I’m Namika, a 30-year-old, and I got married about two years ago. My mother lives alone at my family home. I have two siblings; my older sister, Misato (34), lives with her family in my neighborhood, and my younger brother, Ren (28, single), lived alone in the next prefecture. However, my brother recently passed away suddenly in a traffic accident. While we were going through his belongings, Mom insisted on looking at the photos on his smartphone. My sister and I tried to stop her, but she managed to unlock it anyway. Once she did, she went into a frenzy after finding numerous photos and LINE messages from a woman.
My mind went completely blank when Mom told me, “I wish it had been you who died instead of Ren.”
That’s the kind of thing you can never take back. Of course, I was shocked, but I’m also deeply concerned about her mental state. On top of that, after losing my brother, I felt as if his final chapter was being tainted by her selfish actions.
My brother’s life belonged to him, not her. I realized that just because Mom can’t accept who he was, she has no right to try and rewrite his memories.