Chapter 32: Chapter 32 - Grandma Shares Her Feelings 4
Exactly thirty hours later, Karin and I landed in a quiet and cozy town, which would become my new home for the next 35 years.
Although it was a nice town, being a single mother with a young daughter and no friends made my life extremely difficult.
I sometimes had to work three jobs to support myself and Karin.
During this period, I lost a lot of weight and seriously damaged my health, but psychologically it was even harder.
It was very difficult to remain calm and hopeful for a better future, but one day, I met a woman who, for the next 35 years and to this day, has been my family’s most precious friend, who saved me at the most critical moment.
This woman’s name is Olivia, and at that time she was a nun in a convent.
Olivia is a very kind and gentle woman who, after my move, played an important role in helping me adapt to a new and unfamiliar place.
Verbally, materially, physically, and spiritually, this woman helped me through the most difficult times of my life.
She was a nun and fought for women’s rights around the world.
Thanks to her, at least in our country, women began to be respected and given equal status with men, but it was not so simple.
For years, women were oppressed in their rights, but the way women were treated in the religious world was so wrong that I just wanted to cry when I heard the words of some broken women who had experienced this psychological and sometimes even physical pain.
I also began to fight for my rights alongside Olivia and other women who wanted justice.
As a result, we achieved significant success, and eventually, the inappropriate behavior of radical-minded ordinary and religious people decreased with each passing year.
Olivia herself greatly changed my life and, over time, restored my faith in God, whom I had stopped hoping and believing in for a while.
Life was still difficult, but with the help and support of this woman, Runo managed to overcome all adversities and difficulties, raise such a beautiful girl as Karin into a wonderful person, and personally find long-awaited peace and tranquility.
Soon, she found an interesting job, which she did for most of her life and was completely satisfied with...
...
Runo liked her life, but of course she wanted something more than to be forever alone.
There were a few colleagues and ordinary men who flirted with her, but she still couldn’t forget the environment of previous years, those men who accused her of other people’s sins, and others who rudely neglected her, so her attitude towards the male gender was extremely negative.
She responded rudely and said that men were trash and should not contact her because there could be serious problems.
Runo was not lying when she said this, and she had enough acquaintances who could legally destroy the authority of even the most high-ranking people.
These words were enough to make any man instantly lose interest in her.
Her male colleagues and a few female colleagues called Runo a "bitch" because of her difficult personality, but she didn’t care about the words of people who had no significance in her life.
For her, only Karin and Olivia existed, and the fact that her personal life had not worked out... was not surprising and, in fact, quite common throughout the world.
Runo hated men for various reasons, so her heart would forever be closed to anyone... at least that’s what she thought.
Over the next few decades, her life remained almost unchanged, but the arrival of little Phoebe added a little more variety to her daily routine and brought new emotions.
Being a grandmother at 36 was unexpected for her, but Runo was happier than ever with the arrival of her lovely granddaughter.
The only thing she didn’t like was Karin’s husband, who was somewhat similar to her own, but out of respect for Karin and her personal life, she tried to hide her feelings for this man.
Time showed that her skeptical view of him had exactly the result she expected.
She felt very sorry for her beloved daughter, but unfortunately, she partially repeated her mother’s life and, like her, would raise her daughter at a young age and without a life plan.
My soul cried about Karin from suffering, but she knew that time heals, and she would always have a woman by her side who had experienced a similar situation in her life and could give her effective advice on how to move forward.
Six years had passed since Phoebe’s birth, and we all continued to live as usual.
As a regional manager, I often visited Karin’s workplace on my way to work and spent all my free time with her during lunch breaks.
Sometimes I helped her with her work as an assistant or helper.
It was easy work that took only a few minutes, such as transferring some medical supplies to a specified location or providing light clerical assistance for medical accounting.
On one such occasion, Karin and I were carrying some medical records to her office.
The conversation started with some women’s topics, and then, almost immediately, Karin started talking about different people who had been visiting the hospital recently.
She often talked about a little boy who was a few years older than Phoebe, and that day was no exception.
- (Me). "You talk about him so often, as if he were your son. Do you want to adopt him, ha ha?
- (Karin). "Come on, Mom! I’m just... worried about him. I feel so sorry for him and... he’s been through so much..."
- (Me). "Don’t pay so much attention to him, because Phoebe will be hurt that her own mother cares more about an unknown boy than her own daughter.
- (Karin). "I understand! I love Phoebe and she will always be my little girl, but... this child also needs at least a little love."
- (Me). "Don’t worry, Karin. He’s a boy, and in any case, his life will be better than if he were a girl. He’ll grow up and forget about your support. Maybe he’ll even be like our husbands. Men... that’s how they are.
- (Karin). "You’re too cruel, Mom... All people are different, and this boy is different from the stereotypical men you know."
- (Me). "Of course... (~sarcastic laugh). Don’t forget how your husband treated you and remember that they are all... jerks."
- (Karin). "Mom..."
My words were cruel, but fair in my opinion.
I was sexist and didn’t hide it.
Perhaps my words were flawed, but thanks to my own life experience and the times I had lived through... the stereotypes about men were true.
As we walked and talked, we almost reached her office, but a few meters away, a little boy with a sad look on his face was sitting and waiting for someone.
- (Karin). "Oh, Mom. I always wanted to introduce you to this boy and for you to... Huh? Mom?"
(~sound of falling documents)
- (Me). "..."
When I saw this boy, my heart stopped, my eyes widened unnaturally, my body trembled, and my teeth chattered rapidly.
This boy... This boy... This boy... This boy... This boy...
- (Me). "Sa...ho...???"
He was almost an identical copy of my deceased first friend and the only man I... loved.
