Aunty Mina's Vicarious Adventures
Aunty Mina considered me a daughter she never had. She
happened to be the first one who knew my mother was
pregnant when they got on the same bus. They were perfect
strangers who became friends by chance. Mom always
thanked her dizziness that afternoon and, of course, the
kindness of Aunty Mina. These two women were brought
together by loneliness in a new town as their husbands left
for work each morning.
Aunty Mina cared for my mother as she would have
looked after her own younger sister. My mom, the
thunderbolt, was soft as cotton candy every time her best
friend Mina was home. The bond between the two women
had blossomed like daffodils in May. When I arrived into the
world, both women showered me with all the love in the
world. Mom says our apartment, as clustered as a subway
station in rush hour, was finally her home when I came. I
grew up with two mothers...
"See the world," Aunty Mina would say. "If you do not
explore, you miss out on the beauty that is waiting for you."
Aunty Mina had assumed the role of a mentor and wanted to
share with me all the wisdom she ever possessed. "I would
not have met your mother if I didn't go out of my apartment to
explore the surroundings. Think about all the interesting
things you will see and people you will meet," Aunty Mina
continued as she showed me the pictures of her travels to
Europe, Asia, and Australia.
I looked at Aunty Mina as if I had met her for the first time
in my life. By now she could hardly breathe in an airplane and
was limited to getting around by the bus. I understood that
the happy face she put on was hiding something heavier. She
wanted me to live a life she no longer saw as possible.
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