私は先逝く夫の後、娘2人を女手ひとつで育ててきた。最近は娘たちが自立し、顔を合わせる機会が少なくなった。年末年始の帰省を楽しみにしていたが、次女のアヤが帰省しないと言い出し、喧嘩になってしまう。しかし、アヤは優しい子で、義実家の晴れ着のお祝いを拒否し、代わりにお寿司を食べに行くことにした。しかし、アヤの友達からの悪影響で、母親との関係が悪化してしまった。アヤの行動を理解しようと努力する母親だが、アヤは電話を取らない。【第3話】へ続く。
Continuing from last time. I (Yoko) have two daughters. The eldest is Miyuki (28 years old) and the youngest is Aya (21 years old). I lost my husband 10 years ago and have been raising my daughters on my own ever since. Currently, Miyuki is married and has children of her own, while Aya is living on her own and working. With both of my daughters becoming independent, we have very few opportunities to see each other. That’s why I was eagerly looking forward to their homecoming for the New Year. However, Aya refused to come home, and when I scolded her, she even said, “I’m done being your daughter”! I was left speechless after she hung up the phone.
It was supposed to be Aya’s celebration for turning 20, with her in-laws planning to buy her a formal kimono…
Aya, who was considerate of me distancing myself from my in-laws, said, “I’m fine,” and showed me how kind she truly is. I suggested, “Let’s celebrate by going to eat your favorite food!” and took her to her favorite sushi restaurant. Every time we celebrate, we go a little extravagant and visit that sushi restaurant, which made Aya smile with joy.
I was shocked when I opened a notebook I found in Aya’s room. It was an exchange diary with her friends, discussing topics like crushes. Despite my efforts to work so hard, she was lost in thoughts about boys… Aya has always been kind-hearted and easily influenced by her friends. Perhaps it’s because she’s hanging out with the wrong crowd. I sternly scolded Aya, who tried to talk back.
What did I do wrong? I’ve been tirelessly raising my children… I may not have been a perfect mother scoring 100 points, but I am human. I make mistakes. However, I always intended to shower them with love. I couldn’t understand why I had to be told by my daughter that she was cutting ties with me. Surely, she must have been deceived by bad friends and influenced by wrong values. Unable to bear this thought, I kept calling Aya over and over again, but she never answered the phone.
To be continued in Part 3.
Original Idea: Mama Star Community, Script: Tae Watanabe, Illustration: Kayo Nekota, Editing: Teruko Ii