This happened a few years ago. My name is Shoko Nishida, and I’m in my mid-sixties. My husband suddenly fell ill, and after several months of fighting the disease, he passed away. I live alone now. Of course, losing the person I loved most was heartbreaking—but I also thought, at last, I can finally spend some time just for myself…
That’s when my son, Atsushi, suddenly announced, “I’ll move in for Mom,” and even brought my daughter-in-law, Megumi, along to try and convince me.
Up until now, Atsushi had been coming back to the house because he thought it was “for my sake.” I understood how he felt, which made it hard for me to clearly say, “You don’t need to come anymore.” Even when I told him he didn’t have to, that optimistic boy probably thought I was just being polite.
This time, though, having Megumi there helped me finally say what I really felt—and I’m glad I did. Atsushi, I’ll accept your feelings alone. Thank you so much for thinking of me first.