girl named Kelly. Although David and Kelly liked each other a lot,
they had one problem. David’s mother was racist and hated the company
of coloured people. As Kelly was coloured, she wasn’t allowed into
the house. She wouldn’t even let David bring her home for tea.
“I’m not having an Asian take over my house” she used to say.
David was upset and embarrassed of his mother. He thought how
Kelly might be feeling, disrespected, unworthy of his love and as if
she had committed a crime being born a coloured person. He and Kelly
agreed to never break up over his racist mother. She would have to
come to terms with this and then she would accept Kelly for who she
was.
For six months, David and Kelly lived in Matt’s old flat as he had
moved to a bigger house to settle down with his girlfriend. They
thought this would decrease the amount of abusive language that
Margaret threw at Kelly as they would not see her as often. But they
were wrong, the racist comments carried on. “Don’t touch my son
because with people like you comes evil”. David saw that life was
becoming hard for Kelly. She was afraid to go to the local shop
for fear she might meet up with Margaret. He decided to move away.
He loved his mother but at the same time despised her for judging
people before getting to know them. It was agreed they should move
to Kelly’s hometown of Manchester in England. David gave his mother
his new address and telephone number so that if she realised the hurt
and pain she had caused, she could contact them.
But for fifteen years there was never any means of communication
from his mother. Three years after they moved David and Kelly became
happily married. A few years after that, Kelly gave birth to a baby girl
whom they called, Kathryn. David had got what he wanted; a charming
wife and a beautiful child, in a peaceful environment.
All was well until two days ago. David had just arrived home from
work when the phone rang. It was Matt. Just as Kelly came in, David
dropped the phone. “She’s dead.” he told her. He explained to Kelly
a while after, the heartbreaking news. Two years ago, his mother had
been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Treatment had been going well
but then her condition suddenly deteriorated and she passed away.
David’s first feelings were anger and hurt. He was angry with his
brother, although he hated her for being racist, he loved her at heart.
Why had he not been told before? He knew he had to attend his mother’s
funeral. If he had known about his mother’s illness, he would have came
home and tried to make peace with her. It was a little too late. Kelly
decided it was best if she stayed at home with Kathryn in Manchester.
So here he was, just arriving at the docks, worried and obviously upset.
He was planning what he would say to Matt, as he was collecting him.
He got off the ship, exhausted and lonely, missing his loving family.
He retrieved his luggage and made his way to the waiting area where
he searched for Matt. It wasn’t easy as Matt had changed a lot over the
years but he soon found him, wearing the green coat he said he would be
wearing. Matt was very tall now with greyish hair and was well built.
He was slouched on a seat, legs crossed, deep in thought.
David’s first words were “Why didn’t you tell me?” His brother
replied “You haven’t contacted us in fifteen years now. I didn’t
think you cared.” With a big hug and tears in his eyes David choked
out the words “Of course I care.”
The two brothers left the ferry terminal united in their grief, grief for
their mother they had cruelly lost. Sorrow for the carefree days of a
long ago childhood, where their mother had sheltered them from the
realities of life.
David felt guilty. He was as much to blame for the hurt and pain of
the last fifteen years. Why couldn’t he have made his peace with his
mother? The woman who had given him life and nurtured him to become
the man he now was. One visit, one letter, one phone call. If only, but it
was too late now to make amends.
A while later, David and Matt arrived at Matt’s home, where their
mother lay upstairs, her body still and quiet, lifeless. David had a hard
task ahead of him. With a heavy heart he climbed the stairs to the room
where the coffin lay. Alone he went into the room, the coldness and
aroma of flowers hit him. Quietly he stood, head bowed, tears flowing
silently down his cheeks as he gazed at the lifeless form of his mother.
Too late for sorry now. He knelt at the side of his mother’s coffin, his
heart begging for forgiveness. He tried to tell her of the love he had for
his wife. David felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Matt
with an envelope in his hand. “Mother left this for you, should you ever
return.” As David took out the letter his heart thumped fast. As he read the
letter asking for his forgiveness for the way his mother had treated
his wife, Kelly. It would seem that she too had regrets.
David realised life was not always simple. In the letter, his mother
begged him to love his family and to treat his children with respect,
no matter what they brought to his door. So that he would not die a
lonely man, as she had died a lonely, broken hearted mother.
