Chapter 3: Green Embroidery

    I was eight when Mom taught me how to sew.

I got bored of reading books one afternoon, so I came up to her to see what she’s doing. Apparently, she was

embroidering handkerchiefs for me and my brother. I asked her if stabbing a

cloth with a needle and thread was a worthwhile afternoon past-time, she simply

smiled and nodded yes. She told me of the first time she has sewn something,

she said it was a matter of life and death so she held on to the needle for

dear life. As a kid, I was curious of what kind of life and death situation she

was in that she had to learn to do so. But, she refused to tell me the story,

said that it wasn’t for kids my age to hear. Instead she told me that when I

grew up, she’ll spill her tale if I’d let her teach me how to sew. Of course I

agreed, I was curious, she then happily taught me the basics while telling me

the skill will become handy when I grow up.

     I hated it at first, I lost count on

how many times my finger came in contact with the sharp end of the needle nor

how many times the threads got entangled with one another. I hated the part

where I needed to insert a new thread into the eye of the needle because that

part of sewing was the most difficult task I’ve encountered. But seeing the

product of something I made with my blood, sweat and tears eased my boredom and

hatred in life as I grew up. After some time she taught me how to embroider,

for her embroidery is something like leaving a part of you on various things

you cherish, a mark she said. Leaving an art or a name on a hanky or a shirt

using colorful threads and a single needle, for Mom that was the meaning of

forever. Giving someone something you’ve personally made, means that for a

lifetime they’ll be remembered. Even if they left, even if the brain refuse to

work in the end, once you’ve left a mark the heart will never ever forget.

     I was lying in bed, holding up the note Mom

left while also clutching the handkerchief with my other hand. I got the whole

room to myself, the hostel was pretty cute inside and out but not much people

checks in. Well not much people decides to run away impulsively anyway. After

the lady in the lobby said her rhymes, she got up and left without even

explaining nor answering my questions. I kept thinking of what she said

earlier, how come she knew my Mom? Mom rarely went out of the house to meet

some friends. And as far as I know, Mom doesn’t knit. Well I never once saw her

knit. She sew clothes with a needle and a thread or a sewing machine. But I

never saw her sitting at the veranda with knitting needles and a basket full of

yarn. So my brain couldn’t process what the lady had said. I sat up and began

to question my life choices. I can’t and won’t go back to the house, not when

my mother is absent. My chances of survival are pretty low if I’d decided to go

back to the house without Mom. But I can’t find Mom with this much clue. A note

that says ’Here I ate’ and a

bankbook. Did she ate breakfast that morning at my usual spot at the table and

decided that would be her farewell words? Sometimes, Mom can be quite the

mysterious type. So I stared at the bankbook instead, well I can go to the bank

and ask them if when was the last time Mom came by. Visiting the bank can lead me to another clue, I thought to myself.

I decided to just sleep and rest for tonight so I can head early to the bank.

     I dreamt of a field I never seen before, it

was full of colorful blooming flowers of various kind with a nearby forest where

enchanting trees stand tall, roots intertwined. The tall grass and flowers

swayed with the wind as I was chasing someone down the field, the person laughed

heartily as he ran. He was a lot taller than me but I can tell we were of the

same age. His shoulder-length black hair shone blue in the sunlight. He wore a

black-fitted pants and a loose, white long-sleeved polo that keeps slipping off

of his shoulders as he playfully sprinted away from me. I was close to get a

hold of him when suddenly the sky turned dark, fireflies from the enchanted

forest flooded the field. When I turned back, he was no longer there for me to

chase. The whole place turned into a glowing, green parade of fireflies,

rabbits, deer and other small animals. Instinctively, I ran away from the thing

the fireflies were escaping from. As I dashed away, an ear-piercing howl shook

the whole field. I can’t help but be spooked of what I heard, I’m sure the

sound came from the forest. Wolves, I

instantly thought. Well it is a forest and a field, it is possible that there are

some rabid animals residing within the premises. I slightly turned my head

sideways to have a glimpse of what was chasing us, and what met my gaze was two

golden orbs, glowing in the moonlight.

     The yellow ceiling was the first to greet

me when I opened my eyes. I woke up sweaty and my breathing was uneven, as if

I’ve run miles while sleeping. The dream felt hauntingly real that for a split

second I wanted to dive under the covers to dream of that man and the field

full of scurrying fireflies again. But it was already morning, and I plan to go

to the bank to search for my mother. So instead of lying in the bed all

morning, I got up, showered and went down to get some breakfast.

     I’m not a morning person, but all those

years of waking up early to help my mother cook and set the table, my body

clock decided that I am one. I ate mixed berry pancakes at the buffet with

gusto, it was the first time in a while that I ate breakfast that neither Mom

nor me cooked. It was also the first time I’m not eating breakfast at my usual

spot at the kitchen table. I miss my little brother, I miss my room and I miss

my Mom the most but for the first time in my life I have never felt this free.

     You have an I.D? The woman at the desk asked without looking at me. She was

busy typing for some time after I gave her my bankbook and asked about my

mother and other important information that I should know about this money. I

quickly searched for my bag and handed her my school I.D.

     Miss Luka Avalyn? The woman asked while looking at her computer screen. Your mother, is Selene Avalyn? I

answered with a simple yes.

     Miss Selene made this account 6 years ago on July 18, xxxx and her last deposit was

just last week. The woman said while finally meeting me in the eye. Did she said anything the last time she went

here? I asked.

     I’m afraid not. But your mother usually comes by here every two weeks, always

around three o’clock in the afternoon to deposit.

    I thanked the lady as I fixed my things and left the bank. She

saved this much money in a span of six years. No wonder the amount of money the

bankbook holds can sustain me not only for at least ten years without a job but

I can even ditch college and travel the world if I wanted to. When my brother

and I compared our bankbooks before I left, both contains the same amount of

money. I am not surprised how Mom can diligently deposit money every two weeks

for the last six years but my only question was, where she got that massive

amount of money from to deposit in the bank. Father would never give her that

much to save up for his child’s future, I mean I think he would, for Luke but

not for me. Mom doesn’t even have a job to earn that kind of money. When she

goes out of the house, it was either to shop for groceries, pick up Luke from

school or attend our school meetings and festivities. Her whole married life

revolved around the house that her daily routine was to make breakfast, clean

the house, do the laundry, sew and embroider in the afternoon, pick up Luke or

me and make dinner. I never saw her doing anything other than that. Unless, she

had a job when the two adults were away for work and us kids were away for

school. She had at most ten hours of being alone in the house during the

weekdays.

     But what was her work? Did she leave the house because of that or was she just fed

up at father? Well, I’m not going to be surprise if it’s the latter. I

decided to go back to the hostel for the mean time to figure things out. I

walked the busy streets of the city while racking up my brain for answers and

doing the math. I never imagined Mom could keep that secret, and for six years

she hid that. But then, I, myself didn’t imagine to be lost in the crowd of

strangers in a city as strange as its people, to look for her mother.

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