What will the people think of me?
When we had all left home, mother was lonely and she could invite all my cousins to spend time with her. Since they were much younger than us, they gladly took the opportunity so that they could escape their strict parents. She would not spoil them, but she was more democratic than her stern sisters. Normally, before doing anything, she would ask for the input of all and sundry. If people did not agree with say her choice of supper, she gave them the opportunity to choose. One had to cook it though with no assistance from the others. She would fondly tell anyone who bothered to listen to her how she and my father asked for child care benefit when we were small. She had just given birth to my brother when my dad lost his job. Though he was receiving unemployment benefits, it was not enough to care for us all. Dad was adamant that he would not borrow any money to take care of the needs of his family. He was obviously hurt that during the time he was needed the most, everything would fall apart. Mother on the other hand did not want to pester him to apply for it. She only prayed silently that he would see the need to put his pride down for the sake of the family. One day he came home with a cheque he had not informed mother that he had applied for the benefit. Her loving gaze at him would tell us what she would not say. The other day, I had them talking about pension. Father was explaining to mother how he helped another man who had lost his job. He had asked him, ‘do i qualify for pension?’ Father told him to apply for unemployment benefits because in his age, he would soon get a job. Pensions were for the older folk who were through with work life.
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