The Fourth Second Day of Eid

"Ma, can you walk faster?"

"Ma, can you please stand behind the yellow line?"

"Ma, can you let the people in the train alight first?"

"Ma, can we please not take the bus?"

"Ma, can we just wait and ask the taxi driver if he'd take the five of us?"

"Ma, can you walk under the shelter?"

"Ma, hurry up."

"Ma, can you just wait?"

"Ma, can you not do that?"

"Ma, ...."

"Ma, don't do that."

"Ma, it's irritating."

"Ma, please."

"Ma, people are watching."

"Ma..."

"Ma!"

"MAMA...!"

Sometimes we forget that she's the woman who's responsible for the individuals we are today. We forget that she cannot walk at lightning speed. Or walk four flights of stairs. Or walk the seemingly short distance. We forget the countless of taxi rides she must've avoided in order to provide us with the coins for our school meals. We forget the countless of times we must've embarrassed her when we cried in public or vomit on the bus. We forget the countless of times she told us to pray on time, to wake up early, to do this and this and that - yet, we never listen. Sighs. The things we forget.

"Mama, please bear with us just a little bit more. We may think and feel we're old enough, and we know more than you do but really, do we really? We don't."