Wearing a white lacy apron, my mom made me an egg sandwich on a peaceful Saturday morning. I have always loved my mom’s egg sandwiches. She usually adds tomato, lettuce, and marinated onions. I never liked the peculiar smell of the onions she would put, but as I bit into the sandwich, I realized that the marinated onions in my mom’s sandwich did not smell. How can onions not smell?

Out of curiosity, I asked, “Mom, how do you make an egg sandwich like this?”

My mom seemed quite surprised at my question and she said nothing for a few seconds. Once she started to explain how to make the egg sandwich, I got a call from my friend and had to leave the room for a while to answer the phone. When I came back, my mom seemed very upset. I told her, “I am sorry.” But, she did not look pleased at all. At that moment, I thought she was upset because I left the room, not finishing the meal.

The tension between my mom and I lasted for several days. One morning, I was lying on my bed enjoying the sunshine. Then, my mom knocked on my door. She had an egg sandwich on a lemon-colored dish.

I said, “Hi, mom,” and smiled at her. Then, she put down the dish and suddenly broke into tears.

I was so surprised and asked her, “What is the matter?”

She answered me with the question, “Why would you ask me how to make an egg sandwich?”

Throughout the years of my life, I always told my mom that I really loved her egg sandwiches, but I never asked her how to make one. When she heard my question about how to make an egg sandwich, she thought to herself, “There will be a moment when my little baby makes her own egg sandwich and no longer needs her mom to make one.”

She knew that I was growing up.

For me, my mom has always been a pillar of my life who supports me, helps me, and loves me. I needed her help, and I relied on her. I always watched her making the sandwich; I did not have to make one. However, I have grown up. I now think, “I can make my own egg sandwich and I want to try to make one myself.”

There will be a moment when I leave my home and explore the world by myself without my mom. I do not know what the world will be like. I am little scared but I cannot wait to find what the world has in store for me. I want to learn more, experience more, and explore more. In doing so, I will not need my mom’s help anymore. However, I would love to have my mom watch me grow up and make my own sandwich.

I will make my own egg sandwich. It will be delicious.

Author

Angela Yeji Kim is a first year student at University of California, Los Angeles.

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