Lahat ng Kabanata ng Perfect Daughter Academy: My Mom's Biggest Regret: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

My mom, Donna Moore, kept ranting. "I hit a nerve, huh? That's why you've got nothing to say now. You're just like your cheating father. Full of lies! He already walked out on you. I'm the only one still willing to put up with you!"My parents divorced when I was five.Kids at school used to say I had a father who only existed on paper. The moment Mom heard about it, she cut her business trip short and rushed to the school to stand up for me.To be fair, she hadn't treated me badly. But the people closest to us always knew where to strike to make it hurt. I stayed silent and followed Mom to my prep academy. She took a back road, but we still ran into someone she knew. "Donna! What a coincidence, running into you here!" the woman exclaimed. "How've Natalie's grades been lately? My daughter keeps talking about how great Fairhaven University is. Natalie should work hard and get in as well. Wouldn't want all that effort from her extra year of studying to go to waste."A flicker of

I forced myself to my feet, but my vision went black, and I crumpled to the floor. When I came to, Mom was sitting beside my bed, watching me. Just like always, her first words were a reprimand. "Natalie, can't you take care of yourself? I've told you over and over to eat properly instead of constantly trying to lose weight, but you never listen. Now, you've fainted from not eating. Is this what you wanted?"I wanted to tell her I wasn't starving myself to lose weight. The pain had gotten so bad that I couldn't eat. When I didn't respond, Mom let out a sigh and quietly began feeding me spoonfuls of chicken noodle soup. I recognized the taste. She had made it herself. I never knew how to describe our relationship. It felt like a soaking wet coat in the dead of winter. Wearing it left me cold, but taking it off didn't make it any better. I managed to finish half the bowl of chicken noodle soup before Mom spoke up again."How about I take you out tomorrow? Think of it as a

Mom's anguished sobs filled my ears. However, I no longer had the strength to wipe away her tears. I was barely conscious as they rushed me to the hospital. The entire way there, all I could hear was Mom's voice. But for once, there was no criticism or mockery, only concern. A dull ache spread through my chest. Why had all of this come so late?"Nat, what's wrong? Open your eyes and look at me. Did something happen at the academy? Did someone bully you? Tell me. I'll make sure nobody touches you again."I wanted to tell her no one there had ever bullied me and that the one who had hurt me was right beside me. "Nat, if anything happens to you, how am I supposed to go on living?"Mom nearly collapsed from crying. A paramedic had to support her before she finally managed to steady herself. The paramedic spoke gently. "She needs peace and quiet right now. And you're the only family she has. If you fall apart too, who's going to take care of her?"Her words worked. Mom immedia

Mom had barely stopped crying when the tears came back. The more she wiped, the faster they fell. It was as if they would never stop. "Don't overthink it. The first doctor made a mistake. It's only early-stage. We can still treat this."Maybe she didn't even realize how badly her voice was trembling with grief. I smiled and turned to face the wall. Then, a sharp stench hit me. At this point, I'd already lost all control of my bladder and bowels.Without hesitation, Mom stepped forward to help me into clean clothes. My eyes stung with unshed tears as I pushed her away. "That's enough! I don't need your help! I can do it myself."Mom stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do. She looked just like I used to as a kid when I got scolded. "Nat, you're my daughter. Let me take care of you."I knew how particular Mom was about cleanliness. So, at the end of my life, I wanted to leave her with at least a few good memories of me. "I said I could do it myself."With that, I t

On a quiet morning, I finally closed my eyes forever. But my soul remained, lingering above the hospital bed. Mom came in carrying my favorite cinnamon oatmeal and found that I was still asleep. She sat down beside me, then carefully spooned the oatmeal from the thermos into a bowl."You're still asleep? Maybe that's a good thing. The more you rest, the better you'll feel," she said. "Something strange happened this morning, Nat. The oatmeal just refused to cook right, or I would've gotten here sooner."She added, "Nat, let's go watch the sunset this evening. You worked so hard all these years. You were always leaving before sunrise and coming home after dark. "And yet, I never gave you the chance to enjoy life. You told me once that you wanted to see the sunset, but I never took it seriously."Mom kept talking to herself while tears slid down her face and fell into the oatmeal, sending small ripples across the surface.I guessed she had sensed it somehow. Maybe there really wa