39 To Have A Backbone

She released a big sigh and trying to calm herself, Mione then dialed Mj's phone.

"Hello, Mom?"

"Mj, I've heard what happened to Jen. What kind of man Karl is? He didn't catch Jen when she was falling to his direction, then, after she fell, he did not help Jen to get up instead, he called a crew to help. How ungentleman he was! He is not a good man at all, you should not marry him. He will only do the same to you and would not help you in the near future."

"Mom, where you there when it happened?" Mj straightforwardly questioned.

"No." Mione replied.

"Then you should not judge according to what other people only have told you. Didn't you think that I was there when it happened and that I would know right then and there whether Karl is doing bad or not?"

"Yeah, that's right, you should know that not helping a woman who fell on the floor like Karl did, is not a gentleman at all, and it is indeed wrong!" retorted Mione.

"It was because Karl was helping me instead. Coz the cake Jen was holding, when she fell, it landed in my face. So naturally, being his fiance, I am the one whom he did help to clear and wipe my face from the cake, instead of helping Jen. But it's not at all like you think that he didn't care at all, 'coz he called and asked a crew to help her up, while he was cleaning my face. Now, you tell me, which part of the story Karl did wrong, mom?"

Feeling being face-slapped, Mione gave a sigh and defended, "Oh, I didn't know."

"That's right, you didn't know the other side of the story and yet you are too quick to judge a person. Specially that person is my fiance. And what did you adviced me, mom? That I should not marry him? What right do you have to advice me that? May I remind you of our agreement, that you should not intervene nor be involved in any way of my marriage life after you got your money. You did got your money already, didn't you?"

"Yes" holding up her tears. She just realized now that her agreement to the terms with Mj, was not just stopping her from getting more money, but also stopping her to be involve as a mother to Mj.

At that time of the agreement, she was just so excited to get as much money as she could get from her daughter, not thinking that part of the agreement was also denouncing her right as a mother to her own daughter, Mj.

Without saying another word, Mione immediately hanged up their call. She then burst into tears that she was holding. She realized her wrongdoing but couldn't openly admit it on Mj.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mj that I was too quick to judge your fiance Karl. But I could not dare apologize to you as I am also protecting the image of Jen of whom I consider her as my second daughter. Huh!" she said to herself...

She knew that she was wrong to have somewhat sided with Jen that's not really her real daughter over her real daughter Mj.

But she already have developed motherly love on Jen because she pleased her most of the time. Whereas to her real daughter Mj, the more she asked money from her, the more Mj became distant to her. So she has developed being distant and prejudice towards her own real daughter and had became close to Jen then even if she's not her real daughter... But she couldn't dare to express it to Mj all she felt, for knowing Mj's character, before she could express more words, Mj would already stop her from doing so. So she kept silent instead...

Mj, on the other line after the call hanged up, left in a daze. Of course deep inside her heart, she felt for her mother. But she can't reveal it to her mother that she still have a soft heart for her, for she knew her mother very well, she will only continue to emotionally abuse Mj through her dramas and try to manipulate her and get more money from her.

Her mother needs to learn a lesson. To have a backbone and not to be too much dependent on her children specially on finances. And that's why Mj made those terms in their agreement, in the first place.

Her mom is already in her 60's and yet, she have not matured in her mindset yet. She was too dependent on her husband which was Mj's father, and after he died, her mother Mione didn't mature a bit.

Mione became too dependent financially, on Mj, and when Mj migrated, she became dependent on Mj's youngest brother, Arthur.