My mother's dream, my sacrifice.

I stared at myself, "You're a goddess Aurora! Now, why won't you do something about it?", I was talking to that pretty girl in front of the mirror. Oh, was it me? Yeah me. When suddenly, "I am tired of being poor!", my mother cried while she's looking at our ripe fruits which we either have to sell right away or give to our neighbor's pigs. I was inside our little storage room, preparing to go to school while listening to her complaint.

I know I need to help my mother, but it has to be after I graduated college. Can't she wait? I am only 19! I gaze at her- her wrinkled face, sad eyes, weary shoulders. And those lips, I wish I could give you a little happiness just to see them smile, Mama. She was beautiful but she seemed to be carrying the world every day.

My phone vibrated. "I have something for you Au, you don't have to sell a kidney to buy an iPhone!", Carol texted me. "We'll meet later at school for that very important "job or offer". I am curious as to what it was. I don't want some iPhone, geez. I just want to make my mother happy, even for a moment.
I took one last glance at myself before I bid goodbye to my mother.

"Why am I beautiful, but poor?" I sadly asked myself. My mother told me her parents were full-blooded French who immigrated here to the Philippines because of the tropical climate and the beaches. Unfortunately, they died while my mother was still a teenager leaving her in the care of her relatives who spent all their money. She met my Filipino father when she was 17 and got impregnated. She wasn't happy ever since, except when she had me.

I look like my grandma- I have golden brown, wavy hair, red, kissable lips, fair complexion, and a model-like height. My friends would either call me "beauty or giant"...I didn't know I am beautiful until my friends told me I was.

"We can sell our "eggs" for 200,000 pesos per successful procedure!", Carol can't stop talking about how much we can have and what we could do with our money.
"We only sell fruits and vegetables!", I exclaimed.
"Silly girl! I mean the eggs inside your body! ", while she was pointing at my tummy.
"What?", I am still clueless.
"We will go to a special clinic and say we are willing to sell our egg cells. Once they have the egg cells, they will give us money! Easy peasy. You will still have both kidneys and you can sell your egg cells again! Maybe we can become millionaires!", Carol continued.

But the clinic was interested in my egg cells only because of my genes. They rejected Carol's and offered her to be a surrogate instead, to her horror.
"Give me some tips ha!, I recommended this job to you! I will be your manager or PR or PA!", Carol demanded.
I couldn't believe it. I sold my future babies! Was there something left for me? Will I still become a mom someday? I know I will, I brushed my silly thoughts away.

The clinic deposited 400,000 to my bank account. I was healthy enough to undergo 2 procedures. My eggs, please don't fail me.
I couldn't contain my excitement. For the first time, I bought a decent smartphone and some new, trendy outfits. I now also have skincare items like lotions, facial cleansers, facial wash, etc. I got mama her new shoes and her favorite food, Pansit Palabok.
She was surprised by the shopping bags she saw when she got home.
"Don't open the store tomorrow, I'm gonna treat you for a staycation!", I excitedly told mama.
I saw a smile on her lips, she wanted to experience living comfortably even for a day and I'm gonna give it to her.

So we went to Tagaytay and checked in to Santorini Residences. We rested first, then ate at a first-class restaurant, and strolled around Tagaytay in a black Mercedes. We were a thousandaire for a few days. And I made the right decision by making my mother's dream a reality. A sacrifice that I am willing to pay.

And I hope you liked my short story, my friends. If you were Aurora, would you do the same for your mother? Let me know your thoughts!

Thank you very much,

Glessa

November 27, 2021
The lead image was from Unsplash.com and the rest of the content is mine.