Steemit Challenge s28wk2 : Remembering Through Healing
Tina came back home since her family was going through a tough time after the death of her mom. She came back home after years away, but she felt the walls still whispering stories of laughter and her mother’s gentle voice. She felt everything had changed since her mother was no more, but she remembered how her family moved through the days, trying to forget not so happy conversations that always irritated her.
Tina now cooked, cleaned, managed errands, and remembered all about her company with her mom, and evenings felt too long at times. She remembered the strain, the arguments flaring over small things, the way grief sometimes twisted love into impatience yet, their affection held them together. Tina felt upset every night, when the house settled into stillness.
She often felt as if gone back in the past and talking to her mom. She thought of her mother, her warmth, her strength, her laughter even if she didn't go so well with her at times.
She often wished she could talk to her, just once more, to say that she was trying her best, even when she failed. The thought brought both guilt and comfort. Losing her mother left an ache that time wouldn’t heal, yet, being back home gave her one quiet truth to hold on to, love doesn’t leave, even when people do.
Night had fallen, yet Tina’s room felt lost in a strange, hollow silence. The ticking of the clock and the soft wind slipping in through the window created an unsettling stillness around her. Tina curled up on the sofa, holding her mother’s shawl tightly against her chest. It wasn’t the cold she was trying to escape, It wasn’t the cold she was fighting, she simply wanted the warmth and softness of the woman she had lost.
Whenever she closed her eyes, she felt her mother everywhere...
her mother’s whispering voice,
the sound of her footsteps,
the gentle clatter from the kitchen,
or the quiet way she moved around the house,
as if her mother were still there, doing her everyday chores
Sometimes she could almost hear her mother laughing, calling her name in that familiar, affectionate tone. Everything around her seemed to hum with memories. The emptiness inside her felt unbearable, and time suddenly felt painfully long.
Then, out of nowhere, a trembling voice echoed from behind her:
“You’re still awake?”
Tina turned, pulling herself out of her thoughts. Her father stood by the door. Even in the dim light, she could see the grief hidden deep in his eyes, pain he had quietly carried ever since her mother was gone.
"I can’t sleep" Tina whispered, her voice fragile and heavy.
Her father slowly walked over and sat beside her, not too close, not too far. It was as if they were silently sharing the same grief, even though neither wanted to say it out loud.
After a long pause, her father finally spoke. “Your mother used to sit in this room. Every night. She waited for you, without anger, without impatience.”
Tina felt her whole chest tighten. His words cut deep, sending chills up her arms.
“I didn’t understand her, not really,” Tina murmured. And in that moment she realized, no matter how complicated their family had been, her mother’s love for her had never faded. Maybe her mother had been waiting all along, hoping everything would be okay again.
Her father’s voice cracked softly.
“She wasn’t perfect, neither were we.
Love is never perfect.”
A long silence settled over them, heavier than before.
Then her father spoke again, quieter this time,
“Your mother left something for you. She told me to give it to you the day you returned home.”
He stood up, opened the old wooden drawer, and took out a small, worn notebook, its cover dusty and frayed. Tina’s hands trembled as he placed it gently in her palms.
“The last few pages, they’re for you.”
Tina opened it. Her mother’s handwriting spread across the page, soft, warm, familiar. Her heart ached as she began to read:
Tina,
We made mistakes. Maybe we realized them too late. A lot of things were not right, but our love never became less, it only changed its shape.
No matter what happens, take care of your family.
Trust Allah.
Stay on the right path.
Take care of yourself.
If you are reading this, it means you have returned home.
You will make mistakes, you will feel broken,
you will feel alone,
but my prayers will always remain with you.
When your heart feels heavy,
when my absence hurts too much,
pray for me,
And forgive me.
Tina’s eyes overflowed, tears falling onto the page. She traced the letters with her fingers and whispered,
“I’m home now, Mom…”
Just then, the curtains fluttered gently, and a soft breeze filled the room, as if the night itself had come to comfort her.
In that moment, Tina felt something shift inside her. Her mother was gone, yes,
but her love was still alive,
in every corner of the house,
in every memory,
in every prayer she had ever whispered.
Her mother’s presence lingered, not as a shadow, but as a guiding warmth. And with that, Tina quietly decided, she would begin again, For her family, for herself, for the love her mother left behind.
Because even though her mother was no longer here,
her love, her memories, and her guidance remained alive and unshaken.
I am inviting @lirvic, @jyoti-thelight & @chant to take part in the steem-atlas contest.
Hello @sohanurrahman, thank you so much for taking part in Steemit Challenge Season 28 Week-2. We truly appreciate the time and creativity you put into your entry. Your assessment, including feedback and scores based on our evaluation criteria provided below.
You have good writing skill.
Your story truly mind-blowing.
Thank you brother.