A Mother's Unyielding Love

“You need to come home now. I can’t take it anymore; your mother is driving me crazy.”

Ethan sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I know, she can be difficult. But I’m in the middle of an important meeting right now. I promise I’ll handle it tonight.”

The call ended abruptly, and Ethan could sense the frustration in Sarah’s voice. Meanwhile, Sarah stared at the door, swallowing her emotions.

“Look at this, Ethan,” Sarah said that evening, her voice trembling with anger. “I clean up, and your mother messes everything up again. It’s driving me insane.”

Sarah was on the verge of tears, pulling at her hair in exasperation. Ethan walked over to her, gently rubbing her shoulders, but she shrugged him off.

“Come with me,” he said softly, taking her hand and leading her to their bedroom. He closed the door behind them and retrieved a small box from the top of the wardrobe, brushing off the dust before opening it.

“Yes, my mother can be annoying,” he admitted, smiling sadly at Sarah. “Tomorrow, we’ll consider taking her to a nursing home. But first, let me show you just how ‘annoying’ she’s been all my life.”

Inside the box was a stack of old photographs. Ethan carefully took out the first picture, a faded one with no trace of dust on it. Sarah’s curiosity piqued as she looked at the image.

“This is a photo my aunt took when I was born,” Ethan began. “She told me my mother was very weak, and the delivery was long and painful. But my mother insisted, ‘No, my child must be born, I must give birth.’ My mother was stubborn, wasn’t she?” Ethan’s tone was light, but there was something deeper in his eyes.

He set the photo aside and pulled out another one.

“This is the first time I nursed,” he said with a chuckle. “Everyone told my mom she didn’t have enough milk and should feed me formula instead, but she refused. ‘No,’ she said, ‘my baby needs my milk to grow strong.’ She could be so difficult, right?”

Sarah’s hands trembled as she looked at the photo, seeing the joy in Ethan’s mother’s eyes as she held her newborn son close. Ethan continued, showing Sarah more pictures, each one telling a story of a mother’s love and persistence.

“This one,” Ethan pointed to a picture of him taking his first steps. “My mother was over the moon when I started walking. She bragged to everyone she met, ‘My little Ethan is walking now!’ She was always like that, always fussing over me. She must have been annoying, don’t you think?”

Sarah’s throat tightened, and she struggled to speak as she stared at the image of a toddler wobbling toward his mother, her face beaming with pride.

Ethan’s voice grew softer as he pulled out more photos. “Look at this one. My graduation day. I look pretty good, right? But see my mother? Her hair’s a mess, and her clothes are so worn out.” His voice cracked, and Sarah squeezed his hand tightly.

“When I was 15, my father left us. My mother worked all kinds of jobs to keep me in school,” Ethan continued, his voice breaking. “She didn’t let me quit, even when I wanted to. She worked at a diner, washed laundry, and even cleaned streets at night so I could learn English and get a better future. She was so ‘annoying’ like that.”

A tear fell onto the photo in Ethan’s hand, and Sarah’s eyes welled up as well. The contrast between the young, vibrant mother and the tired woman in the graduation picture was heartbreaking.

“Ethan,” Sarah whispered, holding his trembling hand. “Your mother’s hands… they seem so fragile now.”

Ethan nodded, his voice choked with emotion. “When I was five, I fell down the stairs while playing. I wasn’t hurt because I landed on something soft. It was my mother. She threw herself under me to break my fall. That’s just how ‘annoying’ she is. She’s been that way since before I was born, and she’ll keep being that way until the end of her days.”

Tears streamed down Sarah’s face as she clung to Ethan. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed.

Ethan held her close, comforting her as she cried. “It’s okay. I understand now.”

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the kitchen, and they both rushed downstairs.

“I’m sorry,” Ethan’s mother stammered, her voice shaking. “I heard you wanted lotus seed pudding, so I tried to make some, but…”
She couldn’t meet their eyes as she bent down to pick up the broken pieces on the floor.

“Mom,” Sarah said, rushing to her side. “Please, don’t worry about it. From now on, let me take care of you.”

Sarah embraced her mother-in-law, her tears soaking into the older woman’s shoulder. Ethan watched them, his heart swelling with love and gratitude.

“Mom,” Ethan thought to himself as he watched them. “You chose the right daughter-in-law, and I chose the right wife.”

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