Careful What You Wish For

A Modern Parable

A family gathered around a dinner table on a cold, rainy March night in a northern city. The mom had been working long hours.

"We never get to see you," said the oldest boy.

"Yeah, we want to have dinner with you every night," reiterated the youngest son.

The dad peered off into the distance as the pitter-patter of rain hit the sliding glass porch doors, carried by a forceful wind.

"Wouldn't it be nice to live somewhere else?" he muttered under his breath.

His two boys quickly took note.

"Where, daddy, where?"

"Well, how about Japan," he replied with a smile.

"Or Mozambique," suggested the oldest boy, giddily.

"How about Brazil," said the youngest enthusiastically. "It is warm there," he smiled.

The mother peered at them. The wheels of her mind churned.

"How about the western province?"

Everyone glanced at her. It was a bit out of the blue and not as exotic as the other destinations on the daydreaming table.

The mother's face grew a bit more serious.

"I actually have a job offer out there. I've already turned down the company twice."

The boys and dad looked at each other.

"We were just daydreaming," their eyes seemed to say.

"I can give them a call back. Is that okay?" asked the mother.

The boys and dad looked at each other again, not sure how to respond.

"Sure, okay, why not," they said, shrugging their shoulders while getting up to clear their plates.

Dinner was over.

The next cold, rainy night came and went, then another.

"Guess what," the mother announced. "I got the offer. They want me to start next month."

"Where?" asked the dad.

"The Western province, like we talked about," replied the mother gleefully.

"Um, well," said the oldest son, "I really want to finish high school here," he said in a slightly downtrodden manner.

"Me too," agreed the youngest.

"That's two years from now," sighed the dad. "Darling, I don't think this is a good idea. He really wants to finish school here. We need to support him."

Another cold and rainy night passed, then another.

"Guess what," asked the mother. "They said they'll let me leave early on some weekends. I can come back once a month until high school graduation. Then we can all move out there."

"That's two years from now, darling!" exclaimed the father.

"They said they'd be flexible," she responded.

"That's not enough time. We'll never see you. Remember, we just wanted to have dinner with you more often. That's all."

"Yeah, mom," said the oldest son. "That's all we wanted," agreed the youngest son.

"You said I could call them," replied the mother, "and I did."

A story by Pemba Umoja