A young girl is distraught to see her mom in tears after finding out that her dad had left them for a younger woman. She promises to work hard to one day prove that they never needed him in their lives anyway.
After going home from school, twelve-year-old Mia discovered her mom crying in the living room. “Mom, what’s wrong? Where’s dad?” she asked, rushing to her mom’s side.
“Your dad left us,” her mom Lindy sobbed. “He left us for his secretary!” she yelled.Mia couldn’t grasp the gravity of the situation because it just wouldn’t sink in. She simply sat with her mom and comforted her.
“I’m sorry, mom,” she said, stroking her mom’s back. “I’m here. I will never leave you,” Mia promised. “I will work hard so that we can prove to dad that we never needed him anyway. I promise, mom. We have each other, and that is enough.”
Through the years, Lindy found the strength and will to move on and do better, thanks to Mia. She was the main reason why she continued to work so hard, and why she chose to power through all the challenges that came their way.When Mia graduated from high school, her teachers told her that she was gifted in math. Lindy was extremely proud of her for that, and although she hated to admit it, she knew that her daughter took after her father. He was a brilliant businessman, and that was something she just couldn’t deny.
Lindy worked two jobs to put Mia through school. While she was on an academic scholarship, it still wasn’t enough to cover her entire tuition at a prestigious ivy league school.
“Mom, I’ll just go to a state university,” Mia told her mom after she saw Lindy exhausted after work one day. “I promise, I really don’t mind,” she insisted.Lindy shook her head and refused. “Absolutely not,” she told her daughter. “You are destined for greatness, and you will receive the best education in a top university. You deserve to be there. Don’t worry about mom,” she smiled. “I got this.”
True enough, Mia excelled in the school she enrolled in, and was always her class representative in several mathematics competitions. One day, she was tapped as one of the representatives to the college-level Mathematics Olympiad.
“Bye, mom. I’ll bring back the gold!” Mia said, hugging her mom before she left for the competition. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Bye, sweetheart,” Lindy greeted her daughter. “We will have a great dinner once you’re back to celebrate this achievement. I’m so proud of you!” the mother cheered as she walked her daughter to the bus.
After four days out of town, Mia came back with nothing less than the gold medal and a handsome cash prize of $20,000, awarded by one of the foundations that sponsored the math competition. She couldn’t wait to give the prizes to her mom, so she ran inside her house. “Mom! I’m home!” she called out..CONTINUE READING