Single Mom

Blame for peach pie - I

It was already dawn when Félix realized that he would not be able to sleep alone in that house, turning over in bed was not the answer. The boy forced himself out of the warm covers and down the stairs to the living room. He sat in one of the armchairs with Plagg snuggling in his lap... they would wait there.

It was no secret that Nathalie often needed to stay late at work. It was no secret that her cell phone had broken during that last call - Gorilla stated this with a message. It was no secret that the Agrestes were a plague that consumed the lives of employees. They needed to understand limits, basic limits of common sense, which include not letting a woman come home alone so late and incommunicable!

The blonde was thinking meticulously about everything he could do to resolve that situation when key sounds caught his attention. With some anxiety, he waited until the door to the house was opened and the lights were on, only then to exclaim in relief:

— Mom!

— Felix, you should be sleeping... — she murmured, making it clear that she was not in a good mood.

— I was worried about you... we were! — He shrugged, running his hand over Plagg's hair — I didn't know you were coming this late. How many hours of sleep do you have?

— There were too many unforeseen events — the justification came as she dropped the bag in some corner and started to get rid of her shoes — You should know, since you tracked my cell phone and it was still bothering Gorilla.

— So these were exceptional cases? — He raised his eyebrows a little more uneasily.

— Let's say yes.

— How often is Agreste so exploitative with you?

— Go to sleep, Félix — the order came out in a cold tone, she completely ignored the question and, before any refutation could be given, she placed a kiss on the son's forehead and tried to sound a little more mild: — It's too late.

— But... you? — He continued watching his mother, who, at this moment, was removing the hairpins with some urgency — Aren't you going to sleep?

— I will — replied Nathalie, running her hand slowly between the strands of hair and massaging some parts of the head — I will sleep here.

— But... — the boy stared at her in amazement, as if she had said something too absurd to believe — ... spends all day working, arrives at dawn and still sleeps on the couch? Don't you think you deserve better?

— Son... — she sighed heavily — I can't take another step, my spine is hurting. I'm sure I will rest in a dignified way until I need to get up again — she smiled discreetly, settling on the couch — Adults do this kind of thing, they are sacrifices for a greater good — she yawned and, shortly after, she had already fallen asleep due to to tiredness.

Feeling a great burden of guilt, all Felix did was turn off the lights in the room and return to the chair. He would dedicate his hours of rest to a bold plan, something temporary that could free his mother from the clutches of the Agrestes.

.

.

.

Gorilla had been dismissed earlier the day before, shortly after arriving at the Agreste mansion with an urgent order he had to fetch across the city: a slice of peach pie. He didn't quite understand the reason for that, nor the reason to get rid of the boss out of time, but he wouldn't complain.

He devoted his free time to taking notes: he felt that his theories were coming somewhere, no line of thought could be discarded, so little forgotten. He was so committed to what he ended up falling asleep with his face on the notebook, dreaming of the day when his book entitled "Chronicles of Gorilla: the boy, the mobster and the Agreste" would have its launch party.