お母さんとクラフトの教室へ行ってきた。ずっと行きたかったけれど、勇気が出なくてわたしを誘ってくれたみたい。ほんとうにたくさんのタイルが並んでいて、それを好きなように配置して、はめ込んでいく。ふとお母さんの方を見ると、あまりの上手さに、講師が「あなたは講師ではないですよね？」と聞いていて、母もなんだかうれしそうだった。長い間子育てをして、お母さんのこういう上手なところを誰かが褒めたりしたことって本当に少なかったんじゃないかなって思う。わたしは母が母であるときしか知らなかったから。知っていることと言えば、わたあめが好きということくらいだ。完成物をお互いケーキを運ぶみたいに大切に扱いながら、こういう日が、お母さんの残りの人生の中に何度も何度もありますようにと願った。
I went to a craft workshop with my mother today. She’d always wanted to go, I think, but never quite had the courage—until she invited me along. Rows upon rows of tiles were laid out before us. We were free to arrange them however we liked, pressing each one gently into place. At some point, I glanced over at my mother. She was working so skillfully that the instructor, surprised, asked, “Wait—you’re not a teacher, are you?” And she smiled, quietly pleased.
She has spent so many years as a mother, I wonder how often anyone’s noticed the things she does well—just for her own sake. I’ve only ever known her in that role: my mother. All I can really say I know is that she loves cotton candy. When we were done, we carried our finished pieces like cakes, carefully balanced and cherished. And I found myself hoping—that she has many, many more days like this, in the time she has left.