Chaw Eeman (Mandalay) - Five short stories

Tears of joy

Light and Shadow. These two names had different meanings. Who could know the feelings in my heart that overflowed with joy and happiness whenever I compared the two names that were born from my parents' good ideas and thoughts?

He is the one who can possess the light that shines forever. Since birth, because of some kind of talent, the whole house has loved the light with its soft, round skin and plump lips. He is also a person to be loved. His eyes are round and his words are so sweet. Everyone he meets, even if it is just me and him, he always chooses the light. I have heard the words of U Kyaw Myint and Daw Mya Mya Lwin, "You are so sweet, my daughter." From childhood to now, I have heard them. No matter what, why did I fall behind the light?

I am a year younger than Alin. My mother gave birth to Alin at Yangon General Hospital, but I had to be born in a village on the way because I had a stomach ache while traveling. I remember hearing my mother say that while Alin was easy to give birth to, it was very difficult to give birth to me.

When it came to naming me, I didn't have to think as hard as I did about Alin. My father saw the shadow of the palm tree in front of the house moving and named me Alin. At home, Alin's

The brightness of the light shone brightly, but my shadow didn't cool anyone down.

I was a bit of a loner in my family since I was a child, so I lived in the same house as my family, but I felt distant from them. Alin was the one who could take turns on my father's lap and my mother's lap. She was my father and mother's favorite daughter. It's true that I envied Alin, who was very good at writing, since I was a child. No matter how hard I tried to be like her, I was only a third of her. My father and mother would only take Alin to parties and gatherings, but I wasn't as pretty as Alin, but my friends said that I was very beautiful. The reason is that my heart is very good. They don't know this. My heart secretly envies Alin without them knowing. .

Our front living room is filled with beautiful photos of Alin and her award-winning photos, while I am a faint shadow in the family photos. The awards she received when she was young are also full in the closet. The whole house is filled with things related to Alin, and the lips of my parents are also filled with Alin. When there is no place for me, I want to shed strong tears every time I think about why I was not my own daughter like Alin.

My mother gave importance to Alin's friends, who were a medical student, while my friends were bad people. My mother, who didn't like me very much even when I came home, made my friends disappear. I had been holding in the unfair situation for so many years that I didn't even want to meet her. While Alin had a bright and confident future ahead of her, my future was only vague and vague. In our conversation, which even considered Alin's marriage, everything was for Alin, only for Alin's sake.