A Mother’s Silent Pain: A Lesson in Unseen Love – A short story

My brother owns a pharmacy. The shop was bustling with customers one day as he attended to their needs. A little distance away, under a tree, I noticed an elderly woman standing still, her gaze fixed on our shop.

I noticed her a couple of times and was curious about why she was standing there in the cold, seemingly looking toward us. As the crowd thinned, my brother handed the counter to the assistant and joined me in approaching the woman.

I asked gently, “Mother, is there something you need? I’ve been seeing you here for quite some time. It’s quite chilly; I thought I’d come and ask if you’re okay.”

The elderly woman seemed startled at first but then gathered the courage to reply. She said, “Son, I have two sons who live in another city. Every year, during these winter holidays, they visit me with their children. But this time, they decided to spend their vacation in the hills. I got the news just last evening. I spent the entire night thinking about it, unable to sleep. I thought I’d get some medicine from your shop today, but seeing the crowd, I just stood there, waiting for a quieter moment.”

My brother assured her, “Please tell us what medicine you need. I’ll get it right away.”

The woman hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Son, is there any medicine that can make a mother forget her children? If there is, please give it to me… May God bless you.”

Her words pierced through my heart. I could no longer hear anything else. My brother and I returned to the shop in silence, unable to respond to her. The medicine she needed was with her sons, and no pharmacy in the world could provide it.

Back at the counter, we stood overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, unable to meet her gaze. Though the shop was full of customers, it felt empty for that mother standing under the tree.

Frankly speaking, whenever I hear someone in my town say, “This winter, we’re not visiting the village; we’re going on a vacation elsewhere,” I am haunted by the memory of that mother’s silent pain under the tree. That moment was a powerful reminder of the anguish hidden in a mother’s love, one that the world often overlooks.