For My Mother

"Oh! That will be so nice for her!" Xuan giggles. She forgot that her new family was more or less from Japan. She turns her head a bit to look upstairs. "Whenever you two are ready, I'll to get mom. Should I tell her where we're going or should I keep it a surprise?"

Hiro would respond, "Keep it a surprise, Xuan. That way, Mom will have more fun with us." The sisters would watch Xuan as she aims to go upstairs and bring their mom down. The three already had their clothes ready and hoped that Mom will be too.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Schultz was just finished with her paperwork and was resting on her own bed. She had no idea of what the girls had planned and she will be in for a big surprise once Xuan finds her.

After walking upstairs, Xuan poked her head into the room of her adoptive mother. "Hi..." She says in her lightest voice, giving a little wave of the hand. "Um, we wanted to take you out somewhere. To get some breakfast or some lunch, mom..."

When Xuan opened the door and poked her head inside the room, Mrs. Schultz would see her and she smiled brightly to see her adopted daughter. She would say, "Oh, hi, Xuan! What brings you up here?" She started getting up from the bed and walk over to Xuan to give her a light hug. Then, Xuan said that she and her sisters would like to treat her out for some breakfast or lunch. Mrs. Schultz looked intrigued as she said, "Oh? Where to? And do you have enough money to pay for the meal?" She wanted to be sure that her daughters knew what they were doing.

It was nice to see her mother. She seemed to have finished doing something busy and important. Xuan came at just the right time to help relax her mother. "Yes, yes. You don't have to worry about a thing. The three of us have taken care of the entire meal." She offered a hand to her mother. "Would you like to join us?"

"Oh, would I ever, Xuan!" replied Mrs. Schultz with graciousness. Since she was already dressed up in a baby blue springtime dress with lovely pink roses and a white ribbon around her waist, she would take Xuan's hand to follow her downstairs. Both Hiro and Junko were anxiously waiting for her so they can begin their Mother's Day celebration. Mrs. Schultz got downstairs to hug her other two daughters before putting on a pair of blue slip-ons on her feet. The family would then step outside and closed and locked the door behind them as they walked over to the restaurant.

Xuan takes her mother's hand and walks downstairs, following her. The two would soon arrive before Hiro and Junko. She smiles at her sisters behind their mother's back. Soon, they would leave the hose and be off for the restaurant.

Mrs. Schultz is just as excited as her girls that they are going to celebrate Mother's Day together. They were halfway to their location when she asked, "So, girls? Can you tell me anything about where we are going?"

Hiro looked to her mom and replied, "Well, Mom, it's a place that you are very familiar with."

Junko nodded and added, "Yeah, even Dad loved the place. So we figured that after a long time, it's that right moment to bring you back there."

Mrs. Schultz was curious on what Hiro and Junko were referring to. There were a lot of places that she and her husband went to on their dates...but then she realized one stood out among the others. And as soon as she looked up at the sign, she finally remembered.

The Family Ramen House. The place where they had their very first date that soon led to their love for each other. It can almost make Mrs. Schultz jump up and down with glee as the family made their way inside.

Very briefly, Xuan looks down at Hiro and Junko's feet. For some reason, the memory of her own feet being tortured suddenly came into mind. She wonders for a moment if their mother knew. Or even if, their mother did the same thing.

No, no. That was silly to think of. Wasn't it?

They approach the restaurant. This Ramen house where their mother had her first date. Xuan smiles slightly at seeing yer mother so happy. "Lets go in then, shall we?"

"Yeah!" cheered Hiro as she was jumping up and down in excitement to get inside.

"Let's go," said Junko with a nod and chuckle. Though the other two girls responded differently, it was clear that all three sisters were ready to give their Mom the time of her life. They entered the restaurant and the place was quite alive with customers. From large families to close friends, all were enjoying themselves in their food and fellowship.

As Mrs. Schultz looked around the peach-colored interior and kitchen of the place, tears started to fill her eyes as she says, "Ohhh...this is just like when your father and I dined here."

The three women would be led by the hostess to a quiet table by the window. Then, they would look into their menus to see what they would like to eat.