I went to a funeral wake of a relative with my mother the other day.
After my father passed away 8 years ago, my mother had been living by herself, but she started to live with my brother and his wife since their return to home this year.
She is 85 years old and her legs have weakened.
She is a kind of person who always followed my father from behind.
She used to always come to watch Apex competition with my father.
I wanted to take her to the World Championship, but when I had the opportunity, my father was already gone and she wasn't confident about her health anymore, and we had to give up the plan.
After the funeral wake, I suggested her to have something good for dinner on the way home. She was very happy.
She rarely goes out to eat.
I asked her what she wanted to eat. She said she wanted to have Goboten Udon - Japanese wheat noodles with burdock tempura.
There must be something else, I thought, so I told her that she didn't have to be shy. But she insisted.
5 years ago, when I was giving her a ride home, we stopped by at a Udon shop near my home. She said she couldn't forget the taste of the Goboten Udon she had then.
So, we went to the same Udon shop and she ordered Goboten Udon.
She put her hands together in front of the served, non-descriptive, Goboten Udon, and finished off the bowl. She kept saying thank you to me.
I don't know how much trouble I have caused to my parents and how much they have worried about me.
Watching her so happy from the bottom of her heart with a 360 yen Goboten Udon, I became fraught with emotion.
先日、親戚に不幸があり母親と通夜に行った。
母は8年前に父が他界してずっと1人で暮らしていたのだが、今年から兄夫婦が戻ってきて一緒に暮らすようになった。
85歳で足元もだいぶ弱ってきた。
いつも父の後ろを付いてきた母である。
アペックスの競技会には必ず父と観に来てた。
世界大会に連れて行きたいと思っていたが代表に選ばれた時には父は他界し母も体力的に海外に行く自信がないという事で断念した。
通夜の帰り、何か美味しいものでも食べて帰ろうか？と言うと母はすごく喜んでくれた。
外食など滅多にしない母である。
何食べたい？と訊くと
ゴボ天うどんが食べたいと言う。
他に何かあるだろうと思って、遠慮しなくていいよと言うが、どうしてもそれが食べたいと。
5年前、母を車で家に送る時に近所のうどん屋に寄った事があった。
母はその時食べたゴボ天うどんの味が忘れられないと言う。
その時と同じうどん屋に行き、ゴボ天うどんを母は注文した。
出てきた普通の何の変哲もないゴボ天うどんに手を合わせ、きれいに平らげ何度もありがとうと言う。
今まで自分が親にどれだけ迷惑をかけ、どれだけ心配させて生きてきた事だろうか。
360円のゴボ天うどんで心の底から喜んでくれる母親に胸が熱くなった。
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アペックス(APEX)住所：福岡県糟屋郡須恵町佐谷５６２―１
TEL：092-776-1459
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引用元：
親心
