Karma And Regret

Chapter 27.

I wake up at nine and yawn lazily.

"I'm a mess." I couldn't get enough sleep after what happened yesterday. Replaying the whole twenty four hour event, the baking, my father leaving, Naven, my mother. I don't believe I can look at my mother's face at the moment. I try to go back to sleep but I fail miserably. After a while I give up and get up.

I go to the kitchen and I find my mother sitting on one of the counter chairs with a cup coffee in her hand. She looks at me and smile, but I could tell she isn't happy at all. The smile didn't reach her eyes. They are bloodshot and there are dark circles under them. Her hair is messy, and all the signs that she did not have a good bedtime sleep. That may result to her knowing that I left the house yesterday.

"Hey." I say cheerfully hoping to lighten the gloomy and silent atmosphere.

"Hey." She gives me a weak smile.

I walk over to grab the cereal from the cupboard above the cooking stove.

"Cereal?"

"No, thanks." She half smile.

"Mama?"

"Huh?"

"I been thinking..."

"I'm listening."

"How about we start going to see a therapist?" I half smile too.

My mother's rests her cup on the counter.

"Sweetie you know I'm looking for jobs. I mean somebody has to maintain this household with your father gone and everything I don't see why I should wasting my time going to see a therapist if I could just use that time to do something productive for the both of us like getting a job." She shrugs.

"Yea I hear you."

"I mean I totally understand where you coming from here."

"Then why aren't you considering going?"

"Dale!"

"Have you at least thought about it?"

"Oh yes I have, a lot of times. Dale we don't have money to just throw around in fact we don't have money at all. If I don't find a job anytime soon you might as well consider your ass kicked out of school."

"Yea." I open the fridge to cup the gallon of milk. "Where's the milk?"

"It's out."

"I can go and buy it."

"Look inside my coffe and tell me what you see." I comply.

"Nothing but black coffee."

"Have you ever seen me drink black tea."

"No." Come to think of it I have never seen my mother drink dark tea, her tea always has milk. "Your point is?"

"My point is we don't have money Dale Mayfield." No milk?

"No milk?"

"No! No money to buy milk." She sips her tea. "Today we were supposed to buy the grocery with your father but..."

"Mama it's okay I understand. We'll live." My mother rests her hand above mine on the counter.

"That is why I love you. You are always optimistic about everything and you are not demanding."

"You mean a spoiled brat?"

"Yea that, a spoiled brat."

"No." We burst into laughter.

Her laughter sounds magically but still held deep emotions.

"Let me go shower and when I'm done we are going to start cooking."