Fabulous

 After putting Nancy to sleep, Elizabeth made herself a cup of coffee. It had been a hectic day and she had hardly had any time to sit peacefully. She put some light music, poured her coffee, turned off the lights, and made herself comfortable in a chair by the fireplace. That first sip of coffee was blissful. For a few minutes she sat peacefully without a thought.

Then her phone beeped and she realised she hadn’t checked her phone since evening. As she scrolled through the messages, Nancy’s class teacher’s message caught her attention. She clicked on the message. It read:

“Dear Elizabeth, Nancy is a bright, adorable, disciplined, and caring child. I am writing to congratulate you at what a fabulous job you’re doing in bringing her up. I’m sure she will grow to be a fine and kind human being.”

Elizabeth’s eyes welled up with tears. 

Her mind immediately raced back to that horrible phase of life. Her husband left her with an infant in her arms. Society had been most unkind to her.

‘You must marry again’, ‘How can a woman live without a husband’, ‘Society will not accept you’, they told her.

‘I can’t bear the same burden again’, ‘No man will be able to love Nancy as much as I do’, ‘We are enough for each other’, were her thoughts.

When she refused to marry again, she was ostracised. That was a time when she was alone, most people thought she was done. Little did they know, Elizabeth was a fighter who refused to give up. She stood up for herself and her daughter. She worked hard and here she was today, sitting in her house with her head held high. Those harsh words from the past had lost their meaning now, they just did not matter.

Elizabeth kept her cup aside and picked up a diary and a pen. She penned a poem:

I am Happy

The storm was ferocious,

It tore everything down,

Shattered all my beliefs,

Blew away my imaginary crown.

They said I was done,

And made things look bleaker,

Well, seems they misjudged,

I turned out to be a fighter.

Refusing to give up,

I stood up once again,

Quicker than expected,

The catalyst was my pain.

Today, I am happy,

Not coz I proved them wrong,

But coz I believed in myself,

And remained true all along.

Today, I am happy,

When I see my daughter smile,

The angel has made it worth,

Going the extra mile!