Mom, I'll work even harder

No. 643 The story introduced this time

Here, I compile stories that have become topics on the internet and in the news, along with videos uploaded to YouTube and other platforms, as "stories so moving they bring tears to your eyes."

This time, I am introducing a post by a man who wrote about his memories of his late stepmother and the vow he made to her.

Regarding the time of posting,
summary sitesdid not allow me to confirm the original posting date.

There was a YouTube video based on this story, so I will introduce it as well.

Post content

My mother died when I was two years old. So I don't really remember her face. When I was in the third grade of elementary school, my father remarried. The new mother (Mom) who came into my life was incredibly kind to me. So, even though we weren't blood-related, I loved her very much. When I was in the third term of my first year of junior high school, my father died in a traffic accident. At the time, my father worked for a major company, so we lived a wealthy life. I was attending cram school and my grades were among the top in my grade. So, because my father died, our wealthy life suddenly hit rock bottom. We had been living in a condo, but we couldn't pay the rent, so I ended up living in a run-down apartment with Mom. From then on, Mom worked from noon until night every single day. Even though she was exhausted when she got home, she would always make me delicious food, saying, "Yusuke (my name), you must be hungry, right? I'll make you dinner now!" She always put herself last. Even after my father died, Mom was still kind to me. One day, a classmate made fun of me, saying, "Your house is dirty, and you're really poor, aren't you?" I was so angry at being called "poor" that, even though I should have vented my anger at him, I vented it at Mom instead. "It's because you don't work enough that I get called poor!" Mom looked so sad.

When I thought I might have gone too far, Mom said, "I'm sorry. I'll work even harder." A week later, Mom started working from morning until night. My grades dropped, I started to hate studying, and I became a delinquent. Shoplifting and fighting became the norm. Every time I was called in by the police or school teachers along with Mom for shoplifting, she would bow her head and say, "I'm sorry." And then, after their lectures were over and we got home, she would always say, "I'm sorry. It's because my salary is low... I'll work even harder!" I knew, Mom.

I knew that you were working desperately for my sake.

But I couldn't be honest. Maybe because she worked too hard, Mom collapsed just as I was starting my third year of junior high school. It was overwork. At that time, I regretted everything I had done until then. When I said, "I'll work after I graduate from junior high!" she slapped me in the face. It was the first time Mom had ever hit me, so I was really panicked. "You don't have to work! So study! As for the money... I'll work even harder." I cried. I cried so much. And I was grateful from the bottom of my heart. From then on, I studied hard and was able to pass the entrance exam for a high-level public high school. Mom cried with joy for me. When I became a high school student, I started a part-time job. When I bought her an apron with my first paycheck, Mom started crying, lol. "Thank you. I'll work even harder!" (No, no, lol, you don't have to work that hard anymore). Mom even let me go to university. And I was able to graduate from university safely and find a job. Just when I thought I would start repaying her for everything, Mom collapsed due to illness. It was cancer. And it was terminal; she was given three months to live.

The doctor said, "She must have been in pain for a long time. Why didn't you come sooner?" Mom had been working hard for me the whole time, even though it must have been painful for her just to walk.

When I heard the doctor's words, I cried my eyes out in front of the doctor and the nurse, even though I'm a grown man. After work, I went to visit her every day. It was incredibly painful to see Mom getting weaker day by day from the anticancer drugs. Two months later, I received a call from the doctor. "Your mother's condition has suddenly changed." I left work and rushed to the hospital. Mom was barely hanging on to life. And about five minutes after I arrived at the hospital, Mom died. I cried. I cried so much I didn't even know if I was standing. When I calmed down a little and talked to the doctor, he said, "She must have been waiting for you," and I cried again. Just before she died, Mom said, "Thank you for everything until now," and passed away. Those were the words I wanted to say to Mom the most. Yet, Mom said them to me. I haven't done anything for Mom. If anything, I only caused her trouble. So why did Mom say thank you to me? I still regret why I couldn't have been more filial to Mom back then. I couldn't recover for months after Mom died. But six months after she died, I met my current wife and we started dating. And a year later, we got married. Now I have a second-year junior high school boy and a sixth-grade elementary school girl. Raising children is hard, but I'm managing somehow by cooperating with my wife. Now that I have children, I understand the difficulty of raising them. Mom had a really hard time raising me all by herself, didn't she? Now I understand clearly. How hard Mom was working for my sake. I was truly happy to be raised by Mom. But there is one thing that bothers me. I wonder if Mom was happy. After my father died, Mom raised me without remarrying. Mom was young, so she could have remarried, but she threw away her own happiness as a woman to raise me. Me, a complete stranger. I want to be filial. I want to massage her shoulders. I want to take her on a trip. But Mom is no longer here. So, everyone reading this now, please be filial to your parents while you still can. And even if it's just occasionally, please tell them "thank you." Please don't become an unfilial person like me. --------------------------- ～To Mom～ Until the day we can meet again, I will work hard here just like you did. So when I go there, I will finally be filial to you. Even though we aren't blood-related, you are the best and greatest mother in the world to me.

YouTube

There were several videos made based on this story, so I will introduce some of them. *It seems there are other videos besides the ones introduced here.

Moving Stories

It is composed of two parts.

【Namida-katsu】 Reading Channel

*This is a reading video.

In closing

My Note articles are not intended for profit. I am writing these articles simply because I want to share stories that moved me to tears with all of you. However, if there are any issues such as "copyright," please let me know and I will delete them. Furthermore, the images posted are provided by


Irasutoya

, Minchirie, and Illustration AC. Thank you for staying with me until the very end.