Mothers Special Gift

A cold late november. I just got out of work when I got the call. Fear and abandonment was on my face. I hop on the train and made my way to downtown. “Ugh! Why did they put her in there?” I said with disappointment on my face. You would think that I would be in horror or in disbelief, but this isn’t the first time that I have gotten the call of her in the hospital.

Time after time, there would be a call, “Hey we have your mom in the ER about to get surgery…again. Yeah it’s her leg this time.” Or “We found your mom in the train tracks with some of her teeth on the floor.” Always ended up in the ER reattaching or fixing her up from some drama that would always occur with her. Every time I had asked her about it, a blank stare would fall to her face and confusion would rise like a peacock attracting a mate.

There was this one time when I was ready to catch her in the act. It was a Sunday so I was off from working at the factory and she was done with her bible study. We had plans to go to the Opera due to this raffle that we had won months prior. So we got ready and ventured off. On the way she would start coughing and puffing up smoke. Trying to hide it from me as if to not feel guilty. “Are you smoking mother?” With a smirk that said ‘I don’t care but why in front me when I have asthma?’ She would deny and make something up to protect herself. This time I was ready because I already knew of the episodes she would always have when I was away so her trying to hide it made me more anxious and worried to find that drugs became her escape.

“Why are you doing drugs mother” I spoke calmly. “I’m not doing drugs. I’m taking medication for the pain and sometimes it will cause me cough out some smoke. Besides, its so cold out that of course you’re gonna see some white smoke come from my mouth. Now stop asking silly questions and lets getting the theatre. “ Rapidly speaking in rush to get her seat. The theatre was big and I had to navigate for her even though I had never been to the building.

Traveling in a slow pace in order to match mothers, we finally find our seats only to have to go pass some people in seats next to ours. Having to ask them to make room for my mother to pass, she moves in the isle only to fall over and break the neighboring seat. “Here we go!” I said in silence. “Are you okay? Let us help you” broken seat owner replied. They assist her on her feet to check for bruising. “Thank you thank you “ she responded. Mother wasn’t very clumsy.

The seat owner left to talk with someone to help them with their seats and me and mother finally was able to sit in their seats. “Look what I got?” Mother quietly asked. It was a Rolex and a $100 bill that she flashed me from inside her bag. She had stolen them from the man who had helped her up. He didn’t notice the pickpocketing that mother was doing because of her age and the concern for her safety.

She quickly puts the Rolex back in her bag and gives me the $100. “Use it to pay that gentleman who gave us the tickets.” Mother lowers her voice as the show starts. I leave to use the restroom during intermission and when I returned, mother is gone. Wondering if she too used the restroom but to no avail. I wonder for hours trying to contact and find her until I get a call, “your mother is in custody for selling tickets to children. Can you please come pick her up?”

Astonished and confused, I leave the auditorium to head to the security office. Sitting in a stool waiting patiently for me to find her, mother gathers her things as we leave only to find more things she has acquired.

Finally the trains moves as I reach to the hospital. Feeling slightly worried and an annoyed, I make my way to the address that was given to me over the phone. Concern begins to fill my head when sounds comes from inside. I enter the building, “We have a CODE VIOLET! Get the authorities over here! She’s bleeding out!” Says a nearby doctor. Fear and panic rapidly builds.

I confirm with the receptionist of mother being here and run to where the sound of the doctor was coming from. Tall, white curtains covers the area where the room my mom is suppose to reside. Doctors and officers surround the patient room, covered in protective gear. My heart starts to sink as I hold the white curtain with my blue gloved hand. I master up my tears to finally open the curtain to see that its a different mother. A spitting image of her with a different color hair and a shorter height.

Relief rushes as the fear melts away, I call mother to find that she’s been sleeping this whole time. Reached home to explain the day I had, I arrive to finally see that that she presents to me a gift that took her years to acquire. Countless jobs, hours at the Oprah where I didn’t know she worked. She tells me that the people she encountered, the mishaps it seemed she was involved in, was all staged to hide what her true goal was. To find the perfect gift for me. Tears falls down my face as I take a deep breathe in relief. I open the gifted box. Two sets of keys. One with a keychain and the other with a label that has my name on it.

A small envelope falls out of the wrapping paper. It reads, “ Mother’s Final Christmas Gift. The new house and car is waiting for you to start a new and live on as my proud son. “ I fall to my knees in happiness. She had prepared this for years. I rush to give mother a hug “I love you Mother’ comes out of my body. It was the first time I had said it. “ I will always love you” Mother says. After a long grateful hug, I stand up to see that it really was, mothers final Christmas gift.