Triplets

"Son... I'm sorry..." my mother suddenly blurted out after we had come to an agreement.

"Life is what it is and you haven't done anything wrong..." I said to her, but she shook her head.

"I'm not talking about that... The truth is, I stopped taking my meds," she revealed.

'No wonder she has been even more unstable and emotional than usual. But it's not too bad,' I thought to myself as I gave her a smile.

"You are doing just fine without them, but if you feel like you need them, be sure to take them. The doctor said it will help you to remain calm and relaxed, so don't hesitate to take them again."

She seemed happy that I didn't scold her about it, which she was expecting, since the doctor had prescribed them to her and said that she would struggle to function normally without them.

Hating the fact that she was reliant on pills to regulate her mental state, she didn't want to take them any longer, and although she wasn't acting normally, she felt free.

They would calm her down and help her to deal with her trauma and stress, but while taking them, she always felt tired and as though she was always being held back.

So without them, she felt much more energetic, and with my approval, she was clearly delighted.

-

Starting to clean up, she was humming, and I had done my best to ease her worries, but that had only added to my struggles.

Deciding to rest some more, I quickly dozed off in the small living room, which also acted as my bedroom.

Hours passed and even though I had slept less than an hour before, I deeply slept until the afternoon the next day.

'This Rapid Recovery thing that the system gave me is amazing,' I commented internally as I woke up feeling fresh and good.

It seemed as though it made it easier for me to sleep deeply and for hours on end, allowing me to recover at unbelievable speeds, and I almost felt as good as new.

Then it struck me once again.

Jumping up as soon as the stomach pain arose, I bolted to the bathroom, and let's just say, I advised my mother not to go in there for a while.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a man could release so much so quickly.

Heaving a sigh of relief after it was over, I felt hungry once again and ate a large, filling, and nutritious meal.

Although probably not as great as what Angela eats, it was still pretty good.

Changing into a scruffy tracksuit that was definitely over-worn, I had a lot of pent-up stress and frustration that I wanted to let out and also didn't want to allow myself to become lazy.

So, I decided that I needed to blow off some steam and clear my mind, and what better way to do that than by fighting?

-

"Where are you going, Xavier?" my mother asked, seeing that I was putting my shoes on to leave.

"I am going to exercise, then work. I might be out all day, but don't worry. It will also be good for you to relax and get some fresh air as well, maybe go for a walk in the park," I answered as I grabbed my water bottle and pouch.

My little pouch that I would usually take with me everywhere would carry all my essentials, my keys, wallet, and phone, and was very convenient to carry around.

Giving my mother a hug, I told her to take it easy and try her best to rest, before leaving.

She wanted to stop me and ask me why I had slept so much, but she decided not to and watched me leave with a smile on her face.

Her life had always been tough, but her son had grown up into a man and she felt at ease, as she began planning her day, giving me the freedom I needed to flourish.

-

Taking my phone out of my pouch, the first thought that came to mind was: 'I definitely need to buy a new phone,' as I called Connor.

"Yo, where are you?" I asked him after he answered.

"Um, I'm working right now... Why?"

"When are you free?"

"I finish in an hour or two at around 3, then I need to go and get my sisters from school and look after them," he answered, in a questioning manner.

"Okay, leave your sisters with my mother, so that you and I can do some training and look for other members."

"Are you sure?"

"Why...?"

"Well... My sisters are quite the rowdy bunch."

"Oh? No worries. My mother will enjoy the company."

With that, I had a couple of hours to sort out a few things.

-

The first thing on the agenda was to confirm that I had left my job at the convenience store that I had been working at, and it didn't take long, with the owner yelling at me to fuck off within a matter of seconds.

It was understandable that he would be angry after I ghosted him for half a week, and he paid me what I owed from my last week of work, which wasn't much, then kicked me out of his store.

Next, I had to get a new phone for as cheap as possible and purchased a burner phone that would do the job for a good price.

Transferring my SIM card, I gave my old phone to the store owner to lower the price of the phone I had bought, and it was a miracle that it was even working and I had no use for it, anyway.

That left me about an hour to jog and stretch in the park near the construction site that Connor worked at, until I spotted him leaving and went over to him.

"So... what school are your sisters at?" I asked as I caught up to him.

He seemed wary, which was understandable since they were the ones he loved the most, but he still answered as we made our way there together.

"Are you really sure that you want me to leave them with your mother? I am telling you, they are like monkeys," he said.

"Ah, don't worry about it. How difficult can three 10-year-olds be?"

-

A few minutes later.

-

"Ah! Get them off me," I yelled as the three little girls pounced on me and managed to force me to the ground.

"Let's braid his hair!" they exclaimed in unison as they all began tugging at my hair.

I was helpless against the triplets as Connor watched and laughed.