"A daughter-in-law taking care of her mother-in-law is only right. Didn't my mom look after you when you had your confinement after childbirth?
"We're all family now. How could you bear to let her get up to eat and go to the bathroom by herself?
"If I wasn't a man, I wouldn't have asked you to do this," my dad complained.
But my mom had just had surgery herself and could barely move.
Less than a month after leaving the hospital, they had her working in the fields. She worked herself to death out there.
"Dad, you're healthier than Mom. Why don't you donate a kidney to my grandma?" I chimed in.
2
I suddenly interrupted my dad. His expression turned a little sour.
"Technically, you're a direct relative, so you'd be a better match for the donation," I said innocently.
"What do you know, kid? I'm the backbone of this family. How could I work without a kidney?" he retorted.
I nodded as if I understood. "But didn't you say losing a kidney wouldn't affect life at all?"
My mom finally noticed the flaw in his argument. Her already reluctant face grew even more puzzled.
My dad, now impatient, started shouting, "Can a man and a woman be the same? Candace Giles, are you itching for a beating?"