The Journey in Life, Tina V [best ereader for academics .txt] 📗

Copyright @ 2010 by Tina V


All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, used or transmitted in any forms or manner, electronic, graphic, recording, or mechanical such as printing, photocopying, or stored in any systems without prior written permission from the author.

The author would like to dedicate this work to her mother and to all the mothers in the world. She would like to thank her friend who allowed her to share their family story.


The author used fictitious names with a slight twist in the events to hide the real identity of the characters.


“Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.”

by: Paulo Coelho Author of The Alchemist

**********

“Love is learned, fear is learned, prejudice is learned, hate is learned, concern is learned, responsibility is learned, commitment is learned, respect is learned, kindness and gentility are learned. All of these are learned in a society, in the house, in a relationship.”

by: Leo Buscaglia, Ph.D.
Author of Living, Loving & Learning

**********

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”

by: Helen Keller

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - A Portrait of a Perfect Family


Chapter 2 - The Separation


Chapter 3 - Trials and Struggles in Life


Chapter 4 - A Mother’s Faith and Love


Chapter 5 - The Final Journey

Chapter 1 – A Portrait of a Perfect Family

Ephesians 5:33 to 6:1 – “Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

*****

The closest person to me had a picture of a perfect family. Yup! You’ve got it . . . it seemed like a perfect family to all. I remember when we were still growing up when we used to go to their big house. We usually organized birthday parties and even simple gatherings at their home. We also gathered together for Christmas celebrations. We were living in a town where almost everybody knew each other.

My bestfriend Caroline was third in their family. She seemed fragile and quiet just like her mom. She stood out as a school leader. She loved to swim and play bowling. She also excelled in her academics as a scholar. At home, she helped out her mom in baking.

Her dad was a successful executive in one of the top corporate banks. He was a soft-spoken and respectable man. He participated actively in socio-civic organization within our hometown. He was obviously a good provider to his family.

Her mother, as a stay-at-home mom, took care of them. She seemed so fragile because of her asthma. She was a demure and disciplined woman. She loved to bake. Oh well, I remember her Orange Chiffon Cake, Coconut Macaroons and Chocolate Cake. Not to forget her Tapioca and Purple Yam Cake, too. Yummy . . . it all tasted good!

Caroline has three other siblings. The eldest in their family was Antonette. She played volleyball in their school. Her classmates always elected her as the Secretary because she writes legibly. Quite pretty and smart, she also had a lot of friends.

Her brother Russel was active in sports. He played volleyball, skateboarding, billiards, and swimming. As a talkative guy, he always seemed to be the life of the party.

The youngest was James. He was chubby when he was still small. He sang well; perhaps, it was because their mom always said that she liked Tom Jones when she was pregnant with him. Huh! It’s quite interesting. He also played the guitar.

They all had the comforts at home with housekeepers, gardeners and drivers. You could never see their parents fight. They had been known as a loving couple. That was all their lifestyle. Almost everything they wanted, they got it! They had the presence of a “home of an ideal family.”

Chapter 2 – The Separation

Mark 10:9; 11 – “Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. . . Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.”

*****

Their life suddenly changed. I would never forget the day when Caroline came over to my house. She told me that her dad left their mom for another woman. I didn’t understand her at first. She cried terribly, "It's not fair!"

and chokingly she said, “Why does Dad had to do this to us? What are we going to do now?”

At that time, I felt so sorry for her. I could see the pain in her eyes. I tried to cheer her up and placed my arms around her. I told her, “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

They were words of comfort that I didn’t even know if everything would really be fine. I was hoping it would, but how? Perhaps, time will tell.

We went to her house that same day. Her mom, her sister and two brothers were all there. As we entered their living room, I could feel the sadness and sorrow inside. Their father had hurt them so much. All her siblings were crying, too. I couldn't imagine that the picture of a perfect family was now a portrait of a broken home.

When her mom saw us, she stood up and went straight to us. I couldn't see any tears in her eyes. She gave Caroline a big hug and said, “Be strong Caroline, we will overcome all these trials.”

She then turned to me and thanked me for always being there for my friend.

“I am sorry for what happened Aunt Lisa. I will always be here for your family and Caroline.”

I answered her in a low tone of voice.

Actually, I felt like a part of their family. I was really a part of their family because Caroline and I were like sisters. They always welcomed me at their home. They had treated me so well. They were grieving and I felt like I was grieving, too. Damn! That’s one thing I hated most . . . the feeling of betrayal from the person whom you trusted so much. I might not understood it at that time, but I do now.

The separation was a tragic experience to their whole family. It became the news of the town. Almost everybody in our school knew about it. They first felt so embarrassed to talk about it.

Two weeks later it happened, they were at the mall when they saw their dad with his mistress. Caroline and her mom saw them just a few yards away. Aunt Lisa did not approached them neither did she tried to confront them. They went straight home.

At their home, the door slammed! Caroline turned to her mom and asked in a loud voice, “Why didn’t you go and talk to dad? You should have let me fight for you. What they’ve done was not fair!”

She was furious with anger in her heart. She hated him. She wanted to confront and slap him on his face.

Her mom shrugged and just simply replied, “That’s not the right way to handle it. He is still your father. You need to respect him.”

You couldn't see any emotions in her face. She just then walked straight to her room. We knew she was in pain, but she never showed it . . . not even once.

A few days after that incident, we saw her sister Antonette crying in the dining room. We asked her why and she said, “Mom and Aunt Nellie had a fight in the restaurant. They had always hated mom. They never liked her. They liked dad’s mistress better. They never liked us, too!”

Those words “they never liked us, too”

came running fast through Caroline’s veins. I could see the reaction in her face. Her eyes and eyebrows showed rage in her heart. It seems that she was telling me that someday she will get back to them. The frail and thin girl that I once knew began to become a rebel . . . a fighter to be more exact.

Antonette told us that it was the first time that she saw their mother got angry. She continued telling us that their mom slapped them with her umbrella. She pointed to them with her fingers and told them never to talk to her children like that. She stood up for her rights and for her kids.

We all learned that the parents and sisters of their dad knew about his mistress. The worst thing was . . . they warmly accepted her! Just come to think of it, the mistress was a prostitute. Oh my goodness, I thought. What kind of grandparents and aunts were they to my friend?!? I might not know the whole situation, but I felt furious, too. Nobody wanted to have "in-laws" like them... so ignorant and immoral. Forgive me for my words, but they were the most horrible people I had ever known.

They never heard anything again from their father. He never gave them any financial support. He never even remembered them during birthdays or any special occasions. They lost contact with him.

Inspite of what happened, their mom never taught them to hate their father. She always told them, “He is still your father no matter what happened. You cannot erase that fact. You still need to respect him.”

It was only after a year when they found out that their dad’s mistress went to Canada. Their father’s parents and sisters financed