468 Time Will Heal All
Selma Payne’s POV:
“From the moment we met again, Selma, I felt you were an extraordinary child.” My mother ran her fingers through my hair. “You have a lot of secrets, and that’s what makes your father and I feel the most helpless. We don’t want to get to the bottom of this, but you should be free of pressure on your own. As parents, we can’t do anything other than comfort them. How irresponsible is that?”
“No, Mother…”
“You’ve always been a good child. You’re always thinking about us and everyone around you but often ignore yourself.” My mother interrupted me and looked at me with both relief and sadness. “You should rely on us once in a while, Selma. Rely on your useless father and mother. You’ve never been alone, child. If you’re tired, we’ll always be your resting arms.”
My mother rarely took the lead in a conversation. She was always reserved and gentle, leaving the scene to my father or me and looking at us quietly and contentedly.
But now, my father and I had given everything to her. Perhaps my father had long realized that I was the only one still doing things to hurt my mother. My mother also needed a sense of security. She also needed to experience the feeling of being needed.
She was never just a Queen with more symbolic significance than actual power. I’d often ignored what she wanted because of her seemingly rich and happy life.
It was a happy, seamless family. It was a nightmare that had haunted my mother for over twenty years, starting when I was taken away from her. Even though I was standing in front of her, perfectly fine, this nightmare still hadn’t ended. Perhaps it would take a month or perhaps a lifetime. This was a painful journey of joy in the bitter, and I could not let my mother endure it alone.
My mother talked about her concern and worries for me and the child. Perhaps I used to hate this kind of nagging, but now I only felt lucky and happy. It was still not too late before that nightmare crushed my mother.
Just like that, we spent a slightly depressing but still warm night. My mother, who had spoken her mind, looked much more energetic. The anger in her chest could finally be released, and she had a good sleep that she had not had for a long time.
Looking at my mother’s peaceful sleeping face, I muttered, “Am I a bad daughter?”
My father laughed helplessly. “I’ve just coaxed your mother to sleep. Why are you also depressed now?”
He held my mother’s hand and hugged me. As if he had fallen into deep thoughts, he sighed and said, “Does everyone have to go through this in their life? When I was your age, my heart was full of contradictions and guilt. One moment, I felt that I wasn’t sweet enough to your mother, and the next moment, I felt that I didn’t care enough about your grandparents. Family and career tore me apart, and I seemed to never find the balance point in the middle.”
“Then, how did you do it?” I asked.
“Me? I didn’t do anything, just like 99% of the world’s young people, I had no clue. I couldn’t find the clue where this pile of wool is.”
My father said in relief, “Everything came to an end just like that. In my aimless struggle and pain, as time passed quietly, everything would have been resolved when I suddenly reacted one day. I didn’t seem to need to do anything. Everything is like an alarm clock that will ring when the time is up, and then everything is over.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that. So, my dear child, I’m sorry I can’t give you any advice in this regard because I passed my young age in a daze.
“But there is one thing I can tell you for sure-don’t worry, don’t worry. Everything will pass, no matter how unsolvable the problem is, no matter how sorrowful it is. We are a beach, and time is the waves. The waves will remove all traces, and we will still be ourselves.”
“… What you said is so poetic.”
My father laughed but was afraid of waking my mother up, so he said in a funny voice, “Oh, really? To be honest, I’m actually getting goosebumps all over my body. I thought it wouldn’t be so mushy if I used some poetic words, but it sounded even weirder.”
“No, you’re right.” I smiled thoughtfully. “But you’re wrong about one thing. Time won’t solve everything. Time knows nothing. Time is just a non-existent concept we put forward for convenience. The one who solves everything is the person who stays strong in the situation. Little by little, step by step, until everything was solved. Perhaps you don’t remember what you did back then, but the results show that everything was effective.”
“That’s right. It’s not time, but people.” My father smiled at me.
It was only then that I understood my father’s deep words.
