Chapter 149. Convincing Irene. (1/6)

Near the end of my shift, I texted Irene and asked her if she could pick me up on her way home from work. I claimed I forgot my wallet at home so I couldn’t catch the bus back. It was best to have the conversation I planned to have alone with her.

When I exited the convenience store at 9:00 PM I looked around but she hadn’t arrived yet. About ten minutes later she pulled into the driveway.

When I got into the car she immediately greeted me, “My, this is quite rare. For you to ask me for a ride home. Could it be, you finally couldn’t resist and wanted to redeem a coupon?”

“Can you pull into one of the parking spots?”

“Oh~ right here in your workplace’s parking lot? How daring of you. What will happen if you get caught?”

“It’s not that. We need to have an important talk.”

“An important talk? Does this have to do with my daughter? She also sent me a message saying there was something important she wanted to talk to me about. Did you… knock her up?”

“No! Why are you coming to weird conclusions just because we want to talk to you about something important?”

“Well… I nearly had a heart attack when you said you had something important you wanted to talk about. I thought I was going to be a grandmother when you said the words ‘an important talk.’”

“Haaaaah. No, it’s not that kind of talk. It’s about the future.”

“The future? What do you want to talk about the future for?”

“Well… I’d like you to listen carefully before you try to refuse.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll get straight to the point then. Irene, it would be in your best interest if you let Alicia work. Not just for you, but for her sake. You cannot baby her forever. She needs the opportunity to spread her wings and fly. You’ve sheltered her too much. To the point that she may become dysfunctional in society one day.”

“When confronted with the cruelty of the real world outside of high school, she will definitely crash and burn if you don’t let her dip her toes into it. She doesn’t even know what she wants to do in the future because the only thing she focuses on is studying. Sure, she socializes as well and makes lots of friends, but they aren’t true friends and she often doesn’t seem to realize that. Or maybe she does understand it, but she’s fine with that.”

“Do you really think it’s okay for your daughter to remain that way? You haven’t been to university before and experienced it first hand, but it’s not a place where academic grades are as important as you may think. Academics actually come secondary in university. Even an idiot can find a job in their field after university as long as they are likable and can meet the right people while there.”

“The true purpose of university is to meet people who have already climbed the ladder to the top. To meet people you’d normally never interact with. There, if you get in their good books, you can use them as a stepping stone to go even further beyond where those people reached. They will pull you up from the bottom and even push you higher to new heights they themselves couldn’t reach.”

“Which is why I think Alicia should have a job that lets her see and interact with more people in the world outside of school. All sorts of different people, from those who work day to day jobs, those who have no job, those who are struggling and trying to find a job, both the good and bad people in this world. To allow her to see and understand the sort of life that exists beyond just school when she is thrown out of the isolated garden known as high school. Such a step is important in a child’s development. Allowing them to leave the nest.”

“I understand what you want to say, but she can still learn all of these things after high school. She can stay in the nest and experience work after high school. The most important thing right now is to ensure she can at least get into university and chase after the career path she desires. From there, she can learn all of the things you have just told me. She has you, you can always teach her. I don’t know why you know so much about university as if you’ve already experienced it yourself, but I don’t particularly care. You’re someone she can rely on.”

“And what then? She becomes overly reliant on me and can do nothing on her own for herself? Do you want your daughter to become completely useless in the future and unable to stand on her own two feet?”

“My daughter will not become useless. I believe in my child.”

It seems the growth approach wouldn’t work. I’d already expected that though. This was only the prelude. The warm-up to dip Irene’s toes into the idea of it. To keep her mind open and not closed.

Next came guilt. To widen the small crack of doubt I’d sprouted in Irene’s heart through the hindering of Alicia’s growth as a person.

“Fine. Then, Irene, about the future. Do you not want to see your children grow up properly? Do you really want to work yourself into the grave so badly? You may be fine for now after only two years of this. But what about another five to six years of 80 hour work weeks? Do you really think your body will hold out for that long? Do you want to die and leave your children heartbroken and crying over your grave? Forced to live their lives without both their mother and father in their lives?”

“I’m resolved to die for my children.”

“And what will happen if they find themselves out on the street without their mother? Do you think your death will be able to protect them like that? Aren’t you just being irresponsible by not thinking about your own health? Your health and survival are equivalent to your children’s lives. By not valuing it, you’re not truly valuing your children at all.”

“Even if you say that! What choice do I have? Of course I want to see them grow up healthy and safe! Of course I don’t want to work myself to death! But I have to keep working to keep us afloat!” She grew more emotional when she thought of her children being left in the position I described.

“My own mother left me in my current state because she worked herself into her grave. Do you really want to see your children end up like me?”

Her lips quivered, her chin sunk down, and she looked ready to break down into tears.

A small bit of success came about from the guilt approach. I’d riled up her emotions.

“Still… I won’t let her work for now. I can just take a bit more. Just long enough for her to at least get to university and maybe a year or two in. By then I can take it a bit easier.”

“Hah. Take it easier by then? You don’t have that much time. Your body will begin to weaken if you wait that long. Your health will decline rapidly from here on out. I’ve already watched it happen firsthand. The breaking point for people is typically two years. That’s when the mental stress begins to wear away at your mind and your body becomes ravaged.”

“It feels heavy. Exhausted. Like you’re dragging your feet every day. You begin to have dark thoughts. Why am I even living? You’ll question yourself. You’ll grow despondent. Distant from your children. Before you know it, you won’t even recognize who they are anymore. Children grow up fast.”

“You already feel it, don’t you Irene? The clock, slowly ticking away at your sanity. The tick-tock sounds over and over again in your head as you question your decisions in life. You’re losing a grip on yourself. You find yourself asking yourself who you are? Why are you living? What are you living for? When will you die? When will you be permitted to rest? Where are you? You’re in a dark place. A very dark place that you can’t escape from, Irene.”

“Why do you know all this!” She screamed at me hysterically.

“As I said, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, Irene. My mother is the perfect example. I’d watch her back trembling every night hiding her silent tears when I was still only a toddler. As I grew up, she grew weaker and weaker by the day. Her eyes, weary, exhausted, and tired of living. Then… one day... she just dropped dead.”