Once Upon A Time, I Wrote

Time Is Ticking, And She Noticed

  Shannon always felt a little weird around her mother. Her mother was unlike any other; she wouldn't yell and scold at her; she wouldn't tell her to take the trash out nor make her bed. She treated her as an equal instead of a child, and that alone divided her with the rest of the mothers of Starlight Shores.

  But there's just something about how her mother looked at her that made her feel a little... weird. It seemed as though her mother was remembering someone through her; looking at another person even though her eyes were set upon her.

  She wanted to feel upset. Really wanted to. But how could she? Her mother adopted her, fed her, bought her gifts, encouraged her to pursue her dreams; and she can't even think of another person through her? She felt ashamed of herself. Shannon just wanted her mother to think of her when she is looking at her, not another person. Is that too much to ask for?

  Shannon noticed a lot of things about her mother. How she named her early books with cats; how she would order pizza every other night, not that Shannon's complaining; how she painted with a longing look on her face; how her later books were titled "Don't Doubt That I Love You" and "I'm So Proud of You"; how her hair turned grey; how her mother started wearing socks and sweaters during summer...

  All the things that made her mother, her. Shannon knew deep down her mother won't live long. They both knew. She never brought it up and Shannon never wanted to remember the fact that her mother will age and die. The unknowing future made Shannon more jumpy and emotional but the soft voice of her mother always calm her down.

  For now, Shannon don't want to think how old her mother is, nor how fragile she looks sitting in her usual chair. She just want to spend time with her beloved mother before her time ran out.