**Diary Entry**
“Don’t call me again! Why waste time on something you dont need? I realised long ago that neither you nor your children care whether your grandmother is alive or well.”
Finishing university coincided with two big milestonesmy wedding and my first proper job. I started as a manager at a good firm. After a few years, I went on maternity leave and gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Emily. Emily grew into a bright young woman, and my husband and I spared no expense on her education at a prestigious university. After graduation, my husband even helped land her a decent job.
A year later, she introduced us to her fiancé, and soon after, they married and had twins.
My granddaughters were eight when their grandfathermy husbandpassed away. It was a terrible loss for all of us. Emily understood how hard it was for me, so she rang me every day after work, chatting about her day while I shared mine.
But then she grew busier. When I called, shed make excusestoo much cleaning, errands to run. Eventually, her calls dwindled to once every few days, and even then, it was half-heartedalways distracted, always in a rush. One day, my patience snapped. When she rang, I barked:
“If you dont have time for your own mother, dont bother calling. Why phone me just to ignore me?”
She brushed it off, and I apologised for my sharp words. After that, she rang a little more often before slipping back to just once a week.
Her attitude stung. I lost my appetite. Couldnt sleep.
The breaking point came when she didnt ring for an entire weekdidnt even answer my calls. When she finally did, I shouted:
“Dont call again! Why waste effort on something you dont care about? Ive known for ages that neither you nor my granddaughters give a damn whether Im alive! You only want my cooking and birthday presentsnothing else!”
Emily snapped back, calling me selfish, saying she wouldnt call again. Her words hit me like a punch. My chest tightened, everything went blackand I woke up in hospital.
A nurse listened to my story but shook her head at the end.
“You older folks forgetwe young ones are stretched thin. Work, kids, chores, trying to better ourselves. Fitting in a proper chat isnt easy. You should treasure even those rushed calls between errands. My advice? Find something to keep you busy. You wont notice the days passing till your daughter or grandkids ring.”
She was right. When youre doing what you love, you stop worrying whether anyone cares.
