Winifred Dawson had long wanted to go to J City. The climate there suited her, it had the sea she loved, and the land was perfect for growing many flowers. She decided to take a look.
Once Winifred Dawson made up her mind, she began preparing immediately. She knew that time was not on her side and she had to hurry.
This month, Winifred Dawson paid Mrs. Protich a lot more than usual. Normally, it was $1, 500 a month, but this time she gave her $5, 000.
Mrs. Protich was in disbelief when she received the money. She thought Winifred Dawson had made a mistake. From $1, 500 to $5, 000 made her uneasy. “Miss Dawson, did you make a mistake with my salary? Why is there so much more?”
“No mistake. You deserve it. You took care of me in the hospital.”
“It was just three days, and I didn’t do much.”
“I think it was a lot. Mrs. Protich, just accept it. I’m the boss; whatever I pay you is yours. Consider it a reward. With this money, your daughter can learn to paint. Didn’t you say she has a talent for it? Don’t waste that talent; get her a good teacher and enroll her in classes. Art supplies are expensive these days.”
Winifred Dawson had overheard Mrs. Protich talking about this on the phone with her daughter in the living room one day.
Mrs. Protich never mentioned her daughter’s love for painting because she knew Winifred Dawson used to paint too. While cleaning the house, she saw that Winifred’s old studio still had various art supplies and some sketches but no finished paintings.
She also learned that Winifred Dawson had suffered fractures in both hands. Although they had healed, the aftereffects were severe; even holding chopsticks made her hands tremble, let alone painting.
Winifred Dawson must have been very skilled at painting; even the casual sketches showed her talent. Wealthy families often invest heavily in nurturing any interest or talent.
“I’ve seen people complain about too little money but never too much. Mrs. Protich, maybe you think you haven’t helped me much, but to me, what you’ve done is irreplaceable and precious. So please accept the money; you deserve it.”
Since Winifred Dawson insisted, Mrs. Protich accepted the money and thanked her.
If Mrs. Protich knew that Winifred had secretly bought an expensive insurance policy for her, she might faint from shock.
Speaking of painting, Winifred thought about her old studio. Since she could no longer paint, it would be better to give those supplies to Mrs. Protich’s daughter-brushes, paper, and various materials could be put to good use instead of gathering dust.
When giving away the art supplies, Mrs. Protich didn’t refuse but found it difficult to take everything home at once.
That was easy to solve; Winifred called a moving company to pack up the studio and deliver everything to Mrs. Protich’s home within two days.
Mrs. Protich was so moved that she couldn’t find words to express her gratitude and instead cooked elaborate meals every day-small portions of many dishes that they could just manage to finish between the two of them.
Winifred asked Mrs. Protich, “Mrs. Protich, what do you want to do in the future?”
“In the future?” Mrs. Protich was puzzled; wasn’t she supposed to continue working here and taking care of Winifred? The job was easy and well-paid; she was already very content and couldn’t ask for more.
“I think it’s fine as it is now-working here and taking good care of you.”
“What if you weren’t working here anymore?”
“Not working here anymore?!” Mrs. Protich’s eyes widened with sudden tension as she thought Winifred might be planning to fire her.
In reality, Winifred just wanted to know if Mrs. Protich had other dreams she could help fulfill.
Money isn’t everything but it’s indispensable; it can solve many problems and help realize dreams.
Winifred lacked many things but not money.
Seeing Mrs. Protich’s startled expression, Winifred guessed what she was thinking.
“Just hypothetically speaking; I’m just curious.”
Mrs. Protich sighed in relief: “I thought I did something wrong and you wanted to fire me.”
For the first time, Mrs. Protich talked about her family with Winifred-how she divorced her husband and only wanted custody of their daughter.
Mrs. Protich had a hard life; her husband was an abusive alcoholic and her mother-in-law favored sons over daughters. Things were fine initially but after giving birth to a daughter, she became unforgivable in their eyes.
Her mother-in-law called her useless for not bearing a son and forced various traditional remedies on her-ashes from burned paper charms, incense ashes from temples, ants, geckos-all sorts of unproven methods that ruined her health.
In three years of marriage, after having their first daughter, she never conceived again.
Her husband grew increasingly dissatisfied and often beat her under the influence of alcohol, believing she deserved it for not bearing more children.
When he eventually found another woman who got pregnant with his child-a son-Mrs. Protich finally managed to leave through what was termed as “divorce,” though she was essentially kicked out while they welcomed the new woman into their home.
She left empty-handed but took her daughter with her since they didn’t care about having another girl around.
As Mrs. Protich recounted these events, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
“Fortunately, things are better now,” she said through tears. “I met good people like you and got this great job where I can support my daughter who can now pursue higher education and learn painting.”
“Miss Dawson,” she continued after composing herself slightly, “I don’t have grand dreams or ambitions anymore; as long as I can maintain this peaceful life and see my daughter healthy and happy-that’s all I wish for.”
Winifred felt a pang in her heart; suddenly envious of Mrs. Protich’s daughter for having such a wonderful mother.