s
Sixth Lie.
EIGHT LIES OF A
4 I continued my
MOTHER part-time studies for my
Master’s Degree. Funded
4 The story begins by the American Corpora-
when I was a child: I was born tion for which I worked,
poor. Often we hadn’t enough I succeeded in my stud-
to eat. Whenever we had some ies. With a big jump in
food, Mother often gave me my salary, I decided to
her portion of rice. While she pinterest.com
bring Mother to enjoy life
was transferring her rice into in America but Mother
my bowl, she would say “Eat didn’t want to bother her
this rice, son! I’m not hungry.” son; she said to me “I’m
filled with fresh matchsticks. This helped her not used to high living.”
This was Mother’s First Lie. get some money to cover our very basic needs.
One wintry night I awoke to find Mother fill- That was Mother’s Seventh Lie
4 As I grew, Mother gave up her spare ing the matchboxes by candlelight. So I said,
time to fish in a river near our house. She “Mother, go to sleep; it’s late: you can continue 4 In her dotage, Mother was attacked
hoped that from the fish she caught, she could working tomorrow morning.” Mother smiled by cancer and had to be hospitalized. Now liv-
give me a little bit more nutritious food for my and said “Go to sleep, son! I’m not tired.” ing far across the ocean, I went home to visit
growth. Once she had caught just two fish, she Mother who was bedridden after anoperation.
would make fish soup. While I was eating the This was Mother’s Third Lie Mother tried to smile but I was heartbroken
soup, mother would sit beside me and eat what because she was so thin and feeble but Mother
was still left on the bone of the fish I had eaten. 4 When I had to sit my Final Examina- said, “Don’t cry, son! I’m not in pain.”
My heart was touched when I saw it. Once I tion, Mother Used to accompany me to the Ex-
gave the other fish to her on my chopstick but amination centre and wait for me for several That was Mother’s Eighth Lie.
she immediately refused it and said, “Eat this
hours in the hot sun. Till the closing bell rang,
fish, son! I don’t really like fish.” Telling me this, her eighth lie, she passed
One day after the exam I ran to meet her Moth-
er embraced me and poured me a glass of tea away with a faint smile. Yes my sweet mother
This was Mother’s Second Lie. had left me forever after showering me with
from a thermos flask. Seeing Mother covered
with perspiration; I at once gave her my glass love and affection all her life...
4 Then, in order to fund my education,
and asked her to drink it Mother said “Drink,
Mother went to a nearby Match Factory to YES. MY MOTHER WAS AN ANGEL!
bring home some used matchboxes which she son! I’m not thirsty!

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