Mom, who had endured so much for me, had become accustomed to accepting whatever came her way.
I didn’t want to confront her with these stark realities.
But I couldn’t just ignore it.
I took her hand gently and said, “Mom, you need to take it easy now that you’re pregnant. Let me make you some chicken soup to help you feel better.”
Mom waved her hand dismissively.
“I’m fine. You’ve just arrived and must be exhausted. You should rest. I’ll take care of everything.”
With that, she started to rise from her seat.
I gently pushed her back onto the couch, took off her apron, and put it on myself.
“Mom, I don’t think you’ve had a chance to try my cooking. Let me show you what I can do.”
Since Dad’s passing, Mom had endured so much.
Even though it was normal for her to handle housework now that she was remarried, seeing her pregnant and looking so frail made it hard for me to let her keep doing everything.
I set the chicken soup to simmer, tidied up the living room, and put all the dirty laundry in the washing machine.
Once everything was taken care of, I headed to the study to rest on the small bed Mom had been using.