Chapter 709 - Feeling Failed

Even though Lisa lives under the same roof as Oscar, it doesn't mean that she is dependent on this man. All her needs, except for food, have been provided, but she still wants to buy things on her own. She doesn't forget to always send half of her salary to Kumala's account every month.

Lisa aspired to always live frugally. If the item was not important, he certainly would not buy it. She thought it'd be better to save the money just in case there was an urgent need.

Now, if Lisa buys William a toy from this shop, maybe she won't be able to take a shower with soap and eat lunch with just a side dish.

Lisa put the toy back, feeling sorry for the boy. If only she had as much money as Oscar, she wouldn't have thought twice and bought William all the toys the store sold.

William is growing fast and after this, he will turn 6. Soon the boy will become an elementary school student and begin to experience puberty. Time seemed to pass quickly and Lisa felt guilty because until now, she had not been able to make her only child happy.

Just when she thought that the only way to make William happy was to spend time together with him, the boy had to go to boarding school. Now, with her money running low and the guilt keeping on dragging her down, Lisa didn't know what to do.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts while looking at the rows of toys on display, a female employee came up to her. The woman was wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and black jeans. A red apron covered her chest, and her dark brown hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail.

"Good afternoon ma'am," the woman's voice made Lisa wake up and turn quickly. "Would you like to buy one of these toys?"

Lisa gave an awkward smile then nodded her head looking unsure, "Yeah..."

A feeling of shame and disbelief immediately filled her body. All the toys that she thought suited William's tastes cost her way beyond her means. Even though Lisa wanted to give the best for her only child, for these toys that would one day be lost or thrown away, she couldn't afford to buy any of them.

Earlier, the female employee saw Lisa walking back and forth while wearing a confused face. At first, the woman was busy explaining one of the new toys to a family who had an adorable little boy. But as soon as the family left, she quickly walked over to Lisa.

"Ah, I see," the female employee replied enthusiastically, "If I may know, how old is your child?"

"6 years."

The female employee nodded her head and immediately lowered her head. She picked up one of the many cardboard hoverboards that Lisa herself wasn't sure she could afford.

"It just so happens that this hoverboard has just arrived from Europe! This is a limited edition, ma'am, only 10 are sold in Indonesia. In addition to its classy-looking design, this hoverboard is also battery efficient! I'm sure your child will like to play with this."

Hearing that made Lisa laugh awkwardly. Maybe William would have liked the hoverboard, but not with her savings! "Is that so…"

"Or if you are not sure that your child will like a hoverboard, we also sell electric scooters. Well…"

The female employee explained all the expensive looking toys to Lisa excitedly. So excited, Lisa felt dizzy and nauseous. She couldn't even afford a small robot in this store, let alone buying a hoverboard or an electric scooter.

Lisa nodded her head, "I see... Thank you for explaining at length, but I want to take a look first."

"Okay," the employee replied, still in an excited tone, "If you need help, you can look for me around here. Happy shopping ma'am!"

As soon as the female employee left her, she ventured to see the price of the hoverboard and electric scooter that the woman had explained earlier. Her tongue instantly tasted bitter and her palms sweaty when she saw the 7 figures on the tag price. With lightning speed, Lisa quickly put the box back in its original place.

For a few moments, she walked around the toy shop alone. She hoped to find toys that matched William's tastes at pocket-friendly prices. But all toys here have a minimum price of over 500 thousand. If Lisa insists on buying one from this store, she might not be able to do her monthly shop.

Finally, after 20 minutes of fruitless circling, Lisa walked out of the toy store. As soon as her foot stepped on the tiled floor outside, she felt like a failure as a mother.

Lisa felt even more guilty when she recalled that she wasn't by William's side when the boy went through his golden age. Lisa wasn't there by the time William managed to walk on his own, learn to talk, or even feed himself. She couldn't attend William's birthday, and drove the boy to school on the first day. And now, she couldn't afford to buy William a birthday present.

Lisa's desire to look for a gift does not stop there. She tried to walk around the Mall several times, entering shops for clothes, shoes, toys, and others. But the result is the same! She hasn't found the right item to make as William's birthday present.

Just as Lisa was starting to give up, she thought about going home and asking Oscar what William liked. Who knows if the boy might like something that she, his birth mother, doesn't know.

Lisa realized that she didn't know William like Oscar did. She didn't know what the boy liked. His favorite cartoon or the toy the boy wanted… She really had no idea. At first she did not know that William was crazy about shooting toys he often saw on his cell phone.

Wandering around this mall without even knowing what she wanted to give for her son's birthday made Lisa think that her effort was in vain and wasting her time.

Having such thoughts led her to push the elevator button and go downstairs by herself.. Indeed, she should go home now and discuss with Oscar about what gift would be suitable as a birthday present for William.