To the second mom, I am sick, Please take care of this child

 To the second mom,
I am sick and can no longer raise this child.

It has been six months since my five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with an incurable disease. Her condition has been deteriorating day by day.

"It's difficult to say, but Nacchan probably won't be able to come home anymore."

One day, the doctor hesitantly delivered this message and left the room with a lowered gaze.

"Hey, Daddy. What were you talking about with the doctor?"

Lying on the bed in the corner of the hospital room, my daughter asked me in a hushed tone.

"We were discussing when Nacchan could come back home."

"Hmm... Oh, Daddy, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor? What is it? You sound so serious all of a sudden. Just tell me anything."

"It's about Lulu-chan..."

Lulu-chan is the doll that I gave my daughter as a present for her third birthday. She looks like a human baby. When we were admitted to the hospital, my daughter insisted on bringing Lulu-chan along, saying she didn't want to be without her. Lulu-chan is still sleeping next to her.

"I want this doll to be sold at a thrift shop..."

"Huh? But wasn't Lulu-chan a doll that Nacchan loved and cared for like her own child?"

"I'm already five years old. I've grown tired of playing with dolls."

So, that's what this is about. I had assumed she might ask to see her mom, making an unreasonable request. I was taken aback by her unexpected request. My ex-wife, in other words, my daughter's mother, had expressed her desire to marry a man from her workplace who had a child, the same year I gave Lulu-chan as a present. She left us, leaving our daughter behind. Later on, we got divorced.

Now is a good time to ask my daughter about her true feelings.

"Hey, Nacchan. Do you want to see Mom?"

"Mom is working hard to be the second mom in another family, right? If I say I want to see her, I'd be bothering her. Don't worry, I'm fine."

Seeing my daughter's concern for the mother who abandoned her to become a stranger's child, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness.

――――

　Because my daughter strongly desired it, I went to the recycling shop to sell the baby doll on the same day. At the buyback counter near the entrance of the store, I handed over the cherished doll, "Lulu-chan," to a slightly younger-looking employee in their late twenties, who started evaluating it right in front of me.

"Is this an antique?"

What an curt clerk.

"No. I bought it three years ago at a nearby department store."

"Oh, I see. It's a bit dirty, so I assumed..."

"This doll was dearly cared for by my daughter, and the dirt is a manifestation of the affection she had for it."

"Hmm."

What's with this person? Is this how they treat customers? Their insolence is beyond belief. I'm really getting angry.

"Um, what's this?"

At that moment, while inspecting the doll by pulling its hair and examining the scratches on its feet, the employee found a piece of paper inside Lulu-chan's clothing. They unfolded the paper with an air of curiosity.

"Oh? Looks like a letter, doesn't it?"

They said, gazing at it for a while. Then, they let out a deep sigh and handed it to me.

"Here you go. You should read this letter too."

They handed it to me, and without a doubt, it was a letter written by my daughter.

"To the second mom, I am sick and can no longer raise this child. She's very cute and a bit of a chatterbox. Please take care of her."

I collapsed onto the buyback counter at the recycling shop and cried. While sobbing, I explained to the employee.

"Listen, the doll doesn't have a voice function. When it says it's a talkative child, it means my daughter used to talk to this doll frequently. I-I mean, she... she..."

"You don't need to explain that much. I can tell without you saying anything. Tears, or should I say, snot. Please use these tissues to wipe your nose, so it doesn't drip onto the counter."

The employee handed me a tissue box from the side. I took a tissue and wiped my tears, then took three more tissues to wipe my runny nose.

"It'll be around 10,000 yen."

Suddenly, the blunt employee said, extremely matter-of-factly.

"Huh, what?"

.

"What are you talking about? It's obviously about the evaluation amount for this doll."

"This cheap-looking doll for 10,000 yen? Well, with that price, it's actually more expensive than what I originally paid for it. This is just absurd."

"It's 10,000 yen. I won't budge a single yen. If you're not satisfied, feel free to take it back."

Unable to sway the unyielding employee no matter what I said, I reluctantly gave in. I filled out the necessary paperwork and sold Lulu-chan for 10,000 yen.

---

After a while, a letter arrived at my home.

Inside the envelope were two letters and a photograph.

The first letter was written in adult handwriting and said:

"As an employee, I bought it from you, displayed it in the store as an employee, and then bought it from the store as a customer. I have no intention of indebting myself to you. It just happened that I also have a daughter of the right age, and a suitable doll happened to be in front of me, so I bought it. That's all. Nevertheless, it has become my daughter's favorite. Thank you, regardless."

The second letter was written in a child's handwriting and read:

"To the first mom, don't worry about this child. I'll take good care of her. By the way, Lulu-chan is really chatty and sometimes gets annoying. From the second mom."

Finally, I looked at the enclosed photograph.

It was a picture of the recycling shop employee from that day, standing side by side with her daughter at home, both flashing peace signs.

Lulu-chan was on her daughter's lap.

They were both raising their arms high in a triumphant pose, smiling innocently.

"Look. Lulu-chan seems really happy. You don't need to worry about anything anymore. I'm glad, Nacchan."

Saying that, I quietly offered the photograph to my daughter's memorial altar.