7
Nora has always hated me and my mom. When I was in school, my mom worked as a nanny at Declan’s house.
Nora came over with her parents, and when they first met, Declan’s parents introduced me, saying I was obedient, sensible, hardworking, and
smart.
Nora pretended to be friendly, saying she wanted to be friends with me. Behind my back, she said, “So what if she studies well? Even if she gets into a good university, she’ll still work for us.”
“Her mom is annoying too, always smiling. What’s a nanny so happy about? Old miser giving birth to a little miser, it’s disgusting.”
When my mom picked me up from school and met Nora, she would laugh and call my mom a b*tch in English. My mom, not understanding, would praise her for being pretty and cute, even giving her homemade sweet potato snacks.
Nora would turn around and throw them in the trash, mocking my mom, saying, “It smells, even a dog wouldn’t eat it.”
My mom was so flustered, her face turned red, and she couldn’t lift her head, which made everyone around laugh.
I threw down my backpack and went to pull Nora’s hair.
My mom saw me getting hit and rushed to shield me. She got kicked over by Nora’s friend, and suddenly a lot of blood flowed from her.
That day, my mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Those horrible cancer cells appeared silently, then quietly took my mom’s life.
That jade pendant was something my mom secretly prayed for me, bowing step by step up Ling Mountain before she died.
She said the Buddha on Ling Mountain was the most powerful one.
I held back my tears and asked her why. She smiled and said it was a secret and couldn’t tell me.
But I knew she prayed to Buddha when I was seriously ill as a child. She wished to exchange half her lifespan for my health and peace.
Later, I got better. The compassionate Buddha took my mom away.
After Nora found out, she mocked my mom, saying, “All the poor know is superstition. What’s the use of leaving garbage behind? Better to sell a kidney or liver for some money for her daughter.”
