A Rift Between Us

Chapter 31 - Mum's Home Remedies

He waved her off, another coughing fit interrupting his attempt to clear his throat. His eyes remained glued to the screen. She walked back, placing her bag on the pine console near the entrance and entered Alfie's room. Reaching out, she put the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Sweetheart you're burning up. You need to have a saltwater and honey gargle for your throat."

Alfie lightly pushed her hand away, resuming his attention on the laptop.

"No mum. I took some cough syrup as soon as I came in. I need to focus on my revision."

She took a step back, her index finger wagging in the air as she tutted disapprovingly.

"You know how all these so-called medicines don't rival your grandma's homemade remedies, or mine for that matter."

Alfie rolled his eyes, narrowing them into slits. The grating of the mouse wheel broke the awkward silence. He continued reading the information on his laptop, his head resting in the palm of his left hand.

"Please try the saltwater gargle, you'll feel better afterwards."

A beam of sunlight pierced his bedroom window, illuminating his face.

"I might try it later, but I'm not a fan of grandma's folk remedies."

Aggnus' head tilted to the side, her hands clasped in disappointment.

"Hmm, well would you at least like me to make you a herbal tea? I have quite the selection."

A hint of joy was blended into her voice, a familiar note to Alfie whenever they discussed herbal infusions. He ran his hand through his hair, his head drooping towards the keyboard. It rose up moments later, his index fingers pressing beneath his bottom lip.

"No mum, I'm fine. I only want to continue my work here to avoid failing my finals. Remember what happened during the mock exams?"

She shook her head, disgruntled by his words. Her eyes locked onto him, seemingly unable to take his eyes off the monitor.

"Tut, tut, tut. You're a brilliant boy, little lamb. It would be best if you weren't worrying about failing again. Besides, your health is more important than your schooling."

His body twitched at her words; they were simple, direct, and ricocheted through his mind like a ping-pong ball. His hand tensed around the mouse for a few seconds before relaxing moments later.

"Mum please, I'll be fine. I don't want herbal tea, a salt gargle, or anything like that right now."

A new wave of coughs flooded in, his chest heaving forward. Aggnus looked down at him with her left hand on her hip, her right hand stroking her chin. She rubbed the top of his head before leaving the room.

"Oh, I'm going to order dinner now, what would you like to eat? I hope you pick something healthy, haha."

Her voice echoed through the apartment, but Alfie's mind was too engrossed in a question from his revision to process her words. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes squinting in concentration as he searched for the answer. A few of his fingers tapped against his head, a sudden realisation sparking in his mind. He quickly grabbed his pencil, jotting down his thoughts before they faded.

Okay, I think this is it. I better check.

He typed his question into Google, the page instantly revealing the answer. Squinting through his glasses, he suddenly jerked backward, causing his chair to roll away. He threw his arms out in disbelief.

"Really?!"