LULLABY
Originally Created by Devi Yunitasari
You are my sunshine, my only
sunshine,
You make me happy when skies are
grey,
You’ll never know, dear, how much I
love you,
Please don’t take my sunshine away.
I pretended to fall asleep as my mother was singing that song for me. Since
I was a kid, she never missed even a single night without singing the song or
telling me a bed-time story.
“I love you, dear,” whispered my mother while giving me a kiss on my
forehead. She then turned off my room’s lamp and left. When I realized that my
mother had already left, I awoke and sighed.
“Fourteen-year-old, I think I’m not a kid anymore, why does my mother
still treat me as if I am still a little girl,” I muttered and rubbed my
forehead.
***
“Good morning, Alice! Did you
sleep well last night?” My mother ruffled my hair while handing me a glass of
milk. This also always became her habit in the morning.
“Ah, good morning, Mom. Well, yeah.” I took the milk and drank it within
one gulp. “Um, Mom, I have something to tell you.” My mother raised her
eyebrows while staring at me.
“Well, tell me then,” she took a seat beside me.
“Can’t you stop treating me like a kid?” I said softly. My mother seemed
to be puzzled with what I had said.
“Treating you like a kid?” She chuckled a bit, “but, you are still a kid,
aren’t you?”She added.
“No, I am fourteen years old now and I am a junior high school student.”
I was a little bit bothered because my mother thought that I was still a kid.
“But you never complaint when I sing a lullaby before you go to sleep,”
my mother grinned.
“It’s because… ah never mind, Mom, I have to go to school now.” I stood
up and grabbed my school bag. I really did not like my thought of going on this
conversation. “Ah, today I will go
home late because I have to attend the basket ball’s exercise. We will have a
final match tomorrow,” I added.
“Okay,” my mother patted my shoulder gently.
“Okay, see you later, Mom.”
***
“8 p.m. Ah… I think it’s not too late,” I took a glance at my watch while
walking hurriedly toward my house. As I arrived in front of my house, I entered
the house without knocking the door first.
“Ah, you’re finally home, Alice, I tried to call you over and over again,
but you didn’t answer my call,” my mother hugged me so tightly.
“I’m sorry, my cell phone was running out of battery,” I said while
trying to release my body from my mother’s hug.
“It’s alright. Ah, you must be very tired, and you haven’t had your
dinner, have you?” My mother looked worried.
“Um, actually I’ve bought a hamburger on my way home so I’m sleepy now.
But I will have a shower first,” I left my mother and went to my room. After
that, I had a shower and decided to go to bed.
“Are you still awake?” My mother suddenly entered my room and approached
me.
“Yes, Mom,” I answered while turning my body to face my mother.
“Don’t you feel sleepy?” My mother then sat on the edge of my bed while
staring at me.
“I haven’t been sleepy yet, Mom,” I answered lazily.
“Ah, I’ll sing for you then. You
are my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you’ll
never know dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away,”
My mother leaned over to me and sang a song which always became my lullaby for
these fourteen years.
“You are my…,” my mother began to sing that song again because I still
had not closed my eyes.
“Stop it, Mom,” I said and changed my position from laying to sitting. My
mother spontaneously stopped singing and gazed at me. “Sorry, but as I told you this morning, can’t you stop treating me
as a kid?”
“Is it wrong to sing a lullaby?” uttered
my mother softly.
“No, it j-just… I feel t-that I am not a kid anymore so you don’t have to
sing that song for me anymore,” I stammered. My mother looked so stunned.
“Well, okay, if that is what you want, I will not sing a lullaby anymore,
but with one condition.”
“What do you mean?” I looked at her confusingly. I really did not
understand what she meant by ‘one condition’.
“I will stop singing a lullaby for you or treating you as a kid if you
win your basketball match tomorrow,” said my mother while giving me her toothy
grin.
“Okay, promise?” I smiled at
her.
“Promise,” she ruffled my hair and kissed my forehead. “Now you have to
sleep because tomorrow you have a match,” added my mother.
“Yes, you’ll come to see my match, right?”
“Of course, I will. I love you, dear,” said my mother while standing up
from my bed.
“Yeah, good night, Mom,” I laid my body on my bed again and fell asleep.
***
I could feel that my heart beating faster when I saw so many audiences
inside the stadium this afternoon.
“Are you ready, Alice?” My basketball team’s coach approached me and
patted my shoulder.
“Yes, I am ready,” I nodded.
When the match was about to begin, I kept staring at the audiences’ seats
to look for my mother but I could not find her anywhere.
“She must be already here,” I muttered while trying to get my focus on this match.
The match was really fast and furious. Even at the last minutes my team
score was left behind. But, fortunately, at the last one minute, I managed to
make a triple point twice, and brought my team to win this match. When I was
celebrating my team’s victory, I kept gazing at the audiences’ seat but I still
did not find my mother’s presence. Then, I sat on the bench and checked my cell
phone.
Twenty-five missed calls!
I frowned because I did not know whose number that had called me, but one
second later the same number appeared again on my cell phone’s screen. I
answered it.
“Yes?”
My cell phone was falling from my hand as I ran as fast as I could out of
the stadium after somebody on the telephone said that my mother had an accident
when she was on her way going to the stadium. I even ignored my basketball team
and my coach who were shouting my name.
***
“Mom!” My tears were flowing rapidly on my cheeks. Some people at the hospital’s
corridor started to stare at me who was still wearing the basketball’s costume.
“Are you the daughter of Mrs. Amy?” An old man suddenly asked me and
handed me my mother’s wallet.
“Yes, ah did you the man who called me?”
“Yes. I hope that your mother will be alright,” he patted my shoulder.
“Thank you, Sir,” I said to him.
“Is Mrs. Amy’s family here?” said a doctor who just came out from the
emergency room.
“Yes, I am her daughter,” I raised my hand and approached the doctor.
“We need to talk,” uttered the doctor. I followed the doctor and talked
until he allowed me to see my mother.
***
After a week being hospitalized, finally the doctor allowed me to look
after my mother at home. To be honest, whenever I looked at my mother’s
condition, I always felt very sad because she just could lie on her bed and
couldn’t be able to speak and do anything because the doctor said that the
accident paralyzed almost all of my mother’s body nerves so she couldn’t move
her body except her eyes.
“Mom,” I entered her room and sat next to her. It’s already late at night
but my mother had not slept yet.
“Why are you still awake? You have to sleep now.” My mother gazed at me
while smiling weakly. Then, slowly she closed her eyes.
“Good night, Mom,” I fixed her blanket and then went out from my mother’s
room.
When I was already in my room, I laid on my bed while staring at the
ceiling.
“Mom used to come into my room, sing a lullaby for me, and kiss my
forehead while saying ‘I love you, dear,” I muttered as I wiped tears which
slowly came out from my eyes.
Because I was not able to sleep, I decided to see my mother. I did not
know why I really wanted to see her. I walked slowly to her room and opened her
room as quiet as possible.
“Mom,” I approached her and I was really surprised when I saw tears were
streaming down from her eyes. Her face showed that she was really sad. I
hurriedly wiped her tears away.
“Why are you crying, Mom? Is it because you can’t sleep?” I caressed her
cheeks while holding my tears not to flow. She just gazed at me softly. A weak
smile was curved on her lips.
“Ah, I know, when I was unable to sleep you always sang a lullaby for me.
So now I will sing that song for you so that you can go to sleep,” I leaned
over my mother and began to sing.
“Y-You a-are my sunshine, my only
sunshine, you m-make me h-happy when skies are grey, you’ll never know dear,
how much I l-love y-you, p-please don’t t-take my s-sunshine away…”
As I sang that song, it brought my memory back to the time when my mother
sang that song for me since I was a little girl. She always sang that song
sincerely. Even, when she was really sleepy, she still managed to sing that
song for me. Now, I realized that all these times, she actually didn’t intend
to treat me as a kid. Perhaps that was her way to express her love for me. I
cried. I felt so regretful for what I had done. If I could turn back the time,
I would never ask my mother to stop singing me a lullaby song before I fell
asleep.
“Mom, perhaps I’ll never be able to repay all the love that you had given
me but I promise as long as you are here by my side, I’ll love and take care of
you.”