Visions of Fate

15. A MOTHER'S EMBRACE

"Hey Mom," I greeted, walking down the staircase to meet Mom peering over four boxes of pizza and a bag of what I guessed was soft drinks that stood on top.

Mom walked the remaining steps, dropping the goodies on the dining table with a heavy sigh. "Hi honey, how was school today?" She asked, pulling me into a bear hug that I immediately fell into. God knows how much I needed it at that moment.

"It was okay, Mom," I said when she pulled away, reveling in the after-scent of her lavender perfume. Even after work, she still managed to smell and look amazing. "What do we have here?" I asked walking to the boxes, removing the bag on top and prying the first lid open to reveal pepperoni pizza with with onions, tomatoes and parmesan cheese dressing.

My favourite.

"Wow Mom, what's the occasion?" I asked, beaming at the perfect piece of work in front of me.

"Nothing honey, I thought I'd just treat you," she replied from behind me and I turned to look at her. "You know, for making you skip breakfast, and everything."

I chuckled at her humor, feeling a little lighter all of a sudden. "Yeah that was pretty bad, my stomach literally grumbled in class. Luckily a friend of mine fed me half her lunch so I got through the day okay."

"Ooh, did I hear friend?" Mom asked with a corny smile, lightly poking my sides. God this woman could be so classic sometimes. But that was only one of the qualities that made me love her so much.

"Yes, Mom," I rolled my eyes with feigned disinterest. "I made three actually, but it's really a long story."

"I've got all night, honey," Mom deflected. "And as far as I'm concerned, you've got all night, too. I just need to freshen up real quick and we can have the rest of the night to ourselves."

"Take your time," I mumbled, popping a pepperoni into my mouth while she scurried off behind me.

               
                                    †

Twenty minutes later, I found myself cuddled up next to Mom on the couch, munching on a slice of prosciutto pizza and binging on a 1980s movie that Mom seemed to find interesting for some reason.

The lights were dimmed and the air was filled with the fresh smell of bread and toppings with Coca-Cola, leaving me in a daze of lazy comfort and relaxation. Which, needless to say was the exact thing I needed at that moment.

"So what happened in school today?" Mom asked and I tore my gaze from the screen to face her side view, poorly illuminated by the lights from the TV.

"Nothing, really. I mean I talked to this girl—actually she talked to me. Then during lunch she took me to the cafeteria, where I met her friends and shared her lunch." I took another slice from the pizza box seated in between Mom and I.

"So how was it like," Mom's tone had a particular edge to it. "Making new friends after so long?"

I knew exactly what she meant; making friends after living behind four walls all your life, you barely know how making friendship work? It really was overbearing to familiarize that fact, and I had to force myself to swallow down the pizza in my mouth.

I dropped the remaining slice on the carton, suddenly lacking appetite. "It was okay," my voice leaked the sadness from my heart and I cleared my throat to make the former a tidbit firmer. "I mean it really wasn't as bad as I thought." I turned to face the TV screen.

"See, I told you," Mom's voice was radiant. "How about the teachers, how were they?"

I shrugged, "They were friendly too, I guess. I mean I didn't engage much with them."