Even at the age of seventy-three, my mother still gets up at precisely six every morning. For as long as I can remember, she has followed the same schedule, which she continued even after she retired from her 35 years of employment at the public library. Even though she has nowhere to go that day,…

Even at the age of seventy-three, my mother still gets up at precisely six every morning. For as long as I can remember, she has followed the same schedule, which she continued even after she retired from her 35 years of employment at the public library. Even though she has nowhere to go that day, she meticulously irones a blouse, applies face cream, and prepares coffee in the damaged white porcelain pot she has had since the 1980s. At least a dozen times, I’ve offered to purchase her a new one, but she consistently declines.

She constantly remarks, “This one works just fine,” as she runs her finger over the handle’s well-known crack.”If something still works, there’s no need to replace it.”

When her coffee is ready, she sits at the kitchen table with her little black notebook (the kind with the fabric cover and the elastic band around it) and records all of her purchases from the day before. Milk costs four dollars and thirty-two cents. A pack of gum costs thirty-eight cents. A head of lettuce costs two dollars and nineteen cents. Groceries, prescription drugs, the rare greeting card, and even the quarters she pays in the parking meter on her way to the post office are all noted by her.

Keeping track of every dime doesn’t bother her. She has never done so. She is simply cautious, methodical, and responsible. While my father was traveling overseas more often than he was at home, she raised three children on the wages of a librarian. She paid off a mortgage on her own. She used her savings, our scholarships, and her unwavering belief that we would have better prospects than she did to pay for all of us to attend college.

My mother is the type of woman who expresses love by deeds rather than words. She is almost painfully courteous, calm, and thoughtful. This is most likely the reason why some individuals believe they can exploit her.