I craved adventure and freedom, but it came at the cost of my mother\u2019s tears. One day, she put my car in her storage unit to punish me for coming home late. I did what any 17-year-old boy would do. I stole the keys to the unit to retrieve my car, but what I found hidden there shattered my heart like glass. Do you love your mother? What a silly question to ask! I often dreaded coming home, you know. Mom\u2019s questions fired at me the moment I walked in. \u201cWhere were you, Eddie?\n
Why are you late? Bla bla bla!\u201d I couldn\u2019t understand why she was suffocating me with her constant concern. If only I\u2019d known then what I know now, I would\u2019ve given anything to hear her scold me again. It was the autumn of 2021. I was 17, craving adventure and independence. Every day, it was the same routine. I\u2019d barely get my key in the lock before my mom Charlotte\u2019s voice would ring out from inside.\u201cEddie? Is that you?\u201d I\u2019d brace myself, knowing what was coming next. The moment I stepped through that door, she\u2019d be there, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, brimming with tears. God, not again! I\u2019d roll my eyes. \u201cI was worried sick, and you don\u2019t even care. How could you be so irresponsible?\u201d The questions came rapid-fire, each one making me feel smaller, more suffocated. I\u2019d try to answer, but my words always seemed to fall short. \u201cI was just out with friends, Mom. We lost track of time.\u201d\n
\u201cLost track of time? Eddie, you know better than that. This is unacceptable. You need to start taking me seriously.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m 17, Mom. You don\u2019t need to worry about me every second.\u201d But she did worry. Every. Single. Second. A lot lately. Weird. And it was driving me crazy. I didn\u2019t understand then. How could I? I was too caught up in my own world, too eager for freedom to see what was really happening. But looking back now, I wish I\u2019d paid more attention. I wish I\u2019d seen the fear behind her questions, the love behind her worry. Because soon enough, I\u2019d understand why she held on so tight. And when I did, it broke my heart. The day everything changed started like any other. I came home late, way past curfew. Mom was waiting in the living room, the dim light casting shadows across her face. \u201cEddie, we need to talk about this.\u201d I sighed, dropping my backpack by the door.\n
\u201cMom, please. Not tonight. I\u2019m tired.\u201d \u201cYou\u2019re tired? I\u2019ve been up for hours, wondering where you were and if you were safe. I haven\u2019t eaten a thing because I was so worried about you.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m fine, okay?\u201d I snapped. \u201cWhy do you always have to make such a big deal out of everything?\u201d She flinched, and for a moment, I saw something in her eyes. Hurt, maybe, or disappointment. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by anger. \u201cYou\u2019re grounded,\u201d she sternly said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m taking your car keys.\u201d \u201cWhat? Mom, you can\u2019t do that!\u201d I protested, but she had already turned away. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk about this in the morning.\u201d I stomped up to my room, slamming the door behind me. I didn\u2019t know it then, but that would be the last time I\u2019d slam a door in her face. The next morning, my car was gone. Just gone. I ran back inside, panic rising in my throat. \u201cMom! My car\u2019s missing!\u201d She looked up from her coffee, her face calm. \u201cI moved it, Eddie. You\u2019ll get it back when you start showing some responsibility.\u201d I couldn\u2019t believe it. \u201cYou can\u2019t just take my car! Grandma gave it to me! You have no right\u2014\u201d \u201cI\u2019m your mother. I\u2019m doing what\u2019s best for you.\u201d\n
I stormed back to my room, furious and determined to get my car back. That\u2019s when I hatched my plan. I knew she had a storage unit. It had to be there. I waited until she left for a doctor\u2019s appointment, then snuck into her room to find the keys. It felt wrong, but my anger overshadowed my guilt. I had to get my freedom back. My car was my pride and love. It was my everything. When I reached the storage unit, I felt a surge of triumph. I\u2019d show her. I\u2019d get my car and prove I could be responsible. But when I opened that door, I FROZE. Boxes. Dozens of them. Gift-wrapped. All neatly labeled with my name and future dates? My stomach dropped as I read the labels: \u201c18th birthday,\u201d \u201cGraduation,\u201d \u201cFirst job,\u201d \u201cWedding,\u201d and \u201cBaby Shower?\u201d With shaking hands, I opened the box marked for my 18th birthday. Inside was a brown leather jacket, the exact one I\u2019d been eyeing for months. How did she know? I reached for another box, this one labeled \u201cGraduation.\u201d It was full of letters, all addressed to me, all in her handwriting. The truth hit me hard as I sat there on the cold concrete floor, surrounded by pieces of a future Mom had carefully planned for me. The doctor\u2019s appointments. The exhaustion. The way she\u2019d been holding on so tight. Mom was sick. Really sick. My eyes welled up as I pieced it all together. She wasn\u2019t punishing me. She was PREPARING. Preparing for a time when she wouldn\u2019t be here to see these milestones. I don\u2019t know how long I sat there, crying among the boxes of my future. All I know is that when I finally left that storage unit, I wasn\u2019t the same person who had entered it. I hurried home in a daze, my anger replaced by a crushing guilt. How could I have been so blind? So selfish? I slipped quietly into the house, returning her keys as if I\u2019d never touched them. The anger that had consumed me for weeks was gone, replaced by guilt. I\u2019d been so wrapped up in my own problems that I\u2019d completely missed what was happening right in front of me. Later that night, Mom was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. She looked up, surprise flickering across her face. \u201cEddie? I thought you\u2019d be out with friends.\u201d I crossed the room in three strides and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tighter than I had in years.\n
\u201cEddie? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d I pulled back, looking into her eyes. \u201cNothing\u2019s wrong, Mom. I just\u2026 I love you. You know that, right? After Dad left us, you were my rock.\u201d She cupped my face in her hands, her eyes searching mine. \u201cAwwww, of course, I know that, sweetie. I love you too. And I\u2019ll always be your rock, okay?\u201d I helped her finish dinner that night, and we ate together at the table for the first time in months. We talked about everything and nothing, and I soaked up every word, every laugh, and every moment. As I was clearing the dishes, I turned to her. \u201cHey, Mom? I\u2019m sorry. For everything.\u201d She smiled a sad, beautiful smile, one that I\u2019ll never forget. \u201cOh, Eddie. You have nothing to be sorry for.\u201d But I did. And I was determined to make it right. Without letting her know that I knew her secret. The next few months were different. I stopped going out late and stopped fighting her on every little thing. Instead, we spent our evenings watching old movies, looking through photo albums, cooking, and just being together. One night, as we sat on the porch swing, watching the sunset, she turned to me. \u201cEddie, there\u2019s something I need to tell you.\u201d I knew what was coming, but it still felt like a punch to the gut when she said the words. \u201cI\u2019m sick, honey. And it\u2019s not getting better.\u201d I took her hand, squeezing it gently. I didn\u2019t want to know what it was that was going to steal her away from me. \u201cI know, Mom. How long have you known?\u201d She sighed, looking out at the fading light. \u201cA while now. I wanted to tell you, but I didn\u2019t know how. I didn\u2019t want to burden you.\u201d \u201cMom, You could never be a burden. Never.\u201d We sat there in silence, watching the stars come out one by one. And for the first time in a long time, I felt at peace. The last few months with Mom were the best we\u2019d ever had. We didn\u2019t waste time on arguments or petty disagreements. Every moment was precious, and we both knew it. She told me stories from her childhood, taught me how to cook her famous lasagna, and showed me old home videos I\u2019d never seen before. And through it all, she never complained, never showed fear. She was so strong, right until the end. And then, the day I dreaded came. Mom slipped away in her sleep, a small smile on her face.\n
And though I thought I was prepared, the loss hit me harder than I could have imagined. Months passed. On my 18th birthday, I opened the box she\u2019d left for me for this day. I put on the brown leather jacket, feeling closer to her somehow. And I read the first of many letters she\u2019d written, her words bringing both tears and comfort. \u201cMy dearest Eddie,\u201d it began. \u201cIf you\u2019re reading this, it means I\u2019m not there to celebrate this day with you. But know that I\u2019m with you, always. I\u2019m so proud of the man you\u2019ve become.\u201d I read those words repeatedly, hearing her voice in every sentence. It\u2019s been two years now, but I still have those boxes. Some days, I think about opening another one, but then I stop myself. It\u2019s like I\u2019m saving Mom for later, piece by piece because even though she\u2019s gone, she\u2019s still somehow with me. I\u2019ve learned that love doesn\u2019t end with death. It lives on in memories, in the lessons we\u2019ve learned, and in the person we\u2019ve become because of that love. Mom taught me that. She taught me so much, right up until the end. And maybe, when the time is right, I\u2019ll open the next box, and she\u2019ll teach me something new all over again. But for now, I\u2019m holding onto the memories we made in those last precious months. The laughter, the quiet moments, and the love that filled every second. Because in the end, that\u2019s what matters most.aLove. Family. The time we had together. And I\u2019ll cherish every moment, just like she taught me to. To those who\u2019ve just finished reading my story, I have one request: go and hug your mother. Right now. There\u2019s no force more powerful, more pure than a mother\u2019s love. Cherish it while you can. Never take her for granted, and please, never hurt her with harsh words or thoughtless actions. You see, God doesn\u2019t walk down from the heavens. He\u2019s already sent us angels in the form of our mothers. Hold onto yours tight, and never let go. Because one day, like me, you might find yourself wishing for just one more hug, one more scolding\u2026 and one more chance to say \u201cI love you.\u201d Love you, Mom. Forever & Ever. \ud83d\udc94\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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