So, my sister made the tough call to raise her four kids all on her own after her husband cheated on her with someone from work. Since then, shes never been in another relationship. Shes well-educated, you know, with three degreesone of thems in culinary arts. As far as I remember, shes worked in quite a few cafés and restaurants around London.
Shes always made sure the kids had everything they needed, and they were grateful, but somehow, they kept wanting more. Now theyre grown up, got their own homes and families, but my sister still sends them money. Shes been retired for ages, but she keeps working anyway, saying she loves supporting her childrenthats what gives meaning to her life.
Not long ago, my sister caught a nasty flu, which quickly turned into serious pneumonia. It just wouldnt go away. She had to take sick leave, and honestly, she barely had enough pounds to cover things. Her mates chipped in to help, but the kids only rang their mum when the money stopped coming.
When they did call, all they did was ask how she was feeling, wished her a speedy recovery, and left it at that. None of them bothered to ask how she was managing financially. So, she called her kids and asked if they could come and visit, but they flat out said noeveryone was busy with jobs and kids of their own. There just wasnt time left for their mum.
She felt really hurt. After all those years helping them out, there she was, needing them, and not one could manage a visit. She ended up in hospital for a month. The nurse took care of all the medical bills, thankfully. She got better, went back to work, but her children didnt ring once during all that time. I suppose some family must have told them their mum was alright. It wasnt until she was discharged that the kids remembered her again.
First thing, they asked how she was feeling, but quickly switched to what they really wantedto ask for money. Not just that, they each asked for a specific amount, and insisted she send it by a certain date. All four of them! None gave a thought to how shed scrape the pounds together. They only cared about their own needs.
My sister was really upsetshed never expected her own children to treat her this way. Maybe its her own fault, but still, she couldnt help feeling sorry for herself. If you spend your whole life putting others first, youd hope you might get a bit of kindness back, wouldnt you? Maybe she shouldnt have always put her kids before her own life, shouldve thought about her own future, not just about growing old alone. But you cant change anything now, can you?
