佚名/Anonymous
“Mother,”she said, looking down at the older woman who sat in the wheelchair. She ignored the other residents of the nursing home around them.“Mother, I know now. I understand.”
The woman looked up and smiled at her.“Sonya, it's always so good to see you.”she said.
“Why didn't you tell me what you were doing?”asked Sonya. She dropped into a chair beside the wheelchair, so that she and her mother could be on the same level.“All these years, and you never told me.”
“I don't know what you're talking about,”said the older woman.“How is your job going?Were you promoted, as you wanted to be?”
“I don't want to talk about my job. I want to talk to you about what you've done to make me successful.”
“I didn't do anything. You've done it all. All the education, all the hard work……”
“No!”Sonya stood up again, unable to keep still.“You've been doing it all!When I was in high school and I said I needed help with the higher level math courses, because I couldn't figure any of it out, you said I shouldn't worry.”
“You did fine.”said her mother.
“Yes!Because you gave me your math ability!After that, you couldn't even balance your checkbook, remember?”
She shrugged.“When people get older, they start to slow down.”
“You had a graduate degree in mathematics. You were a brilliant teacher. But after I started doing well in high school math, you lost all your abilities. Tell me it was a coincidence!”
“Darling, you're upset. Probably too much stress.”
“No!No!I can't stand taking from you anymore!I never wanted to go to grad school for that MBA.I never had the ambition. But you did. You had more ambition than ten women!Until I needed it, and then-then suddenly I burned with the desire to prove myself and you-you gave up. That's when you started working at the supermarket.”