Mom and I

Mom and I

That evening, she came home looking exhausted, her face weighed down by the stress of the day. I didn’t need to ask how work went—I could see it in her eyes. Without wasting time, I quickly heated some water for her shower. While she was in the bathroom, I set the table for dinner, making sure everything was perfect. By the time she came out, wrapped in her robe, her face looked a little more relaxed.

She walked over to the dining table, eyes scanning the neatly arranged plates. Then, turning to me with a small, grateful smile, she clasped her hands together like she was about to pray.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

I smiled back. “Oh, come on, Mom. You don’t have to thank me every time.”

“What would I do without you, my baby?” she sighed dramatically, shaking her head.

That made me blush. My mom never forgets to praise me for even the smallest things I do. And honestly, I love it. Those little words of appreciation make everything worth it.

As we started eating, silence didn’t last long. In our house, dinner was never just about food; it was also time for important conversations.

“Aha! Damian,” Mom said, setting down her fork. “I don’t know what your plans are for Saturday evening, but would you be able to come to a dinner party with me? A colleague of mine is celebrating her birthday, and she’s making it a formal dinner. You know how I feel about going out at night alone. So please, honey, will you come with me?”

I looked up at her, amused. My mom has always been... let’s say, different. Since I was old enough to notice things, I had never seen her with a man. Not even once. She always avoided any potential suitors, shutting down any attempt at romance before it could even start. And today, it seemed like she was trying to avoid yet another one by bringing me along.

I leaned back, pretending to think about it. “Hmm… Are you asking me out on a date?”

She burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Oh my God, what kind of person are you? Hahaha!”

I grinned. “Well, are you? If you are, feel free to ask me properly.”

She rolled her eyes but played along. “Fine, Damian, will you please go out with me for dinner on Saturday?”

I tapped my chin. “Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

“Seriously? Oh, come on, answer me now, jor! Look at his big gold head—shining like a World Cup! Hahaha!”

I gasped. “Wow. My own mother, attacking me like this?” I shook my head. “Alright, but on one condition.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A condition? What is it?”

“Cynthia has to come with us.”

Mom gave me a skeptical look. “What? You know I’ll have to get permission from her parents first.”

“It’s not that hard,” I said with a shrug. “Her mom is your friend. Just convince her, and I’ll handle Cynthia.”

She sighed but eventually nodded. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”

Satisfied, we continued our dinner, chatting about random things until we finished.

The next morning, which was Friday, I had already made up my mind—I wasn’t going to school. There was nothing important happening anyway. No classes, no serious activities, just the swimming team practicing for the upcoming competition.

When I told Mom my plan, she didn’t seem to mind. “Alright, if there’s nothing happening in school, you can stay home,” she said while setting the breakfast table. She had made cookies today. The last time, it was pancakes. My mom was a kitchen genius—there was almost nothing she couldn’t make. Sometimes, we even had shawarma for breakfast.

I was still in bed when Cynthia showed up at my house, already dressed for school. She found Mom having breakfast in the dining room and immediately looked around, confused.

“Wait, you’re ready for school?” Mom asked, surprised. “Damian told me there was nothing happening today.”

Cynthia nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I know. But I thought it would be fun to go anyway.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. She trusted my word, and she knew I wouldn’t lie to her, so she found it odd that Cynthia was so determined to go to school on a day when nothing was happening.

Meanwhile, I was still in my room, buried under my blanket, half-awake but too lazy to get up. Cynthia didn’t bother knocking—she walked straight in.

“Are you seriously still in bed?” she sighed, standing by the door with her hands on her hips.

“I’m awake,” I mumbled.

“Then get up.”

I groaned. “I told you, I’m not going today.”

She rolled her eyes. “Damian, you know you have the swimming competition coming up. Don’t you think you should go practice?”

I knew it! That was the real reason she wanted me to go. Cynthia wasn’t about to let me slack off, especially not when I had an important event coming up. But she also knew better than to mention swimming in front of my mom.

So, without missing a beat, she quickly came up with a smooth excuse. “I got a call this morning that our biology teacher is planning a surprise test today. He knows a lot of students won’t come, so he wants to catch us off guard.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. What a smooth criminal.

Mom turned to me. “Damian, if there’s a test, then you should go.”

Cynthia gave me a look that said, Play along.

I sighed dramatically. “Fine. I’ll go.”

Cynthia grinned. “Good. Now get up.”

I dragged myself out of bed, knowing I had lost the battle. She had won—again.

By the time we got to school, the place was almost empty. Just as I suspected, there was no test. Cynthia had lied, and I had fallen for it.

“You tricked me,” I muttered as we walked to the swimming area.

She smirked. “You’ll thank me later.”

I shook my head but didn’t argue. She was right. If I wanted to win the competition, I needed to practice.

As I stepped onto the pool deck, I took a deep breath. The air smelled of chlorine, and the cool morning breeze brushed against my skin. The water looked inviting, clear and still, waiting for me to dive in.

Cynthia stood beside me, arms crossed. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

I smirked. “You’re about to witness greatness.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just get in the water, Damian.”

Laughing, I dove in, the cold shock waking up every nerve in my body. And as I swam, I realized that maybe—just maybe—Cynthia had been right to drag me out of bed.

That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about everything. About Mom, about Cynthia, about how life just seemed to flow in ways I didn’t always expect.

Mom was waiting for someone who might never come back. Cynthia was pushing me toward something I wasn’t sure I wanted. And me?

I was just trying to figure it all out.

One day at a time.