Something felt off in the pit of my stomach as I drove through the empty streets. It had been bothering me for months that my mum was being vague and her voice sounded tired on the phone. Something awful seemed to be going on that I couldn’t shake.
The yard that hadn’t been taken care of and the unlocked door made me even more worried when I got to her house. The house’s creepy silence and clean, empty inside made my skin crawl. Where was the usual friendly and warm atmosphere?
As I looked for solutions, I found her in her bedroom. She was weak and gaunt, and her beautiful hair had been cut off and covered with a scarf. There was a huge shock when I found out that my mother had been hiding the fact that she had cancer.
We both had tears in our eyes as we hugged, and I found it hard to understand what was going on. Why did she not tell me this before?
Why did she try to keep me safe by taking on the whole load by herself?
As we held hands and cried together, I realised that being there for each other in the worst times is what family is all about.
I promised to be her rock and help her through the hard times that were coming.
In the end, we only had a short time together, but I will always remember the laughs, tears, and memories we made.
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done to say goodbye to my mom, but I wouldn’t trade those times for anything. No matter what, love means being there for each other and hanging on tight.
