A girl named Humayra she always hated checking receipts.
She disliked to carry the receipt paper and used to throw it away. She could care less about the receipts that she was not even bothered to look at the details. Her mother always told her to keep the receipts as it was something important and complained about how careless Humayra was.
Her mother said sighing, “Dear, a day will come when you will be regretting for not keeping the receipt.”
But Humayra always thought her mother was exaggerating things so she never listened to her.
One day, Humayra went to the supermarket nearby her area, it was really crowded that day. After a while, Humayra was arguing with a male cashier.
“Look I'm not in the mood for a joke, I have already paid for this right? then why do you want me to pay for it again?” Humayra was holding a packet of chips.
The cashier with annoyed expression replied, “Ma'am, you paid for the other items but not the chips.”
“That’s not true, are you blaming me now?” Humayra said.
“Do you have any receipt?” Cashier asked.
Humayra felt time froze as she always throws away the receipt.
People surrounded them and was waiting for their turns, everyone already got irritated. A little boy called Humayra a thief and other people started whispering the same thing. Humayra felt embarrassed and searched her tote bag but she found no receipt.
Humayra couldn't take humiliation any longer.
In a while she apologised to the cashier and paid for the chips again and walked outside.
While walking, a phone call came from her younger brother Sakif.
“Sister! where are you? Please come home faster! Mother fell in the kitchen,” he said nervously.
Humayra fell into shock and asked, “What's wrong with mother?”
Sakif said, “I don’t know. I asked mother she said, she felt dizzy.”
“Is she awake now?” Humayra asked.
“Yes, she's asking for water.”
“Alright, stay with her I'll be there in few minutes.”
Humayra did not wish to waste any time so she was waiting for a rickshaw and suddenly it was raining.
By the time Humayra reached home her clothes were already soaked. Her day couldn't get any worse, her mood went really down.
She entered her home and rang the bell. As soon as Sakif opened the door Humayra rushed to her mother's bed room.
Her mother talked softly “Why are you looking so worried? I told him not to call you, It’s nothing serious.”
Humayra sighing replied, “Mother, you just fell.”
Her mother replied, “The floor was wet and I slipped accidentally.”
Humayra said "Fine, let me check if you have any fever," she touched her forehead.
"I guess, you're right mother. But you don't look well to me. Did you skip your meal again?" Humayra asked.
Her mother looked away and remained silent.
That silence told Humayra enough.
“Mother, how many times do I need to tell that you shouldn't skip your meals?”
“I didn't skip, I just don’t have appetite.”
"She’s bluffing," From the doorway, Sakif mouthed,
Humayra sighed and walked toward the kitchen to make tea.
In the kitchen Humayra was searching for sugar inside a drawer, but she found folded papers and it was a dozen of receipts. Internet bill, groceries cost, electricity bills everything was there in a bundle.
Humayra smiled as she found it funny because her mother kept receipts as they are one kind of important documents.
She was checking them one by one and somehow she found a pharmacy receipt from the previous month. There was an unknown pattern as the total amount was very high which was not normal.
Humayra read thoroughly and found heart and blood pressure medicine which was for three months.
Humayra's smile slowly faded. She couldn't trust her own eyes and repeatedly checked the date.
She discovered that it was the same date when her mother gave money for the university.
Humayra remembered last month, her mother gave her money for the university loan. Humayra even asked her mother where she got that much of money, her mother told her that it was the old money. At first Humayra was suspicious but she believed her mother easily.
Something did not sit right. For s while Humayra searched the whole kitchen but she could not find any medicines.
Humayra wanted to confront her mother, she got into her mother's room and showed the receipt to her mother.
“Why did you stop buying your medicines?” Humayra asked.
Her mother replied, “The medicines are very expensive.”
“So, what? Your health is more important than anything else! Did you do it because of my university loan?” Humayra feeling furious asked.
Her mother avoided eye contact.
Humayra could feel a tight ache formed in her throat. She always thought her mother was always nagging about spending less money for no reason.
But this tiny piece of paper told a completely different story.
Seeing Humayra in a devasted state her mother said, "After your dad passed away I wanted to give you both a better life. I didn't want you to get stressed. You're already working hard."
Humayra looked down at the receipt in her hand. This paper which she used to throw away, led her to the truth.
Her mother hugged and said, “I’m fine, don't worry.”
But this time, Humayra knew the truth.
The next day, Humayra went to the pharmacy before leaving for her part time job. She decided to buy every medicine listed on the receipt for her mother.
It was the first time, Humayra folded a receipt and kept it inside her purse.
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