Something Dangerous

Jay woke up late next morning. He was still haunted by his nightmare last night, although his head wasn't as dizzy as last night. He got himself ready and went downstairs. Both his mom and his stepdad left home and went to work already. His mom Liz, sweet as always, had prepared and served his breakfast on the table, before she left. Moreover, she left a note for him to remind him not to skip his breakfast again.

Jay smiled at the note and felt so warm in his heart. He liked her mom's writing, so beautiful as she was. He could even hear his mom's voice next to his ear, when he read her note. He didn't throw the note into the bin, instead he cherished the note in his pocket. He had made the decision he would change this life to be a better man than last life, even though he wasn't sure what his path would be. Maybe he should just start from something small, as she always told him.

He finished his breakfast quickly, and then rushed to his school. This year was his gap year after graduating from High school and before going to college, but he still chose to study something, like the thing he liked the most, photography. He knew this time he would study harder and better than last year. After all, he studied these same subjects all over again.

The day passed so quickly, as he kept thinking about his mom...

When Jay arrived from school, his mom was already at home, and his stepdad was still working late as usual. Jay's mom greeted him warmly and offered him a snack, but she seemed preoccupied and a bit down, sensing that something was amiss. "Hi son, How's your day?"

"Hi mom, it was busy, But okay. How about you?"

"It's been a long day, honey. Your stepdad is still working late, tonight, as always." She said.

"Again?" He shook his head.

"Yes, he's always working late recently... I'm sure he'll be home later tonight though. He works very hard for us..." She sighed. "...and I'm sorry if I don't seem too happy lately." she added sadly. "I hope everything will turn out alright soon." she smiled weakly before looking back to his eyes. "Come here sweetie."

He came closer and hugged her.

She held him tightly and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry if I've been distracted lately, Jay. As I mentioned last night, your stepdad and I have been having some problems, but I want you to know that everything is going to be okay. I love you so much and I'm so grateful for everything you did for me last night."

"That's what family is about. I will be here for you forever, mom."

Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up into his face. "Thank you, baby. You're such a good son." she sniffled softly. "And now let's get something to eat. We can talk more while eating dinner together." she suggested gently wiping her tears away. "Okay?"

"Sure, mom. Is there anything I can help?"

"No dear, just sit back and relax. Let me take care of everything. I got this." She laughed softly. walking over to the kitchen started chopping vegetables. "Do you like spaghetti or lasagna?" she asked.

"Spaghetti please." he replied.

Smiling warmly at him, she nodded and continued preparing their meal. "Alright then, spaghetti it is!" she called out happily as she began cooking. "Now go watch TV. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes, okay?" she replied him kindly.

Once finished cooking, she carried two plates of spaghetti over to the table where they sat down across from each other. "Here you go honey! Spaghetti Bolognese!" she said smiling brightly as she set one plate in front of him. "Dig in!"

"Yummy!" He yelled happily.

She sat beside him happily, smiling warmly at him. "I'm glad you like it!"

"How's the stepdad situation going?" he asked, trying to make small talk while they ate.

She chuckled lightly. "Ohh...that's still pretty awkward sometimes..." she admitted quietly before taking another bite of her own food. "He seemed happier when I saw him this morning." she added after swallowing. "He said to me last night that he would do his best to have more time with the family. He's a bit of a workaholic, but he's trying to balance his work and his family life."

"But yet, he is working late and missing our family dinner again." He complained.

She sighed sadly "Yeah…he's really not good at balancing things…" she muttered quietly, finishing off her plate.

"Do you know why he came back late more often this year?" He asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure. He didn't really say anything about it." She paused, her expression suddenly darkening. "I mean, I have a feeling he's been working on something that's been keeping him really busy, but when I asked him about it earlier, he kind of brushed it off."

"That's not good."

She nodded silently, thinking for a moment. "Yeah...it isn't great..." she agreed quietly, looking up at him with sad eyes. "But what can I do? If I try to stop him, then he'll just get mad at me for interfering in his business."

She paused a bit and hesitated about whether she should continue. "Maybe he just wants some space to himself," she suggested softly. "I mean, maybe he doesn't want to share us anymore or something…" her eyes were beginning to tear up again. "…or maybe he just needs some time away from everything…"

"I know... It is hard..."

She nodded slowly, "It is very hard indeed..." she whispered softly, looking down at her hands. "Maybe if I tried talking to him more, I could help him figure out how to better manage his workload."

"There's nothing else you can do. I don't want him to get mad at you, saying you interfering his business, again."

She smiled weakly, nodding her head slightly as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Thank you, dear," she murmured softly, reaching across the table to take hold of your hand gently. "Just knowing that someone cares enough to warn me makes me feel better already." She smiled at him ruefully "I know you're my son, not the best person to ask for handling these situations, but I still appreciate the effort. You're a good young man."

"That's not good enough. I want my mom to feel happier!" He raised his voice, trying to prove he was a man now, not just a young man to his mom.

She looked up at you with sad eyes, "What do you suggest?" she asked quietly, taking a sip of her tea. "If only there was some way to make him see reason... We could try talking through the problems instead of avoiding them entirely. Maybe then we'll figure out how to get past these issues without resorting to violence or anger. Do you agree?"

He thought for a moment before speaking again. "Let's forget about him for now, just focus on yourself. Look deep into your heart. What made you feel unhappy, mom?"

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes briefly before opening them once more. "Well...there were several things that bothered me lately," she admitted reluctantly. "First of all, there seems to be this constant tension between us whenever we're together now."

She took another long breath, letting it out slowly before continuing. "And secondly, even though he tries to hide it sometimes, I sense something lurking behind those dark moods of his. Something dangerous. But most importantly, I've been feeling lonely lately."

"Something dangerous?" He asked curiously. His mom didn't tell him something dangerous between his mom and his stepdad.