The worries of a single mother

In the following days to come, Kim Hyejin rarely watched Tv.

Apart from Figure skating, she rarely watched any other thing on Tv.

Her grandmother felt that she was being pushed too much since she was a child, so she advised her daughter to take it easy on her.

"Mum, this is what Hyejin wants to be in the future, so she has to work hard for it." That was Park Hayoon's reply.

Park Mun-Hee didn't know what to say or do, so she just let the mother and daughter be. But sometimes, she still tries to get the little girl to rest and watch cartoons.

Since her child wants to be a figure skater, Park Hayoon went to research in other to find out everything she needs to know about the sports, from the training needed to develop that skill, to the expenses.

She felt a big headache coming when she saw the amount of money required to bring up a figure skater, she almost couldn't go ahead again.

But then, she remembered that her daughter only had her to rely on, so she decided to give it her all, in hopes that her daughter would achieve a lot and get sponsors.

Park Hayoon didn't come to this conclusion at once, because she knew that things weren't as easy as it seems.

She alone, couldn't do this. Even if she asked her father for money, it still wouldn't be enough to train Kim Hyejin in figure skating.

Yes, the most important thing she needed was money. Without money, she would not be able to give her doctor the best training she needs to be among the best.

She needed money for the training, to get good coaches, for a psychiatrist (because she found out that most figure skaters suffer from depression and anorexia, so they need the help of a psychiatrist), she needed money for the travels, lodgings, and feedings when her daughter gets to the National and International levels.

Park Hayoon thought hard about the money issue, to the extent that she had sleepless nights.

One night as she sat on the couch in the living room with a paper, pen, and calculator in hand, and was lost in thought.

Her mother came to get a glass of water from the kitchen when she noticed that the lights in the living room were turned on, so she went there to check it out.

There, she saw her daughter lost in thought, with worry written all over her face.

So she came to sit beside her while placing her hand on her shoulder.

"Yoon'er, what problem did you encounter that rubbed sleep off your eyes?."

"Ma, I have been worried about Hyejin's tuition for her school and her career. Honestly, I don't know where I will get that amount of money from." Park Hayoon said with bitterness in her voice.

"Of course you have to worry about it. I advised you to talk to Hyejin and get her to choose another path since we will not be able to afford it, but what did you tell me? You said that you support your daughter, and will allow her to do what she wants." Park Mun-Hee reminded her.

"Yes mother, I did say that. I want my daughter to do what she likes doing, what interests her, only then would she have no problem excelling in it. But the only obstacle now, is that her mother is still a college student that can never afford to give the foundation she needs to set herself in life." Park Hayoon complained bitterly as tears streamed down her eyes.

"It's not your fault that you can not afford it. Even if your father wants to help out, how long will it last? It will only last a few years. It may end at the peak of her career, which points she needs to be coached by experts. What would we tell her at that time, that she should drop out because we can no longer afford the money? No! That is the worst thing we can ever do to her."

"Imagine attaining that height, and just when you are about to get to the peak of your career, you suddenly see yourself falling, till you're nothing. Then you will have to start life from the beginning, and people will mock you. There is no greater than that. You see, these are the things I considered that made me ask you to give up on those dreams." Park Mun-Hee explained.

"Mother, I understand everything you said. You are a good mother for you to worry about me and my child. But, I have already made my decision to give my daughter the foundation she needs in figure skating. I know that even if I work hard at my part-time job, I still wouldn't be able to raise that money." Park Hayoon said in tears. Then she sniffed and continued.

"But I am ready to sacrifice anything at all, just to make sure she acquires the best training so far, even if it means me crawling to Dong-Hyun's mother to get the money, I will do it." Park Hayoon said with determination in her eyes, but her mother slapped her back.

"Shut up! I will never allow you to go to that woman that humiliated our family. Never! Not in this lifetime or the next! Don't ever mention anything about that wicked woman in this house! I will take this incident as a result of you being stressed. But if you ever try what you said, don't bother coming back to this house again. I will even kill myself for you! There is a thing called self-awareness, but it seems like you don't have it. So you think that woman will look at you even if you eat the dirt in her house?."

Park Mun-Hee's eyes turned red in anger as she spoke her mind.

How could her daughter think of going to beg for money from that woman that humiliated them? That was absurd!