Memories of My Mom

(This is a fictional story based on real events.)

My dad found a white envelop in a trash can when searching for a key holder. He had been looking for the keepsake from his mother, for more than thirty minutes. Seconds later, he found a 10,000 yen note (i.e., about 100 US dollars) in it and was about to say something, but decided to avoid a futile argument. We both knew that my mom would have said she had been too busy to empty every envelop or plastic bag before throwing them away, the same statement as that made when I had found a small box containing my earring in the trash can.

There was another incident. It must have been a weekday because only I and my mom were at home. She went out to throw garbage away. When coming back, she rushed into the kitchen and started to make a rice ball. She had seen a man scavenging food from the bin and had to give him something to eat or, according to her, he would die. I didn't say anything as I knew nothing could stop her. She rushed out of the kitchen as she had entered in and out of the house. Some time later, I heard the door closed. She came to my room and said "He wasn't looking for food, but a rice cooker." The man was a Russian and looking for a rice cooker because he had found one, which had seemed still usable, in the bin the day before.

Another one started in the afternoon on a Saturday with her saying "it's boiled" in the kitchen. I went there and found her staring at a pack of eggs. "What's wrong, mom?," said I. "One of them is boiled," said she. The pack contained ten eggs. All the eggs were still in it and seemed fresh and raw at a glance. But as she had said, the surface of one of them had a crack on it. It was boiled. "Where did you buy them?," I asked her. "The convenience store yesterday afternoon." "So you must have put a boiled egg in it yesterday evening or this morning, right?" Case closed for me, but not for her. She still was staring at the egg and said "I am going." I realized instantly that she was going to the store to make a complaint. She bought most of the daily necessities at the store and often had a chat with the store manager. "Mom, please. You must have misplaced it." Several food scandals, such as expired foods or flies in canned foods, had been reported, but how could a boiled egg be mixed up with raw eggs? And even if someone had done so, how and for what? I persuaded her that it must have been her misunderstanding and begged her to not go. Doing a stupid thing to a family member didn't do harm, but to a nearby store? But she wouldn't listen and in the end shouted "You don't believe me, do you? But I'm not stupid," I gave up. Thirty minutes later, when seeing her smiling with a pack of eggs in her hand, I felt not only relieved, but also guilty about letting her go. She must have shouted and yelled in front of other customers and the store must have done something to calm her. She said that, after listening to her explanation, the store manager had apologized and given her not only a new pack of eggs, but also a 500 yen (five US dollars) coupon as a token of an apology. She was in a good mood and repeated that she had done the right thing as it would prevent the same thing from happening. I decided to go to the store to apologize to the manager and also thank him for treating her, an elderly woman, so kindly. A few days later, however, I was told by another staff of the store that he had quit. Did he quit because of the incident? I didn't know, but if I had gone with her, he might have been still there. But a day passed and another. And another. I had forgotten this incident completely until recently.
 
These are part of memories of my mother. She died of a heart attack one year ago. It was so sudden that I still can't believe that she's gone. I didn't trust her judgment, but loved her, including her foolishness. She was so strong-minded and wasn't afraid of how she was thought of by others. She was always herself and I admire such strength and self-confidence.

A few days ago, I saw a news article about the arrest of a convenience store employee in another prefecture for tampering with store products. That was him, the store manager. The article provided no details, such as which products he had tampered with. According to the police, he had grudges against the store for low wages.