Chapter Twenty-Six - Aaron
Since that day in the hospital, Aaron hadn't felt the same. His heart was heavy with guilt and with pain. If it wasn't a side effect of heartbreak, then he didn't know what it was.
Laura had noticed something was wrong - not only with Aaron, but also with Joseph. Aaron wasn't sure whether she knew that he knew the truth about his so-called adoption. Part of him hoped she did, for although she did tend to forget he was a vegetarian, she was still there for him. She was excellent at playing the role of his mother.
That was why, whilst Aaron was about to go to a much needed band practice, she stopped him.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong," she ordered, with one hand on her hip and the other pointing a wooden spoon in his direction, "now, mister, you better sit down and tell me. Oh - and eat some lunch while you're at it!"
The last part was said faced away from him, as she was making her way back into the kitchen. If Aaron had learnt anything from the Evans-Evangeline family, it was that parents were important, whether they were birth or not. Cat had told him that. There were times where he didn't want to agree, yet he tried to listen and respect them. They were the ones who put a roof over his head, after all.
As he entered the kitchen with a sigh, Aaron was hit with an aroma of flavours. There was no smell of poultry; instead, he could make out some greenery -spinach, maybe? - as well as mushrooms. It was the smell of pasta and tomatoes, however that stood out.
"Pasta?" He questioned, hoping to avoid the topic of his interrogation. With a nervous chuckle, he took a seat at the dinner table, as Laura filled a plate with her dish.
"Mushroom and kale lasagne, actually," she answered, placing the dish in front of him. She took a seat opposite him, waiting for him to take a bite. Once he did, she continued, "Vegetarian meals help reduce risk of diabetes, so I thought I'd try it."
Aaron had to admit it was delicious. The tangy tomatoes mixed with the salty, yet bitter mushrooms and kale triangles his taste buds. He let out a cry of satisfaction. Why couldn't she cook food like this all the time?
"It's hard cooking veggie meals all the time, you know, but I try..." Laura spoke; almost quiet enough for Aaron not to hear it. It took him a while to realise that she did, indeed, remember he was a vegetarian. "You'd think after nearly eighteen years, that I'd know how to cook some meals for you, but I can't. I'm trying, Aaron. I might not be your birth mother but I treat you like you're my son."
Looking down at his plate, Aaron realised that she was right. He didn't feel guilty about his attitude towards her, yet rather he felt sorry for her. She did love him like he was her own child; she knew him better than Joseph did - always having paracetamol ready when he was stressed, she was proud of the fact that he wasn't continuing his education and she even apologised for not celebrating the audition with them even though she was ill. Aaron was always clouded by what he thought was forgetfulness, as well as the fact that she wasn't his birth mother.
However, it was obvious she had spoken to her husband about what happened.
