Love has many forms. No one knows for sure what it truly looks like.
Love easily comes and goes. Love unites and separates.
Love is beautiful but also terrifying. It appears easily and can disappear without a trace.
People meet and fall in love. However, after that love is gone, they part.
Even the love of a parent and child can fade.
"Circumstances can cause a person's love to change and even disappear."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And even money can buy love."
"Everyone is afraid of losing love."
"Why?"
"Because it's scary and painful."
"Are you afraid?"
"Yes. But even so, love is still needed. Even if it's a cold love."
"Why?"
"I don't know either."
"But I know a love that never fades."
"What is it?"
"My mother's love."
...
The clock struck ten at night.
In a simple house, an eight-year-old boy was peering out the window outside his room. He seemed to be waiting for someone.
After a while, someone appeared and approached the door. The boy quickly returned to his bed and closed his eyes.
Unlocking the door, someone entered the house. Although the boy heard the door open and footsteps, he didn't open his eyes.
After a while, the footsteps approached him.
Seeing the boy asleep, a warm hand gently touched his forehead.
She didn't know if the boy was pretending to be asleep.
After a while, the person left the room.
The boy opened his eyes slightly. He smiled and touched his forehead.
"Mom..." While mumbling, he finally fell asleep.
The next morning, the boy woke up.
He quickly took a shower and put on his school uniform. After packing his bag, he headed to the kitchen.
There was someone there.
A woman with a fairly flat expression was cooking food.
The boy sat quietly. When she was finished, his mother looked at him and said without any meaningful expression.
"Let's eat."
"Yes." Despite this, the boy answered with a smile.
After eating, he got ready to go to school. He even put on his own shoes.
"Did you leave anything behind?" Asked his mother, who was standing at the door waiting for him.
"Nothing."
Closing the door, he walked with his mother to school.
The boy walked beside his mother. His mother raised him alone. His father was gone, and there were no relatives to help them.
The boy had once asked about his father, but because his mother was unhappy and angry with him, he never asked again.
In his life, there was only him and his mother.
Even though his mother was busy working mornings and nights, she still made time to take him to school. But when he came home, he would go home alone.
Sometimes on the way, the boy saw other children walking hand in hand with their mothers.
Although the boy wanted to do it, he didn't dare.
Even so, he sometimes held the corner of his mother's shirt instead of holding hands.
His mother rarely showed expression and seemed like a cold person. Along the way, they walked together, there was no conversation, no laughter, no holding hands, no warmth.
All the way, the boy held the corner of his mother's shirt, his mother showed no significant concern. Just kept quiet and kept walking.
But even so, the boy didn't feel sad. For him, this was quite enjoyable.
After arriving at school, his mother returned home to get ready for work. The boy would stand in front of the gate, watching his mother walk away until her figure was no longer visible, then the boy would enter his classroom.
Time passed, and it was time to go home.
The boy walked alone along the path he had taken on his way to school. When he arrived home, he took the door key from his bag and opened the door.
No one greeted him from inside. The house felt quiet.
In the kitchen he saw the side dishes that his mother had prepared for his lunch. The boy changed his clothes and rested for a while after school.
Even though he ate alone, he didn't feel lonely. Because the food was made by his mother.
After finishing eating, he did his schoolwork and studied until the evening. His mother would come home first in the afternoon and prepare food for his dinner.
After that, his mother would go to work again until the evening.
Seeing his mother gone and the door closed sometimes made the boy sad.
Although sometimes he wanted to play outside, he didn't. The boy didn't want to worry his mother.
After his mother left for work again, the boy would just watch television and play with his toys, and sometimes he chose to study.
Until it was getting late, the boy would peek out the window and wait for his mother to come home.
He actually wanted to greet his mother. He had done it once before and his mother seemed unhappy. So the boy would just peek out the window and pretend to be asleep when his mother came home.
The thing the boy looked forward to most when his mother came home was, when she saw him sleeping, her mother would touch his forehead and gently stroke his head.
That warm touch was something he really looked forward to. It was the only time he felt warm affection.
The boy never thought that his mother was a bad person. Even though his mother rarely talked to him much, stroked him, and hugged him, the boy never complained about it.
Because he knew, even though it seemed cold and different, it was a form of love from his mother.
His mother rarely gave him praise, maybe even never said it.
The next day went as usual. Today the boy would take his school midterm exam. He had studied hard for it. The boy hoped he could get a perfect score and would show it to his mother.
A week later, his test score was out. Although his score was not perfect, it was still the highest score in his class.
Even though he did not expect much, the boy still looked forward to his mother's praise.
On Sunday, his mother had a day off from work. Slowly, the boy approached his mother. His hand holding the piece of paper was shaking slightly. He showed it to his mother.
"Mom, these are my midterm exam result." The boy said in a soft voice.
His mother took the paper and looked at it.
"Good."
Although his mother answered with a flat face and voice, the boy was still happy to hear it.
He smiled cheerfully, as bright as the shining sun.