I went to her with the remaining amount of money and said, “Mommy, please keep this. This is what I was able to save after shopping.”

She took the money and said, “Sure.”

I sat on the sofa close to her. I hadn’t been able to sit with her and enjoy her company for sometime because of my new routine: get up and go to college in the morning, return home late in the evening after office, eat dinner, help do the dishes, and go to bed exhausted.

As I watched her, she studied the battered notes in her hand and her face crumpled. She tried to hide her emotions but couldn’t.

“What’s the matter?” I asked in a thick voice. When she didn’t answer, I repeated the question.

“Nothing,” she replied. Her face twisted in emotions, tears started running down her face that testified a life well-lived.

“Then why are you crying?”

 “Remembered your childhood,” she finally said.

 “Remembered your childhood,” she repeated.

“You went through a lot, nearly died,” She went on, talking more to herself than to me, in a voice that reflected the fears she had faced when, as a toddler, I had a close call with death because of typhoid.

“Gave me a tough time. I was all alone, as everyone else had given up. But I wasn’t ready to believe that this little girl in my arms would die. ”

Her voice broke. “And now, that toddler earns money and hands it to me.”

I went to her side and hugged her, pressing my face against her cheeks.

“Of course I do.” I replied between my sobs. “Aren’t I your daughter? I am going to look after you and dad when you both are old.”

I realised that I had found a new meaning to the word ‘achievement’.

My mother was in no need of the small amount of money I had saved. But she valued it more than all the wealth in the world because it reflected her daughter’s success and love.

It is not just money that makes our parents happy though. What they expect from us, most of the time, are simple acts of love and generosity like helping them with household chores, taking care of their health and wellbeing and sharing our thoughts and feelings with them.

A lifetime spent giving; a lifetime spent providing; a lifetime spent believing; a lifetime spent for us. They are the greatest examples of selflessness. And yet, they demand so little from their children.

But even after realising this, most of us are unwilling to give them the happiness they deserve. Instead of taking care of them, we readily give our time and effort to people who don’t give a damn about us.

I realised their importance in my life the moment I held my mother in my arms while she poured out her satisfaction and joy in the form of tears. And the fact that I had made her happy made me happy too.

Dhamala is doing her bachelor’s degree at Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management