A teenage girl's mother

I met a mother, was standing outside the sundry shop near my house.

It was 1:17am today.

The mother was waiting for her daughter, whom supposed to be home before 11:45pm.

I was wondering why the mother was there standing, while the sundry shop was about to close for the day, and I asked her.

She said her daughter, form 2 girl, hasn't been home early for the past months. The house rule is to go back by 12am, which the daughter's usual hang-out place, a cyber cafe next to the sundry shop, close by 11:45pm.

However, today, the daughter is not home, and she walked 1Km, thru dark and steep slope, from her house to the cyber cafe, hoping to bring her daughter back.

She waited for 45 minutes, no luck. Not seeing the daughter, not able to call her mobile.

I called the security guards for help, see if they can do something.

And I have decided to send the heart-torn mother back her house, since it is useless to keep waiting.

Then the mother told me:

the father is a container truck driver, only home once or twice a week, and income is not stable.

the mother is a house wife, taking care of children.

She seems lost, keep saying that she does not want her daughter to follow their footsteps, with no future and no security.

I can only comfort her that the daughter should be safe, probably forgotten time to go home.

After sending the mother back, I started thinking:

Why this happened? Why this seems common nowadays?

WHY?

I have no answer, perhaps someone, someday may be able to answer.