CONDOLENCES

8

"Jerry I already told you the mantels must be ivory painted no shade lighter nor darker than the sample I gave you. Now having said that don't forget, I want all the paperwork for the shai line on my desk by tomorrow morning is that clear?... Yes well then I'll be seeing you tomorrow...yes...ok... thank you...goodbye Jerry." She sighs exasperatedly before bringing her hand up to massage her temples. It's no surprise that she doesn't take notice of me, even after I've poured myself a bowl of cereal and started munching on it. She just doesn't seem to have much time for me these days. I get it though, she's a busy woman.

"Here is shirt for Mama's gala Mr.Will." Grace ,our housekeeper, hands me a new shirt that I'm betting moms assistant Stephanie picked out for me. If the clues aren't already a dead giveaway I'll just tell you, my mom here is the CEO of this really big fashion company called Matnay Designs. Sometimes she hosts these really big parties where she invites a bunch of huge designers to drink expensive champagne and laugh over the latest fashion trends. Of course me being her son I'm required to attend a few of them here and there to show my moral support.

"Oh Will honey I hadn't seen you there. Thank you Grace. Would you mind checking up on Maggie this morning she emailed me the other day about having some trouble with registration to enroll in spring classes. Let her know that if she's still having that problem I'll have Stephanie look into it."

"Yes Ms.Evans,"Grace's thick accent is most poignant with every proununciation of an 's. My mother bids her off and then looks over to me,tiredness and age relevant in her eyes but still beautiful nonetheless. She comes closer to me, cupping my face when she's at arms length and planting a small gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I miss you," she sighs, pulling away just enough to meet my eyes with her own,"How've you been? Schools good?"

"Ok I guess. Hey, had you heard about June being back?"

"Matthews?" She finally releases her hold on me looking at me with furrowed brows and a creasing forehead.

"Yes." I go back to eating my cereal when I see her get up to retrieve something from the other end of the kitchen counter.

"No I hadn't heard actually. Hm that's weird," I look up to see her staring at some sort of package she's holding.

"What's weird?" My head naturally lifts itself higher out of curiosity as I try to peer over her shoulder.

"Nothing just thought I had left this package in my office, it's nothing. Hey! here's an idea," she begins pouring herself coffee while on her toes as she excitedly expresses this so called idea of hers," Why don't you invite them over for dinner? It'd be so nice to see them all, it's been too long."

"The Matthews? I don't know if that's the greatest id-"

"Of course it is Will don't be silly. I'll have Stephanie arrange a date with you so you can inform the Matthews." She quickly downs her coffee and then pours the remnants of it into the sink before coming over and placing another kiss on me but this time on my cheek," I've got to get back to the office, we'll talk later?"

"Sure," I sigh bitterly knowing that it's a lie. We won't talk later, not really. It'll be the same thing as always. She'll see me again after a few days when she has a rare couple of minutes available to her schedule. She'll ask how I'm doing and I'll respond with the same, plain old answer I always give and the conversation will just die off from there. It's second hand nature at this point. I love my mom, I do. It's just that ever since my dad left she's done what every average lonely feeling person does, distract themselves with the immersion of work. All the mean while neglecting their child.

My dad was this family's rock. He built the building we were and kept its balanced structure, that is until he left. That building then came crashing down faster than it could've ever been constructed. Maggie didn't feel the blow as hard as my mother and I did. For some god forsaken reason she was always able to see past the angelic part of my father. She knew before it had even come out that he was a loser. I had never understood why she was always so hostile towards him until the day everything true about him was revealed.