Racheal walked in the room quietly, and she said hi to me in a small voice. I couldn’t ignore her eyes were red. I turned back to her while she walked to her desk: “Racheal, did you cry again?” She looked at me, and I could see she was tearing up again.
Racheal is from Vietnam, and I think she has been in US for more than 20 years. We talked a little bit at work,but I didn’t have to ask questions about her family since she is willing to tell everyone about her son. She loves her son, who is a 25 years old marine in training, also a dad of 2 years old daughter. Racheal loves her son so much that she is very sad that her son is in Marine and has to be away from home.
“Don’t cry, Racheal. It is ok.”I tried to comfort her as a daughter who has been away from home for 13 years:”Where did he go?” Racheal tried not to cry out loud:”He was at South Carolina and now he is going to Virginia.” “Oh, come on. Racheal. He is just in Virginia. Still in America. You can go to see him anytime you want to.” I said back to her in a loud voice with a little bit disappointment. Racheal said in a small voice back:” Yeah… I know.”
I thought Racheal was making a scene because for me that she could go see her son so easy and her son is just 4 hours flight away. As for me that I couldn’t see my mom so easy and Racheal’s reaction was like a joke. I said to her:” You can see your son so easy. My mom is in China. What do you think how my mom feels?” Then, it hit me. The first time in 13 years, I realized that I never really thought how my mom feels about I am being so far away.
I couldn’t help but thought if Racheal was crying because her son was 4 states away from her, then how many time had my mom cried all those years because of missing me? A sour feeling pushed up to my throat and I pushed the feeling down so my eyes wouldn’t tear up. I had cried because of missing my mom many times, but this was first time that I wanted to cry because I felt how she felt of missing her child through Racheal. First time of 13 years that I admire my mom because I know she was so brave that she let her only child go away from her for the child’s good. I don’t know how that feels to be a mom who has to let a child go, but I had let loved ones go and I know it isn’t anything near to a fine feeling.
For a long time, my mom is so ordinary for me. She isn’t wise like my dad; self-confident as my aunt or pretty as my aunt-in-law. She is just a good mom for me who spoils me, loyal to my dad, take care of my both side of grandparents. Nothing more than that. Maybe I am getting older, I first time see my mom as this great woman who is so brave.
Is this the greatest love ever? Raising and loving her child unconditional, trusting and supporting her child 100%, let her child go and let her child to be who she wants to be. I have so many friends whose parents never allow them to move away from home, never allow them to date different race, or never allow them even choose a life of their own. My parents let me to do all those things. I think this is the greatest love ever. Not only my mom, but my dad too. He misses me as much as my mom and maybe even more.
I am just so grateful that I have parents like them. They are the best thing that ever happen to me. I am just so grateful. Hope Racheal will see her son soon, and same wish goes to my parents.
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