The Hazardous Effect of Love

seven

"Mom!" Leo called as he raced from his room and slid quickly into an island stool. She flipped a pancake and looked over her shoulder with a wide smile. Leo had a habit of taking her so granted, as he did with just about everything.

"Hey, Leo. What's up? Can you get out the powdered sugar, syrup, plates, and silverware?" She smiled a little wider to make a point while Leo got up with a playful eye roll to walk to the pantry for the syrup. On his way over, he kissed his mom on the forehead.

"Mom," he asked seriously as he placed the items on the counter and stared with his own hands clasped together in front on him on the countertop. "How do you know when you're in love with someone? I'm not talking about puppy love or lust. The real thing." His mom looked seriously at him with a soft gaze.

"It's Charlie isn't it?" Leo nodded slowly and she chuckled. "You're just so happy to even have them spare a second to look at you. You can imagine your future with them, but can't imagine the present without them. They're exciting and frustrating and you just can't wait to uncover the mysteries of life with them. Everyone builds it up to be this big and complicated thing, but trust me. It's not."

"I'm surprised you aren't giving me that 'you're too young' speech, mom."

"Honestly, Leo, it's complete bull. Relationships your age don't last because usually the partners aren't mature enough, but if you're ready for it then do it. If I was given that speech at your age I wouldn't have met your father."

"Do you still miss him?" Leo asked quietly as she tried to flip a pancake. He stared at his moving hands and wondered if he should've asked that after all.

"When someone leaves so suddenly like that, it's heartbreaking. When they decide they want death without even saying goodbye, it's excruciating pain." This made Leo nervous as he thought of Charlie and wondered if he would make the same mistake as his mother and not notice all the signs.

He decided that Charlie was stable and content and he trusted her to stay. He trusted her with his life.