My mom only had one eye. I hated her because she was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.
 
There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me. I was so embarrassed. How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, ‘EEEEKK, your mother only has one eye!’ I wanted to bury myself. I wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, ‘ If you’re gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?’
 
My mom did not respond. I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings. I walked out of that house and had nothing to do with her. I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad, then got married. I bought a house of my own and had kids. I was happy.

Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she hadn’t even met her  grandchildren. When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, ‘How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!’
 
And to this, my mother quietly answered, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,’ and she disappeared out of sight.
 

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. 
 
I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack of what was home, just out of curiosity. My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter she left behind.
 
‘My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were
growing up. You see……..when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you
having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.
 
With all my love to you,
Mama xx