It’s the weekly sunday family dinner at Shuxian’s parents’ house. There they gather around with all 3 generations of the family. Shuxian’s daughter, Katherine, come along too, like always.
“Ma!” Shuxian shouts out as she enters the house, ” We’re here!”
“Ah Ma!”, Katherine calls out too.
Mrs Lim, Shuxian’s mum, comes walking out from the kitchen approaching them. “My dear katherine,” she kisses her precious grand-daughter forehead, ” go play with the others”
Katherine then run off and joins in with her other cousins.
“Ma, are you cooking? Let me help you,” Shuxian follows Mrs Lim back into the kitchen.
As they are inside cooking, Shuxian looks out from the kitchen at Katherine, ” that naughty girl, always so rebellious, I got hard time controlling her.”
“Xian, you are just the same as her when you are young” Mrs Lim laughs.
Shuxian looks at her mum and replies, ” I am not that bad right?”
” Just like her, always giving me problem, climbing here and there, spoiling this and that, getting into trouble.” Mrs Lim continues laughing as she says.
“……. I can’t believe in what you’re saying ma.” shuxian shakes her head.
“Taking care of you is so tiring, being a mum is like that. Taking care of what’s happening to your children, solving their problems, settling the troubles they come out with,” Mrs Lim explains, ” but this is what it makes me happy, being a mum, taking care of my own children, let me know what my own mum goes through, brings out the memories of me when I am still a child. Thinking of all the troubles my mum has gone through to bring me up. All the efforts are worth it, seeing your own children turns from a baby to a growing adult.”
Shuxian looks at Katherine then back at her own mum, “ I think I understands what you are saying ma, looking at Katherine really brings back memories when I am still young. How you use to take care of me, maybe I am just as naughty as her” She laughs as she finished off her sentence.
“Come help me bring out the dishes,” Mrs Lim says as she carries the dishes out. “Dinner’s starting! Come and eat!” she shouts out to the others.
Katherine comes running towards them, “ah ma! I also want to help you take.”
Mrs Lim smiles, “ good girl, Katherine go washes hand and come and eat will be alright, okay?”
Katherine nods her head and rushes off to wash her hand.
As they eat their dinner, Katherine says something, “ When I grow up, I also want to be a mum, so I can cook very very nice food. I want give my daughter very very nice dresses.” Katherine smiles proudly after she says that.
Shuxian’s husband then ask, “then you don’t want any sons?”
Katherine shakes her head,” don’t want! They very naughty!”
The adults laugh at what she says. Shuxian picks the food and put it on Katherine’s plate, “ stupid girl, eat your dinner.”
As the day ends, they prepares to return home.
“Bye ah gong, ah ma!” Katherine bids goodbye and kisses Mrs Lim and Mr Lim on the cheek.
Mrs Lim kisses her back and says goodbye. Before Shuxian goes off, Mrs Lim tells her something that will always remains in her heart, “This is a mum’s job, your responsibility, what you need to be proud in it, not everyone can do it.” Mrs Lim says that with a wink and bids goodbye to everyone.
Shuxian smiles to herself, she will always remember this sentence, and she will continues to pass on this sentence to her daughter, when she become a mum herself.
woots.
