I poured all my love and energy into raising him, taking on odd jobs in addition to teaching to support his education. From a young age, Julian was bright and decisive, but also had a quick temper, perhaps a trait inherited from his father. Whenever I saw him frown and shout, an invisible fear would creep into my heart.
I tried to use all of a mother’s tenderness to correct and guide him, hoping to smooth out the sharp edges of his personality. In the end, Julian did not disappoint me. He graduated with honors and quickly found a good job in a major city, eventually getting promoted to regional manager for a well-known corporation.
He married a wife, a gentle and kind girl named Clara. At last, the heavy burden on my shoulders was lifted. I thought that from then on I would live a comfortable, carefree life, tending to my tomato plants in the morning and taking walks with the other older ladies in town in the evening.
But life rarely goes as planned.
That day, I was busy in my garden when the phone rang. It was Julian.
“Hey, Mom. What are you doing?”
His voice on the phone, even in a simple greeting, always carried a subtle sense of pressure. I wiped my dirt-stained hands on my apron and chuckled softly.
“I’m just checking on the tomatoes. They’re almost ready to be picked. Is something wrong, son?”
“Mom, Clara and I have talked it over. I want you to get your things in order. This weekend, I’m driving down to pick you up and bring you to the city to live with us.”
I froze. The thought of leaving this place, of leaving the quiet life I knew so well, made my heart sink.
“Oh, let’s not, son. I’m used to living here. I don’t know anyone there. I wouldn’t be comfortable, and I’d just be a bother to you and your wife. You two have your jobs. You’re so busy.”
“What bother, Mom?”
Julian’s tone held a hint of impatience.
“It’s a son’s duty to take care of his mother. Besides, what if something happened to you out there all alone in the country? Who would even know? I’ve already made up my mind, so please don’t argue. We’ve already prepared a room for you.”
His “I’ve already made up my mind” way of speaking sent a chill down my spine. It was exactly like my late husband, but I still tried to refuse gently.
“Julian, honey, I know you care about me, but I’m really too old to change. I won’t have any friends there. No garden. I’ll be bored to death.”
“What do you mean, no friends? You’ll come with us. Clara can take you out. Take you shopping. Here, I’ll let you talk to Clara.”
There was a moment of silence on the line, and then a clear, gentle voice came on like a fresh spring flowing through the tense atmosphere.
