Breaking Free

"Mom!!!" Emily shouted, "you startled me" she complained

"You have never left home for this long except for work and you expect me to be quiet about it?" Her mother challenged

"Mom, it is okay to ask me, but not startle me. I went for a lunch date, satisfied?" Emily asked

"No, not satisfied. A lunch date that you returned past 9 pm? Do you even know what a lunch is?" Her mother persisted

"Mom, I'm sorry for returning late, I didn't plan to return late and I am truly sorry about that, I am so tired, I need to get some sleep" Emily begged

"Some sleep? And what happened to your phone? I have called it severally, it was not reachable. Do not get me worried like this ever again" Her Mother warned and left her presence

"My phone?" Emily thought as she ransacked her purse for her phone. "Oh gosh! It is off, I'm sorry mom, I didn't know when it turned off, I must have pressed it in my purse unknowingly" She said as she ran after her mom to apologize further. She turned on her phone and Anna's voice message was the first thing she received on her phone. She then had to call her back since that was the instruction Anna left in the voice message. After their conversation, she had a warm bath and lying on her bed, she began to imagine what Alex must have being through as a child, he was even molested, "poor boy" she thought. Soon, she fell into a deep deep sleep.

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Alex parked his car at the parking lot with a lot running on his mind. He has already exceeded the time his mother approves of this night and he was going to face a hot argument with her, that he was sure of. He stayed a while in his car really confused as to what to do or say to her but at some point, he decided it was probably time to take the bull by the horns, he wasn't going to bemd for her all his life. He entered into the living room and met lights off, as he was going towards the stairs, he heard a voice as usual, HIS MOTHER

"Where are you coming from Alex?" His mother, Beline snapped at him

"I am a full grown man mom, and I can leave and return as I please" He replied calmly. He didn't want to get into a fight with her and he quietly hoped she would not push him.

"Fully grown man my foot, you can't do as you please in this house. You can't stand me up waiting for you to return and worried sick of your safety and come to tell me you can leave and return as you please!" She thundered

"Worried about me my foot mom!" He snapped back at her. "Are you really worried about me or yourself? Your investments? How you will ever manage it if I get hurt? Or even what the headlines would say if I get into any sort of mess? How to protect your portfolio? Are these not your worries? Mom please spare me the pretence, I have had enough of it!" He yelled

"How dare you raise your voice at me? Are you out of your mind or what? She asked surprised at the tone at which Alex talked back at her

"Surprised? You are never going to find it funny anymore in this house, I won't bow to your bidding anymore. I am not a child? He answered

You are never going to have your way in this house, I still have the say here. You have never made a decision for yourself all your life, what wisdom do you have to even say that you are a man? She asked

"Wisdom right? You'll be shocked soon mother" He snapped and left her presence

"How dare you walk out on me?" She shouted but before she could complete the sentence, he was out of sight.

Alex got into his room with rage. Although he was surprised that he could take his stand with his mom. All their arguments had always ended in him apologizing to his mother but today was different and somehow, he was pleased with himself. He thought about Emily and was certain he had started feeling something for her but what it was, he wasn't clear about that. He picked some of his stuffs into a small suitcase and set it aside. He was not one to walk at night so he would wait until morning before leaving, he had to finish this fight he had started, giving up is no option for him. "I'll leave this house for her, I need to be a man for once" he thought. He rolled onto his side and Zzzzzzzzzzzz, he slept off.

Soon it was morning and he freshened up, got dressed and picked up his suitcase and set out to leave but his mother was there in the living room having breakfast at the dining table.

"Good morning mom" Alex greeted

"There is nothing good about the morning after being rude to me last night, where are you off to with a bag?" She asked seeing that his bag was more than just going out.

Alex felt the urge to apologize but he was determined to finish this fight with victory. "I'll be away for a couple of weeks. Do not bother about office, I'll be there as usual but this house, I am leaving it for a while" he answered his mother

"And where did you get permission to do that?" She asked standing to her feet and surprised at what she heard her son say.

"And who says I have to get permission to do that mom?" He asked laughing

"I say so!!!" She snapped. He was already getting on her nerves and she was not ready to be calm at all. "Get back to your room with that bag and get something reasonable doing with your time" she ordered.

Alex laughed out loud, walked towards his mom, gave her a peck on the cheek and left the house without saying any more word.

"What is wrong with this boy? I hope it isn't what I am thinking" she thought. "I bet he won't last a day without this home" she said to herself loudly.

Alex got in his car after putting his bag in the back seat and drove out of the compound. Not sure of where he is headed to, he kept thinking about what he was doing, he didn't know if it was the right thing to do but he would see to the end of this madness.