Distance hurts

"Get up Edward!", his mom called from the breakfast table. "I'm right here ma jesus", Edward, a young teen of about 16 exclaimed from the door way. "Sat down and eat Edward; you need to eat before you go". "What did you fix?" "Just a light breakfast, ya know; Ham, sausage, grits, eggs, toast, a little bit of home 'tatahs, and you know we got to start eatin' a lil healthier so i fried some 'nanas. Nothing special". Edward stared at his mom, an 'old school' black woman of about 49, in confusion. "How is frying the banana..." Edward's mother turned from doing the dishes and gave him a look and he knew he needed to shut up immediately. "Ok thanks ma" he said.

Edward's mother placed the porcelain plate filled with sausage, eggs, grits, potatoes, toast, and bananas and ham in front of him. "You want orange or apple?" Sheila said looking in the refrigerator. "Neither, milk please" Edward asked. "If we had milk i woulda asked if you wanted milk. I tol' you make a list of everything we needed so I could go to the sto' and get it today. Did you do it?" "No." " 'scuse me?" "No ma'am."

"Lawd jesus i swear ta beans..." Sheila stopped and looked at his untouched plate. She frowned. "Who...did it!?" Edward looked at her in confusion. "Did what?" he asked. "Why you not eatin'?" "I just got alot on my mind I'm good". Edward started to eat even though his stomach was hurting from anxiety. Sheila sat next to him and placed a gentle hand on his back. "Baby you know you can talk to me bout anything right?" Edward sighed wondering if he should talk to her or not. "Come on baby you don't got long. You gotta finish your breakfast and go to the interview. If you wanna talk get ta talkin' ".

Edward sighed again. "It's nothing serious ma. It's just thinking about relationships and stuff". Sheila stood up and yanked the knife out of the wooden cutting board. "Where he live?" Edward looked at her. "Who?" "The lil bastard that's makin' my baby upset. Where...he...live?" Edward stared at her. "Well imma find out one way or another. And when i do imma cut him. Cuz ain't no lil nigga chile goin make my baby feel bad and think I'm not goin whoop that-" "MA!" Edward yelled. "It's not like that!" Sheila stuck the knife back into the cutting board. "Well what is it like then damn it!"

"It's just that everybody else has a boyfriend or a girlfriend and I seem to be the only one who can't find one". Sheila folded her arms and frowned a little. "Baby that's our problem as people. We so busy lookin' at everybody else's blessings, we blocking our own blessings from god. Stop worrying about what everybody else got and worry about what god has done for you and this family. When god is ready for you to have a boyfriend, you'll get one. A good one. Stop looking so hard and beating yourself up about it. You'll get one in due time baby trust me". "I guess so. I just don't understand why everybody else gets-" "there you go again," Sheila cut him off.
"What I just say? Stop worryin' bout everybody else and worry bout EDWARD. You gotta let that everybody else mess go baby I'm tellin' you".

"I guess you're right".

"I know i am. Now gimme that plate and go to that interview boy."

"It's an audition not an interview".

"Well whatever it is, you need to go before you're late!"

"Oh shoot I didn't realize it was this late!" Edward grabs his bag and car keys and runs out the door yelling "BYE MA I LOVE YOU!" Sheila chuckled and yelled "ARD I LOVE YOU TOO GOOD LUCK!" Sheila starts washing more dishes and chuckles, "lawd what imma do with that boy".