ʜɪs ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

She stared at the broken walkman she took from the box secretly. She was in front of a recording shop, hoping that they would be able to fix it. She walked in and she smiled at the owner. She gave it to him but then, he said that she should get a new one instead. She looked at the new walkmans displayed and then, she took out the recording tape from the broken one. She asked which unit she can buy for the recording tape and then, she bought the latest one.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

"Okaa-san?" He called for his mother the moment he arrived home from the school. Third-year high school Kenta looked for her and she found her doing the mountains of laundry she got from the neighbors. He clenched his fists tight while watching her get tired of washing those clothes. He couldn't do much because he is still a student and he barely earns money from his part-time work.

"Have you eaten already, Okaa-san?" He asked as he placed down the plastic bag full of cheap ingredients he bought from the wet market. It was almost dark. He needs to cook dinner soon. He didn't hear any answer from her, so he proceeded on preparing food.

"Kenta, I went out earlier. I talked to Keisuke-san and asked if he could already give back the money but.." His mother didn't finish her sentence anymore as he already knew what happened. She couldn't look at him, a little scared that he would get mad if he saw the purplish bruise she received from the older man earlier.

"I told you not to talk to him anymore! Why are you not listening to me?! I already have part-time work. I'm buying food for us. You don't need to beg him for the money anymore." He shouted at her but later one, he regretted it. She just smiled faintly. She couldn't blame him for getting mad. It was her fault after all.

When his father died because of illness, the insurance money she received from the company was spent on her new boyfriend but ended up getting scammed. He tried to stop her before but she was blindly in love with the man. And now, she couldn't get any work aside from doing the laundry for their neighbors because she never worked after getting married and only stayed in their home as a housewife. He served dinner on the table after apologizing to her for shouting. He got an ice pack for her bruise and then, he was the one who finished the laundry after having dinner. It was almost two when he finished. He doesn't know how much his mother will get from doing the laundry work but at least, she will have money for herself.

One day, she finally saved enough to buy a birthday gift for her son. She went out and saw a group of young men talking about the latest walkman the companies released in the market. She looked for it and when she asked the price, it was way more expensive than she thought. She ended up getting an older unit for him. She knows that her son loves listening to music because he is still keeping the guitar he received from his father when he was seven. The money he is earning from his part-time work can only afford their meals.

"I will buy one when I have enough savings." He said to his classmate after they talked about it. All he could do is to tell them that he will save money first but they know that he is struggling with their daily needs.

He was already on his way home when he saw his mother on the other side of the street. He waved his hand and smiled at him. He was happy that she went out to have some leisure time. She gripped the paper bag tightly while waiting for the pedestrian lights to go white, so that she could go to him and give her the gift. She recorded her birthday message for him and she intentionally didn't greet him that morning to surprise him with her gift. When the lights went white, she quickly crossed the streets but he saw a car fast approaching in her direction. He dashed to push her but he was too late.

"Okaa-san!" He screamed when he saw her unconscious on the road. He rushed to her side and quickly asked for help but it was already too late. She was already dead when they arrived at the hospital.

He blankly stared at his mother's funeral photo. He doesn't know what to do anymore. The police officer who handled her case gave him a box that contained her belongings they got from the scene. He opened it and saw the broken walkman. He started crying hard while hugging it. He knows that it was her gift for him. He knows that she bought it using the money she earned from doing the laundry work. If he just knew that this would happen, he should have asked her to stay at home instead.

⚝──⭒─⭑─⭒──⚝

It was Friday when she decided to give it to him. At the same time, it was also his birthday. They planned to go out and watch movies that night. She called him to the storage room and then, she asked him to take a seat first. He followed and gave her a questioning look. She gave him the walkman and a pair of earphones. He furrowed his brows but he accepted it. He put the earphones on and pressed the play button. He shifted from his seat when he heard his mother's voice instead. Tears started to fall from his eyes and she gave him a hug.

"Why? Why did you die? Why did you leave me?" He cried while hugging her back. She knows that those questions were for his mother. She started crying silently while caressing his back. She saw the ghost of his mother standing at the side, crying as well.

After some time, he finally calmed down. She sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder, holding his hand gently. She smiled faintly when the ghost of his mother appeared again. It slowly disappeared as her final wish was already granted. He placed a kiss on top of her head and held her hand tighter. He kept the pain for years and she was the only one who made himself get freed from it.

"How did you get this?" He asked, pertaining to the recording tape. She looked at him, feeling bad for taking it without his permission. She released his hand from her grip but he grabbed it again and held it tight.

"When I brought you back to your apartment when you were drunk, I took it because I was curious what the tape contained. And then, just a while ago, I saw your mother. She was crying. Her soul is finally happy because you were able to listen to her final words." She confessed to him. He smiled faintly and nodded. He just couldn't get mad at her and he doesn't know why.

"Can we still watch a movie tonight?" He asked and she looked at the clock. She nodded and then, she pulled him out of the storage room to go to the theaters already since it was already eight in the evening.

"What should we watch?" She asked when they got inside his car. He started driving and then, they rushed inside the premises to look for the movies. He let her choose the movie and then, he paid for the tickets.

"Let's get some popcorn and drinks." He said before stealing a kiss from her lips. She laughed softly, feeling her cheeks heating up while following him to the popcorn booth. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her closer.