Strong Like Mom

Strong Like Mom Witaru Emi

“Come on, Naning! Keep pulling!” shouted Naning’s friends. It was Naning’s turn to pull the coconut leaf. But, no matter how hard Naning pulled, the leaf didn’t move. “I give up. I can’t go on. I want to go home,” said Naning.

Naning wanted to be strong like Mom. Mom could lift, pull, or even push heavy objects with ease. Mom said drinking an herbal drink could make you stronger. Naning grabbed a bottle of herbal drink. However, she couldn’t even open the cap. “Here let me help,” said Mom.

With a single twist, the bottle opened. Mom really was strong. “Naning, you’re free tomorrow, right? Come fishing with me,” suggested Mom. Naning couldn’t wait! She had already heard of Mom’s greatness at sea. Now Naning could see it for himself.

Before dawn, Naning and Mom were already at the boat. “I brought boots and a change of clothes for you. I also brought a small net. You can learn how to fish using a big net later,” Mom said. Naning wore her boots. She felt just like Mom, how great! Naning and Mom were ready to set sail.

“Let me try to turn on the engine Mom,” Naning said. She had once seen Mom do it. Ugh, turns out that cranking the engine wasn’t easy.

“Let’s crank it together,” said Mom. “One, two, and three!” they counted. Vrooom! The engine roared to life and the boat headed out toward the sea. “Please help me get rid of the water that enters the boat later, okay,” said Mom.

Getting rid of the water was hard. The bucket was too big, so Naning used a dipper instead. Not to mention, a bucket full of water was heavy. On top of that, Naning’s hair kept falling across her eyes.

Naning’s eyes were stinging from sweat. “If I was Mom, what would I do?” she thought.

“Oh yeah. I should wear a head cover just like Mom,” Naning decided. Now neither hair nor sweat would bother her.

“Here’s the place,” said Mom while pointing toward the flying birds. Naning understood what Mom meant. Birds could be a sign that there were lots of fish in the area. Mom threw her net, and so did Naning.

The sun was blinding Naning. She couldn’t see well. She looked at Mom again. “If I was Mom, what would I do?” Naning thought.

Naning needed to wear a hat just like Mom. A cone hat would do. Now she was no longer blinded by the sun. Naning threw her net carefully.

Now, Naning and Mom had to wait. The sun’s rays made Naning thirsty. “Let’s drink some water,” Mom suggested. After drinking some water, Naning felt refreshed.

Come on, it’s time to pull the net,” said Mom. Naning pulled her net. “Yikes, it’s so heavy!” she exclaimed. “This is heavier than the bucket.”

With all her strength, Naning pulled the net again. Slowly the net began to rise. There were several fish on the net. Hooray!

“Let’s try throwing our nets near the coral,” said Mom while steering the boat. “If we’re lucky, we can catch a lobster.”

Mom threw her net again. This time Mom struggled to lift her net. “Looks like we got a lot of fish. The net is really heavy,” said Mom.

“Come help me lift it up,” urged Mom. Why did Mom need Naning’s help? Wasn’t Mom usually strong? Surprised, Naning helped Mom. “One, two, three, pull!” they said in unison.

As the boat neared the docks, Naning was still thinking. Why did Mom ask for her help? “Let’s eat lunch, Naning,” Mom called out. Yum, tiwul rice and salted fish tasted very good.

After lunch was finished, Naning felt more energetic. “Wow, we caught way more fish than usual,” Mom noticed. Mom separated the fish from the net. Naning placed the fish in a box.

“Oh this is so heavy,” Mom groaned as she lifted the box of fish. Again, Mom needed Naning’s help.

Mom and Naning lifted the box together. “One, two, three, lift!” they said. The box was still heavy even though they were both lifting it. Mom and Naning had to take breaks every now and then.

“We’re there!” exclaimed Naning, panting. Mom stroked Naning’s head and said, “Thank you Naning. You were really strong today. You made my job easier.” Naning smiled. Turns out she could be as strong as Mom.