As usual, a song to accompany you while reading the story
Please do forgive me for any grammar mistake you find -- I did this in around one hour ;s I have been interested in writing something like this for a while now -- as I am aiming to study outside my home country in the near future, and I have realized that there's nothing better than spending most of time with my family (especially with my grandmother
It was the last day of my summer vacation – the day my friends and I had previously agreed to do something crazy. I had not told this specific detail to my mother – I just told her that we were going out. Unfortunately (or fortunately), mothers usually have a sixth sense when it comes to the safety of their children. So, when I told her about this, she came up with thousands of questions, such as “Who’s going with you?” “Where exactly are you going to?” “What hour are you coming home?” Problem was I had been creating false replies since the start of my summer vacation. It had already started to make me feel bad – but all would be worth it, wouldn’t it?
Once tonight was over, I could tell all the truth to my mother – I was mentally ready for any way of punishment she could ever have in mind after I told her everything. I am writing this and it’s still 11am – I just cannot wait any longer. My friends and I agreed on meeting at 11pm, so there were still twelve hours left! I remember that during this specific day, mom demonstrated so much love for me – she prepared my favorite dish, asked what I would like to do, and told me that I was the most precious thing in her life. This last item was repeated over and over again (I even remember saying “Okay, mom! I get it! You are important to me, too!”)
As I force my memory to work, I can’t help but remember that during that day, I could not care less for all of the moments she spent with me. Even when I told her that I loved her, these were all but empty words. I could not think of anything but of what my friends and I were going to do during that night. Now that I think of it, mother did not even ask any questions about it – unlike each and every other day of summer vacation, in which we almost always had fights because most of my answers did not make any sense. I remember saying anything that popped up on my mind, just to make she go away.
6pm. 7pm. 8pm. 9pm. 10pm. One hour to go – to the moment I had been waiting for during these two past months! This was when mother started asking the same old questions to me. I must admit that I was so excited to whatever would take place in just one hour that I even did not bother to answer this time. It got worse when she started asking me not to go – saying that it could be dangerous. She knew that there was something wrong about this specific night. She did all she could to prevent me from going – but no one could change my mind, not even myself. So, when 11pm finally came, I said ‘goodbye’ to her without even looking to her probably sad, watery eyes and left my house to meet my friends on the other side of the street.
My group of friends was composed of Joao, Leandro, and Ester. Joao was craziest of the group, always wanting to go on a new adventure. This behavior had already cost him much – he had a lot of scars around his body. Not even I knew the reasons for why he had gotten most of those scars – and I admit – I did not feel comfortable enough to ask it to him. Leandro, on the other hand, was the quietest of the group. He was always trying to tell Joao about the possible bad consequences of Joao’s misbehaviors could bring to him, but not once did he manage to touch Joao’s conscience. The last one, Ester, was the only girl of the group. That fact, however, did not mean that she was the kindest of the group – on the contrary, she was the one that could usually be found angry, screaming with everyone (with the exception of the three boys that were her only friends.)
“So, what is it going to be?” I asked Joao, with a tone that lacked any kind of worry.
“I am glad you asked! I have found a party – but not any party! The best party of the world! I have gotten four tickets here. What do you guys say about it?” said Joao, showing that he would go alone if none of us agreed to go with him.
“Count me in!” said Ester, almost screaming.
“I am not sure about this – we’re not eighteen yet, so we cannot drink—“ said Leandro, with a tone that showed how he had already calculated each and every possible consequence of going to that party.
“What are we waiting for?” I said, with an excited tone.
“Geez, Leandro, why do you always have to be so negative? We won’t do anything – well, I can’t say I won’t, but you can go and just watch us have fun!” said Joao, trying to force Leandro to change his mind.
“Well, that seems …. OK.” said Leandro, but his expression showed that he did not really thought that.
Not wanting to waste any more time, we followed Joao’s coordinates to this party of his. We arrived there before midnight. I must admit that, for a second, I wondered where I was. This place seemed to be so different from everything I had ever seen before – I could only see adults drinking a LOT. In spite of that, I entered the place with my three friends. Now… about what happened in that party – I cannot say much about it because I don’t remember much. I just remember drinking two or three cups with an unknown drink that Joao gave me. The only thing I remember from that night is the sound of a familiar voice screaming, and then a loud noise of what seemed to be a body flying over and then falling.
When I woke up, two days had passed since that dreadful night. I recognized the pictures on the wall – they were all of a video game series called Kingdom Hearts. I was at Leandro’s house – in his room, to be exact. I remember screaming “Leandro! Leandro!” After hearing my countless screams, he finally came to his room. I had never seen that expression on his face – it was as if he had seen a ghost, or as if I was the ghost.
“What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?” I said, with a desperate tone.
“It’s just that…” Tried as he might, he did not seem to be able to complete the sentence.
“Just say it!” I shouted, more desperate than ever.
“Your mother – she passed away in the night we went to that party.” he said, almost crying.
“WHAT? You must be kidding!” I replied, running off to my house as fast as I could.
It took fifteen minutes for me to get there. The house was so quiet – the sound of the birds that my mother used to feed weren’t there anymore. The delicious smell that usually indicated me that dinner was ready also wasn’t there anymore. But the most important thing – my mother’s voice wasn’t there anymore. The house was just like she had left before I went out with my friends. There WAS something pretty weird here, but no – my mother could not possibly have died because she seemed so fine the last time I had seen her.
It was only when I reached her room that I found a piece of paper on her bed – by the letters, I had no doubt that it had been written by her. I still have that piece of paper with me, even though I have memorized each and every word on it by heart.
“To my son
Felipe,
I am so glad to have a boy like you as my son. We’ve spent so many great moments together. I’ve seen you grow up – you’re almost a man now! I am pretty sure you will do well on your own. My time here is up. I did not have the courage to tell you the truth, and for that, I must ask you my deepest apologies. Well…
Before you started your summer vacation, I found out that I was ill – and that this illness would claim my life shortly. I did not have the strength to tell you this. Instead, I decided to make each and every moment we had during these past months count. I know you’re a teenager now – and well – teenagers don’t really hang out with their mothers, right? But somehow, almost every time I asked you to do things with me, you accepted. You don’t know how happy you made me for each “okay, mom!” you said to me. Even if you only said these ‘okays’ to have some credit with me, I will still have these moments we spent together in my memory, no matter where I go.
I am just worried about what you are going to do tonight – so I have decided: I will follow you. I am sorry for that – please do not think ill of me. Unfortunately, as you just left the house, I have to stop writing this and go after my little baby. Please always remember: Mom loves you! It doesn’t matter if we’re together or apart – I will be always looking out for you!
With love and care,
Your Dear Mother”
I couldn’t believe what I had just read – how could I be so dumb as not to notice that my mother was about to pass away? Why didn’t she tell it to me? Was she trying to prevent me from suffering? She may have forgiven me, but I will never be able to forgive myself. I cried so much – for months. I still cry for her – we only have one mother and one father in this life, and as such, we should always respect and love them above all other people that we meet along the road.
I am writing this to you, my daughter, Akemi – please, do not follow your father’s footsteps! Learn from my mistakes so that you don’t have to live with this remorse. But I understand if you don’t – as a parent, I will always be there for you, even if you decide to give more importance to other people (or to adventures).
With love and care,
Your Dear Father
*******************
Lastly, a song to reflect a little on the main topic of this story:
As usual, a song to accompany you while reading the story
Please do forgive me for any grammar mistake you find -- I did this in around one hour ;s I have been interested in writing something like this for a while now -- as I am aiming to study outside my home country in the near future, and I have realized that there's nothing better than spending most of time with my family (especially with my grandmother
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZqpXIa6HQM
What if Tomorrow Never Comes?
It was the last day of my summer vacation – the day my friends and I had previously agreed to do something crazy. I had not told this specific detail to my mother – I just told her that we were going out. Unfortunately (or fortunately), mothers usually have a sixth sense when it comes to the safety of their children. So, when I told her about this, she came up with thousands of questions, such as “Who’s going with you?” “Where exactly are you going to?” “What hour are you coming home?” Problem was I had been creating false replies since the start of my summer vacation. It had already started to make me feel bad – but all would be worth it, wouldn’t it?
Once tonight was over, I could tell all the truth to my mother – I was mentally ready for any way of punishment she could ever have in mind after I told her everything. I am writing this and it’s still 11am – I just cannot wait any longer. My friends and I agreed on meeting at 11pm, so there were still twelve hours left! I remember that during this specific day, mom demonstrated so much love for me – she prepared my favorite dish, asked what I would like to do, and told me that I was the most precious thing in her life. This last item was repeated over and over again (I even remember saying “Okay, mom! I get it! You are important to me, too!”)
As I force my memory to work, I can’t help but remember that during that day, I could not care less for all of the moments she spent with me. Even when I told her that I loved her, these were all but empty words. I could not think of anything but of what my friends and I were going to do during that night. Now that I think of it, mother did not even ask any questions about it – unlike each and every other day of summer vacation, in which we almost always had fights because most of my answers did not make any sense. I remember saying anything that popped up on my mind, just to make she go away.
6pm. 7pm. 8pm. 9pm. 10pm. One hour to go – to the moment I had been waiting for during these two past months! This was when mother started asking the same old questions to me. I must admit that I was so excited to whatever would take place in just one hour that I even did not bother to answer this time. It got worse when she started asking me not to go – saying that it could be dangerous. She knew that there was something wrong about this specific night. She did all she could to prevent me from going – but no one could change my mind, not even myself. So, when 11pm finally came, I said ‘goodbye’ to her without even looking to her probably sad, watery eyes and left my house to meet my friends on the other side of the street.
My group of friends was composed of Joao, Leandro, and Ester. Joao was craziest of the group, always wanting to go on a new adventure. This behavior had already cost him much – he had a lot of scars around his body. Not even I knew the reasons for why he had gotten most of those scars – and I admit – I did not feel comfortable enough to ask it to him. Leandro, on the other hand, was the quietest of the group. He was always trying to tell Joao about the possible bad consequences of Joao’s misbehaviors could bring to him, but not once did he manage to touch Joao’s conscience. The last one, Ester, was the only girl of the group. That fact, however, did not mean that she was the kindest of the group – on the contrary, she was the one that could usually be found angry, screaming with everyone (with the exception of the three boys that were her only friends.)
“So, what is it going to be?” I asked Joao, with a tone that lacked any kind of worry.
“I am glad you asked! I have found a party – but not any party! The best party of the world! I have gotten four tickets here. What do you guys say about it?” said Joao, showing that he would go alone if none of us agreed to go with him.
“Count me in!” said Ester, almost screaming.
“I am not sure about this – we’re not eighteen yet, so we cannot drink—“ said Leandro, with a tone that showed how he had already calculated each and every possible consequence of going to that party.
“What are we waiting for?” I said, with an excited tone.
“Geez, Leandro, why do you always have to be so negative? We won’t do anything – well, I can’t say I won’t, but you can go and just watch us have fun!” said Joao, trying to force Leandro to change his mind.
“Well, that seems …. OK.” said Leandro, but his expression showed that he did not really thought that.
Not wanting to waste any more time, we followed Joao’s coordinates to this party of his. We arrived there before midnight. I must admit that, for a second, I wondered where I was. This place seemed to be so different from everything I had ever seen before – I could only see adults drinking a LOT. In spite of that, I entered the place with my three friends. Now… about what happened in that party – I cannot say much about it because I don’t remember much. I just remember drinking two or three cups with an unknown drink that Joao gave me. The only thing I remember from that night is the sound of a familiar voice screaming, and then a loud noise of what seemed to be a body flying over and then falling.
When I woke up, two days had passed since that dreadful night. I recognized the pictures on the wall – they were all of a video game series called Kingdom Hearts. I was at Leandro’s house – in his room, to be exact. I remember screaming “Leandro! Leandro!” After hearing my countless screams, he finally came to his room. I had never seen that expression on his face – it was as if he had seen a ghost, or as if I was the ghost.
“What happened? Why are you looking at me like that?” I said, with a desperate tone.
“It’s just that…” Tried as he might, he did not seem to be able to complete the sentence.
“Just say it!” I shouted, more desperate than ever.
“Your mother – she passed away in the night we went to that party.” he said, almost crying.
“WHAT? You must be kidding!” I replied, running off to my house as fast as I could.
It took fifteen minutes for me to get there. The house was so quiet – the sound of the birds that my mother used to feed weren’t there anymore. The delicious smell that usually indicated me that dinner was ready also wasn’t there anymore. But the most important thing – my mother’s voice wasn’t there anymore. The house was just like she had left before I went out with my friends. There WAS something pretty weird here, but no – my mother could not possibly have died because she seemed so fine the last time I had seen her.
It was only when I reached her room that I found a piece of paper on her bed – by the letters, I had no doubt that it had been written by her. I still have that piece of paper with me, even though I have memorized each and every word on it by heart.
“To my son
Felipe,
I am so glad to have a boy like you as my son. We’ve spent so many great moments together. I’ve seen you grow up – you’re almost a man now! I am pretty sure you will do well on your own. My time here is up. I did not have the courage to tell you the truth, and for that, I must ask you my deepest apologies. Well…
Before you started your summer vacation, I found out that I was ill – and that this illness would claim my life shortly. I did not have the strength to tell you this. Instead, I decided to make each and every moment we had during these past months count. I know you’re a teenager now – and well – teenagers don’t really hang out with their mothers, right? But somehow, almost every time I asked you to do things with me, you accepted. You don’t know how happy you made me for each “okay, mom!” you said to me. Even if you only said these ‘okays’ to have some credit with me, I will still have these moments we spent together in my memory, no matter where I go.
I am just worried about what you are going to do tonight – so I have decided: I will follow you. I am sorry for that – please do not think ill of me. Unfortunately, as you just left the house, I have to stop writing this and go after my little baby. Please always remember: Mom loves you! It doesn’t matter if we’re together or apart – I will be always looking out for you!
With love and care,
Your Dear Mother”
I couldn’t believe what I had just read – how could I be so dumb as not to notice that my mother was about to pass away? Why didn’t she tell it to me? Was she trying to prevent me from suffering? She may have forgiven me, but I will never be able to forgive myself. I cried so much – for months. I still cry for her – we only have one mother and one father in this life, and as such, we should always respect and love them above all other people that we meet along the road.
I am writing this to you, my daughter, Akemi – please, do not follow your father’s footsteps! Learn from my mistakes so that you don’t have to live with this remorse. But I understand if you don’t – as a parent, I will always be there for you, even if you decide to give more importance to other people (or to adventures).
With love and care,
Your Dear Father
*******************
Lastly, a song to reflect a little on the main topic of this story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GWQ-oDMG6g
Edited by Lu Xun