café au lait

Alec

"So I was like, how could you unfriend me on Facebook, Becky? Ugh she's so ugly anyways..." Alec let out a sigh. His date for the night rambled on and on about the most dull things. He simply nodded his head and smiled politely.

Apparently as the saying goes, 'first impressions are always the best impressions,' Sometimes it's not entirely true; Alec seemed to think. Other times, it was uncannily accurate. This was the case for the girl he was out with. Maggie, was her name. He bumped into her on the way home. Literally; the same way he met most girls. Because he was such a klutz. Maggie seemed lovely the first time. But now... Not so much.

He assumed she got a little tipsy before her date. She rambled on and on. Alec couldn't stand it anymore. "Hey Maggie, you're lovely and all, but I've gotta run. I've just got a text and someone is expecting me."

She looked surprised, but more importantly, irritated.

"Who leaves a date early anyway?! Jeez don't bother calling." Her voice had a slight slur and she stormed out of the diner. "Wasn't planning to anyway," he mumbled with a sigh.

Sometimes he didn't know why he wanted to try at having a relationship. He had absolutely no time but yet he still went at it. Alec juggled between his job and college. But yet, he was still determined to get a girlfriend.

The problem was, no girl captivated him. They were not his type. 'I don't even know if I have a type,' he thought to himself. He shook himself out of his self-pity. 'No Alec.' He chided himself. 'Girls aren't your first priority. You are supposed to be "married" to your work," He intentionally quoted Sherlock Holmes.

Alec had always been stubborn. He always had his nose in the grindstone. He always had a goal in life. Since he was from a poor family, he had no financial support whatsoever. He relied on his brains and just his brains. But Alec was a diligent boy. He had a good memory and a quick mind. He was naturally smart. Also, he could play the guitar like an angel; which was quite the bonus.

But now... He felt like he was slipping away from his path; going astray

He pulled on his apron and sighed once again. He had to do his job. And do it well. Otherwise how was able to pay the rent? For tuition. Moreover, he needed to send whatever meager amount he earned back to his family, at the same time for some food on the table.

He was currently the "man" of the family. Meaning his dad had divorced his mom when he was fourteen, after having three kids (His two sisters, Cherie and Bella, and himself of course), after she helped him get over his dark days.

He thought back to the time when his parents split up.

"I can't take this. Maria, I want to file a divorce." His mother took this information patiently and calmly. "As long as you help me support the kids, then yes I'm fine with it." Alec had his ear to the door when he heard them have this discussion with his ear to the door. Alec, the mature fourteen year old he was, was confused.

'Didn't his parents love each other? Weren't they each other's soulmate?' He thought to himself. He held his tongue and refused to voice his thought until he was alone with his mother.

"Mom," he began. "Yes, love?" She said, moisturizing her hands with cheap lotion.

His mother worked at the local bookstore. Scratch that, she owned the place. But the problem was, it was a second hand place, just at the corner of the bend; where no one would stop by. No one would bother coming and buying her books. Who wants second hand books anyway? No one knows where it's been and what it's gone through. But Alec didn't mind. He always saved up money to buy books from his own mother's store. His mother used to refuse to accept his money. "Mom, if you give me these books for free, then you're being biased and you're facing a loss." He argued. Maria considered this for a moment. He was absolutely right. So they came to a compromise. She'd sell her books to him at a discount, provided he used some of his pocket money to eat at school. That worked fine for Alec. But her hands were always dry when she came back from work. 'Probably because she dealt with paper all day,' Alec decided.