“Mum, It’s Us, Your Sons… Mum…” She Looked at Them: The Heartbreaking Story of Anna and Robert, a St…

Mum, its us your children Mum She looks at them.

Emily and David have known nothing but hardship all their lives. Emily long ago lost hope for a happy and comfortable existence. Once, as a young and hopeful woman, shed dreamed of a bright future for them both. But life didnt unfold as she imagined. David scrambles to make ends meet, but his hard work barely puts food on the table, and on top of that, Emily found herself expecting. Three sons arrived, one after another. Emily hadnt worked in ages, and Davids wages dont go too far. As the boys grow, they seem to need new clothes or shoes every month.

Every penny they earned goes first on food, then the gas and electricity, and whatever else is needed just to get by. Twelve years of scraping together a living leaves its mark on their family. David starts drinking. He brings his pay home, but returns each night reeking of ale. Emilys heart slowly closes to him after years of this. One evening, David comes home drunk again. Hes carrying a half-finished bottle of whisky. Unable to endure anymore, Emily snatches it away, and takes a long swig herself. From that moment, she begins to drink too.

Soon after, she starts to feel lighter. Her problems fade from sight, and she even finds herself laughing again. From then on, she waits almost daily for Davids return, hoping hell bring home a bottle. The drinking, together, becomes a ritual.

Emily stops thinking about her children. In the village, people whisper amongst themselves: never had they seen drink change a person so. Later, the boys can be seen wandering around the village, begging for scraps of food. One day, a neighbour, unable to take it any longer, says:

Emily, youd be better off sending your boys to the childrens home than letting them starve here. How long can you drink and ignore your lads?

Emily never forgets those words. They haunt her. Truth be told, things might have been easier for her if the boys werent always underfoot. Eventually, Emily and David give up entirely; they abandon their sons. The boys are sent to an orphanage. Night after night, they weep, waiting for their parents, but nobody comes. Emily and David barely even remember that they have sons.

Thats how the years slip by. Bit by bit, the boys leave the home, each one finding himself a modest council flata single room, but at least its a roof. Each finds a job, and they always look out for one another. They rarely mention their parents, but each still aches to see them, to ask why things unfolded this way.

One day, the brothers meet up and drive together to their old home. On the way, they spot their mother, struggling her way up the street. She walks right past them, not noticing her sons.

Mum, its us your children Mum

She turns to look at them, her eyes vacant, until something dawns in her. She begins to cry, begging forgiveness. But how could she be forgiven? The brothers stand in silence, lost for words. Yet, despite everything, they remembershe is their mother. And so, they forgive her.