Chapter 6: The Boy Who Dreamed Big

Liam was eight now. He was small but thoughtful. His eyes were big and quiet. He watched everything. He watched his mother work. He watched her cry in silence. He watched her give up food so he and Lily could eat. He never said much. But his heart was loud.

Daisy didn’t know how much he understood. But Liam saw everything. He saw her sore hands. He saw her broken shoes. He saw how she smiled even when she was in pain. And slowly, something started growing inside him. A fire. A dream.

One day, Liam came home and said, “Mama, I want to learn computers.” Daisy looked up, surprised. “Why, sweetheart?” she asked.

He said, “Because you work too much. I want to help. If I learn computers, I can do something one day. I can start something online. I read about it in the library.”

Daisy smiled gently. “You’re still small, Liam. You just study. That’s enough.”

But Liam shook his head. “No. I want to do more.”

That night, while Lily slept, Liam stayed awake. He asked Daisy, “Can you take me to the community center? They have free classes. Please?”

Daisy paused. She had a little money saved for milk and rice. If she used it for bus fare, there would be no milk tomorrow. But she looked into Liam’s eyes. He was not asking for toys. He was asking for a chance. So she nodded. “Okay. Let’s go tomorrow.”

The next day, they went to the center. The room had old computers, old chairs, but a kind teacher. “You can sit and learn,” he said. “We’ll teach slowly.”

Liam sat up straight. He listened carefully. He learned how to type. How to open files. How to search online. He asked questions. He watched videos. He read about websites. He wrote notes in a small notebook with a broken pencil.

Every day after school, he walked to the center. Daisy packed him a small bread and a boiled egg. That was his lunch. He never complained. He just said, “Thanks, Mama,” and ran.

One evening, Daisy saw him drawing in his notebook. “What are you doing?” she asked.

He said, “I’m making a plan. One day I will open a website. I will sell things. Maybe clothes. Maybe stories. Maybe toys. People are doing it online. We can too.”

Daisy sat beside him. Her eyes filled with tears. Not of sadness. But of something new. Something warm. “You really believe this?” she whispered.

Liam nodded. “I believe because I saw you. You never stopped, even when people laughed. If you can fight, I can build.”

That night, Daisy couldn’t sleep. Her heart was too full. All these years, she had walked through fire for her children. And now, her son was ready to walk with her.

Weeks passed. Liam’s teacher gave him a used tablet. “It’s old, but it works,” he said. Liam was overjoyed. He brought it home like treasure. He showed it to Lily. “Now I can start trying things,” he said.

He watched videos on how to build websites. How to sell products. How to write descriptions. He learned about photos, prices, delivery. Daisy watched from the kitchen. She didn’t understand much, but she trusted him. She trusted that fire in his eyes.

One day, he said, “Mama, we’ll start small. I want to sell homemade things. You can make small things like cloth flowers. I’ll learn how to list them online. We’ll start together.”

Daisy looked at her hands. The same hands that scrubbed floors. The same hands that burned on winter nights. Now, those hands would make something. Something beautiful.

She used old cloth, buttons, and thread. She made little flower pins. Liam took pictures. He uploaded them on a free website. He wrote, “Made by my mom. Every flower has love in it.”

The first week, nothing happened. But then, someone ordered one pin. Then another. Then five more. Liam danced in the room. Daisy covered her face and cried. “We earned our first money online,” Liam shouted.

Soon, people started writing messages. “Your story touched my heart.” “I love this handmade pin.” “You’re a strong mother.” The world that once turned away… was now clapping from far.

Liam smiled every day now. He studied, worked, and helped Lily with reading. He was just a boy. But he carried the spirit of a man.

One night, Daisy sat with both of her children under one blanket. She said, “I don’t know what tomorrow brings. But today, I’m proud. Not of sales. Not of money. But of you.”

Liam looked at her and said, “One day, Mama, we’ll be rich. And I’ll buy you a house where the roof doesn’t leak.”

She laughed with tears. “I don’t care about the roof,” she said. “I care that you’re becoming a man with a good heart.”

That was the night she slept peacefully after many years. Because her dream was not just to survive. Her dream was to give her children a future. And now, they were building it.

Together.