Morning rises to bring a new day to the world, bright light flickers through the tired Nathaniel's sleepy eyelids. Hoping to avoid the beaming light, he rolls over to the other side of the bed- holding his blankets tight and preparing for another day filled with work. Peace begins to slowly sneak back for him in these last few moments of relaxation. Alas such a moment was cut off with the wails of the woman who has been taking care of him all these years.
"Nathan."
He heard this first call but chose to ignore it in hopes she gives up.
"Nathan!"
Another call came up in a louder tone. Silent prayers flood his mind for more relaxation, but his bedroom door bursts open in a flash.
"Nathan, I called you down so many times already."
Nathan reluctantly gets up from his sheets to respond to his frustrated mother.
"(yawn) Come on, it wasn't that many."
"Oh, so you did hear me."
His eyes widen in realization as he made the mistake of revealing his past intentions.
"I- I'm sorry…"
She sighs and looks at the dark circles around his eyes.
"Did you even sleep at all last night."
"I did, as soon as I came upstairs, I fell asleep."
She softly grasps the face of her tired looking son's face. A worried expression comes across her face and asks,
"Are you sure you're fine."
"I'm fine, why ask?"
"You look like the undead."
He chuckles at her claim.
"I'm fine, honestly."
"Okay. Then come downstairs and eat your breakfast before it gets cold."
She leaves his room, and Nathan drops his head back onto the pillow, rubs his eyes and stretches his arms up high. He gets out of bed and goes downstairs to be introduced by his favorite breakfast, garlic bread and eggs with bacon and mushroom.
"You didn't have to make this you know."
"You're right, I wanted to."
They both smile cheerfully.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. But aren't you going to wash up first before eating?"
"I'll do it after I'm done. Can't leave food like this alone after seeing it."
She laughs at his remark.
"Okay, okay, you can do it after."
Nathan looks at the plate in admiration of what she did and the aroma of the pieces of bacon and begins to feast on the meal until it's spotless.
"Done."
"I told you you'd be hungry in the morning."
"Thanks for the food, I'm going to go wash up."
Nathan freshens up preparing for the day ahead and heads back to the kitchen to help his mother. He arrived only to see that she's not there and calls out for her to then receive no response. He calls out again and again with no responses but hears footsteps in the bakery entrance. He goes over there to see her greeting and helping customers with their orders. He walks over to her and says,
"Mom, I called you a bunch times and heard nothing from you."
"(smile) Now you see how I feel."
"(sarcastically) Haha, very funny. I thought you were the mature one here."
"Just because I'm mature, doesn't mean I can't joke around."
He looks around the bakery to see how packed it is with more customers walking in.
"I guess business is doing well."
"Tell me about it. I thought it would've been as calm as yesterday, but I guess I was wrong."
"How about I help around?"
"Are you sure?"
"Why not, I don't have school today and no commissions either."
"Aren't you going to school today."
"I maybe (cough) suspended…for a week."
She looks at him in shocked.
"I'm sorry, maybe age has caught up with my hearing because it sounded like you said you were suspended."
"(cough) For a week."
She pulls him to the backroom to question him.
"What do you mean suspended?!"
"It was part of Prof. Nowell's punishment for me."
"Do you mean that teacher with the cold dead eyes like a fish?"
"Yes him, and he also doesn't like it when people call him a teacher."
"Why?"
"He feels like its belittling and prefers to be called professor."
"Aren't those the same thing."
"Professor is someone that is teaching at a higher level and teacher is someone that-."
"We're drifting away from the main problem now. So, it's just a 1-week suspension and nothing more, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay… I think that's fine (takes a breath) it's fine."
He looks at his mother trying to take this information in.
"But are you fine?"
"I'm fine."
He opens his arms wide and reaches out to her in an effort to comfort her. She recognizes this and embraces him as well.
"Since when were you this considerate."
"You raised me so you should know."
"(softly) I did, didn't I?"
They take a moment in each other's arms and come to a conclusion.
"Okay then, you can help me around in the meantime."
"That's fine."
They both go back to the bakery, and she gives him a list of tasks to do while she's busy tending to the customers.
"Let's get to work."