FREEDOM

FREEDOM

At the airport.

            Tears were about to spill from Mom’s eyes any second now. Dad was also trying hard not to show his emotions but failed. He looked somber.

            “You’ve got your ticket?” Mom asked. It’s the tenth time asked since we left home this morning.

            I showed her the ticket in my hand. She could see my backpack on my back. She opened it. “you have your medicine? Jacket? Hat? Snacks?”

            “For the tenth time, yes, yes,yes and yes, Mom.” I couldn’t help thinking that by this time tomorrow. I would be free from Mom’s everlasting barrage of questions.

            “Come on, Rosy,” Dad said to Mom, laughing. “Our son’s going to another big city. There will be supermarkets there. He can buy his snack or whatever he needs there.”

            That broke the dam that held Mom’s tears and they came pouring down her cheeks.

            “My baby….” Mom wailed. “This is the first time my baby’s out in the world by himself. Oh, my son!” She sobbed uncontrollably.  “Why did you have to choose a university that far away?”

            “Mom, please. I’m only going to college, it’s like just a two hour flight away. You can visit anytime. And you know, now there’s this thing called Skype and something called the internet,” Ilaughed.

Mom smiled. Of course she knew all that. She communicated with my older sister, who lives in another town, all the time on Skype. Then Mom said some more things like I shouldn’t forget to pray, to have breakfast, to eat three time a day, to do my homework, blab la bla, I should get enough rest, not to stay up late, to take my vitamins and some other bla bla blas. Ah, well, you know how mothers are.

Nodding to Mom’s chattering, I became aware of a group of girls standing close to us. One of them was probably going away to college like me. She’s cute. I smiled at her. And she smiled back. I hope she’s on the same flight.

Then, to my horror, Mom said something out load actually, shouting it was more like it. “HEY YOU DIDN’T FORGET TO BRING EXTRA UNDERWEAR, DID YOU? Just in case your flight got delay.”

“MOM!” I hissed. But it was too late. The cute girl heard it and the rest of her friends. They giggled. I closed my eyes wishing that it hadn’t happened.

“Oh, my baby. He’s all grown up now.” Mom hugged me again. And again. And again.

“OK,Mom. I’m going to miss my flight,”I said.

“I love you, Mom,” I whispered in Mom’s ear.

A pang of sadness sneaked its way into my heart while I hugged my parents for the last time before boarding. But just as the plane too off, I felt something else. No more mom’s incessant questions, no more don’t do this and don’t do that, I could stay up late, I could wake up late.. Wow, it’s great feeling! FREEDOM!  Yeah, that’s what it is! I”ll be FREE! YAAAYY!

First day out in the world…

            Ah, so this was what freedom felt like. I looked at the clock. It’s eight o’clock. No Mom’s voice shouting to wake me up, to tidy up my room, to take a bath…. Ah life’s good.  Let’s just go back to sleep, shall we? I love you, Freedom

Three hours later….

            I got out of my bedroom. It’s so quiet. I felt weird. I felt … something else.

            I was hungry, no, I was STARVING.

            Usually, mom always had something ready on the table for this breakfast. Homemade chicken porridge, shicken soup. Fried rice with sunny-side-up egg, chesse sandwich, or my all time favorite, nasi uduk.

            Now I could see the other side of this state called freedom. Freedom means going out and buying your own breakfast. I sighed.

            I miss you, Mom.