a mother's dilemma

"Hm... hm, hm...," Mika Harrington was having lunch in a cafeteria.

Many adults in orange uniforms were eating there. Only Mika was wearing ordinary clothes in that place at the moment, sitting alone at a table, letting her long black hair flow in the wind.

Until a woman in a white lab coat and short blue hair approached her and sat down in front of her without asking permission.

"Anju! Is it break time?"

"Yeah, what about you, Mika."

"I'm a freelancer, not like you who has to be on standby all the time."

While starting to eat, Anju said, "Help out here often, you know how the rift situation is right now."

"I can't, I'm helping this time because there's an intruder case, this case is perfect for me. Besides, I have a family, and I'm afraid of dying."

Anju sighed and replied, "I guess I should find a husband too."

"Oh, oh, are you starting to get interested in the world of romance?"

"No, because then I can have an excuse like you so I won't be sent directly to the battlefield."

"Ehehe, besides, my abilities are useless in the battlefield."

"But with your intelligence, you could be a commander."

"That's why I got the title of captain, even though it's just for formality, ahahaha."

"Yeah, besides, all we need from you is your strategic intelligence."

"Oh, you're so honest in praising me," Mika replied with a mocking tone.

"Shut up your mouth!"

Mika smiled because she was satisfied with teasing Anju. Soon, her phone rang, she looked at her phone and saw Maria sending a photo of herself and William eating meat at a restaurant.

Seeing the photo, she smiled, happy to see her two children doing well even when she and her husband were not there. But slowly, she lost her smile because she was thinking about something.

Anju, seeing the change in Mika's expression, felt strange. She asked, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

"There must be something, you think you can fool me?"

"..."

"Just tell me, I'll listen. Consider this my apology for my strange actions a few days ago."

Mika smiled and said, "Ihihi, what? are you worried?"

"Of course I'm worried."

Mika looked surprised, but she also felt relieved. Unconsciously, she smiled and said, "What do you think you would feel if you had children but couldn't do anything to help them?"

"How would I know, I always fail to get married. What do you expect from a single person like me?"

"You said you would help! For example! For example!"

"I said I would listen, not help."

"You're so annoying, you know!"

"Ihihi."

"Urrrghh!...," Mika's forehead wrinkled in annoyance.

"This must be about William again."

Mika was a little surprised, then her expression softened slightly, the wrinkles on her forehead slowly disappeared and she replied, "That's right."

Anju smiled and replied, "You're a kind mother."

"But I'm a bad mother to my child," Mika replied without hesitation.

"Why?"

"Because I can't do anything."

"Do what?"

"Help William."

"Help with what?"

"Solving his problem."

"What's the problem?"

"An uncontrollable ability."

"Isn't that his own fault? Why do you think it's your fault?"

"Because I'm his mother."

Anju sighed, frowning in annoyance, and said, "I don't like the way you think. Always feeling responsible for everything and feeling like you're the most to blame if something bad happens."

"I'm not like that, my children are my responsibility, it's something natural for parents."

"But even so, you can't hide the truth in your heart. You actually know that is not your fault."

"No, is my fault."

"Why?"

"Because I can't do anything."

"No, you know that the abilities of every awakened esper are always different. You're not unable to do anything, it's just that from the beginning no one could do anything about William's ability. His ability is still unknown, only he, himself can know it as time goes by."

"But what's the difference? In reality, I really can't do anything. There's nothing I can do to help him."

Anju sighed again and replied, "Just stop thinking about it all the time. Just because you can't do anything, doesn't mean it is your fault."

"But, my responsibility-"

"That has nothing to do with responsibility. You're human, you can't know everything, you're not a being who can help anyone, you're not a being who can fix anything, you're also not someone destined to be a savior. You're human, you're a mother who is also human, you're a human who is a mother of a human too. Mika, you are human!"

"I know that, but..."

Anju sighed again because she was getting more and more annoyed, but in the end she gave up because she felt useless. In the end, she could only smile and say, "That's why I told you that you're a kind mother."

"But-"

"Just shut up, stop thinking about it for now. William himself must also feel grateful that you're his mother, I'm sure."

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, I'm sure, your feelings must have been conveyed to him."

"I hope you're right," Mika replied with a smile but also pondering as she looked at the food she was eating.

Then suddenly Anju said, "So, can I meet with-"

"No," Mika interrupted Anju's words without hesitation.

"I'm not finished-"

"No."

"But..."

"You must want to ask my permission to meet William, right?"

"Come on, I'm just going to-... I mean I want collecting data. Maybe his ability data could be useful in the future."

"No, no, you must be planning something."

"Mika, I know you love William, but I promise I won't do anything strange to him. Besides, you also know that there's a knife to my neck right now. Your husband could kill me anytime he wants right now. Even the CCTV in the cafeteria right now, I'm sure, is focusing on me. What else do you doubt?"

"...," Mika still looked hesitant, but she didn't feel Anju was lying to her.

"Information is the strongest weapon of human, mika!"

Mika gave in to her stance and sighed, replying, "Alright."

Anju, hearing that, looked very excited, "Then-"

"But there's a condition."

"What is it?"

"I'm going to my husband's place soon, I'm going to ask him about all your words and then decide. You don't mind, do you?"

Anju was silent for a moment before she smiled and said, "Alright, I'll wait. Don't disappoint me, Captain Mika."

Mika smiled too and replied, "I should be the one saying that to you, Professor Irma."

After that, silence fell between them, while they ate peacefully and then parted ways to their respective destinations.