2 : with this your subdue loneliness

Jeff's place

"Good morning mom",Jeff greeted his mom_jumping on and his whole self is sunk in the medium velvet couch.

...???no reply???...Totally stolen to the TV ,with her coffee cup in her hands and concentrative gesture,her head had_really showed that she was really 'in' with her all_like she was in the TV also...hehehe!...

Jefff couldn't help himself from smiling looking at this.In his life he has never really seen his mom revealing any of her weaknesses or failure in any area except for one_'This one'

It has become more like a daily ritual to her before anything else.Each morning she never seize to miss the 'BBC Breakfast Buzz' or The ZBC 'Good Morning Buzz'.She could even prefer to be late to work other than missing any bit of any of those two.She calls it_'The Eye of The Day'

Jeff felt like his words hit nowhere _so he had to do it once more

"Mom!!",he screamed in annoyance after he got another silent reply from her.Turning her head in a forceful manner_she finally realized his presence "Oh!..mxm...Morning! son", she replied dropping the coffee mug on the small corner table_just beneath the couch and shifted her concentration away from the news,but still her_corner eye was left behind_she couldn't afford to miss any moment.Three quarterly facing him,she went deep surveying how handsome and charming he is snd thought to herself "he's perfect_perfect to any girl_but he was yet to have any".She buried the hurt of his ever bacherhood, with a smile_that leaving him startled "You and your news...ummm!...it's something else.A moment ago you were just as more like a illusional statue staring at the TV...now you're smiling to yourself_if you were in my shoes,would you tag this your news thing_a good thing".

"Of course son!...haven't I told you that_ it's very recommendable to always be keen with daily updates_to know the situation of where you'll be first before stepping there...", she said convincingly, then took a sip from her cup ",you should try it too_it's not a bad thing though.It determines your day.You wouldn't want to budge into a ceasefire,would you?"

"If it worked like that to you_I would have joined you a long time ago.Yours is too much_I've never seen anyone so indebted to the news like you mom_it's like you don't enjoy other TV programs"

"Yes I know_there are a lot of programs that are worth too much attentiveness_but that's not always the case for someone of my age_even yours.You should not be exposed to too much entertaining stuff son!_you need to be streetwise and focused on things that you know can be of firm effect to your life;that is reducing fantasy and fiction_and following the right path of elders like us_waking up to live vindications_you should really try it son..."

"No!...No!...No!!....", he firmly denied "I surely don't wish to end up like you mom..." "Meaning!.."she interjected then turned to the TV

"No offense! mom_it's just how you always look when you are watching_your so called 'Eye of day vindications'.You will be definitely shocked,if you were to see yourself mom_you'll be looking really funny.To think that I'll have to be always like that if l join you_fears me away from the idea of joining you"

"Ummm!_you're just a stone-headed and self centered fellow_I know,I can never never get away with this one_so I'll just let it slide for a while and continue with what I was doing "Shifting her attention back to the TV once more

"I thought you were 'in' the TV already....".She picked a pillow then threw it torwads him.Luckily he anticipated the move and dogged it

" Fool!",she cursed upon throwing the pillow

"Hahahaha!!.....", Jeff laughed picking pillow

"Mom!....Jeff!...breakfast is ready",a female voice echoed from the dining

" OK Aunty Dee!...we're coming..."

"Let's go mom!..."

"You can go! foody,I will join you soon_it's just a few minutes away from the break",Jeff went straight to the sink washed hands and headed to the table.

All the strength he had dissipated as he just stared at the brown slices of whole wheat bread,the half plate of beans,the collective greens in the sides and boiled eggs infront of him hungrily hoping for his mother to come as noone ate without saying the 'Graces'.That wouldn't be done if the table had only two people_everyone had to be present at the table for that to happen

Few minutes passed and his nostrils were now diluted by the spicy scent.He tried to use exhaling as a way to shy away the cravings this food was instilling on him_rising all the way from his stomach to his throat.He held his stomach tight to avoid it from grumbling ,but it being as stubborn as him, it failed him:

'Groooaaah!!!',it loudly complained.He searched his eyes through the table and when they met Aunty Dee's,he dropped them in embarrassment.

Aunty Dee slightly chuckled upon noticing his embarrassment 'he's truly an old 'Foody',she told herself inwardly and chuckled once more

"Mom!....Mum!...Mommy...Mother!!...the tea will coooool!...", he said trying to hide the fact that he couldn't hold the starvation anymore

"OK! OK!_I'm coming....geez!!!"_'he's so annoying', she inwardly complained and headed to the table

" You were dying Jooh!....",she giggled taking her seat and they held their hands in like a triangular circle with their heads bowed and said their gracie

"Uuuuh!.....Grace!!!!!!!!!",he let out the loudest 'grace' he has never made in his life after everyone_ accompanied by a huge sigh ,opening his eyes and without hesitation,he picked two slices_placed a handful of beans in between and with one bite_the slices were half

.....

"Uuuuuh!...Quite hectic_I feel like l have a hangover...not of alcohol mom,you don't need to glare at me like that_you know l don't drink_it's just fatigue", he said with a giggle and that help very much in changing the atmosphere. "You were very clever to justify yourself so quick_if not....", with a threatening finger "Chill mom!_where could I get those guts to infring you,you know_I really fear your face when you're angry",he said with a slight chuckle "Oh!...so you're saying your mother has a scary face right,your only mother in that mater_are you serious Jeff", she said with fraudulent hurt that Jeff could not hold himself back from chuckling

"That was not what I meant

Cole and Jack_never tire of alcohol.To talk of last they were even worse_they couldn't even give it a break,pumping in_one after the other as if they own the whole 'Delta' Co's recycle bin in their stomachs", he said in total annoyance of his friends' attitude on alcohol.For sure_the two went to the extremes_I'm very sure the tarven recorded a huge gain from their company last night.No doubt_they maybe even finished the whole stock as they were the most paying customers of the day.The pub even went on to give them some free drinks and maybe that was the reason why.sometimes I even wonder ;if what statistics say about too much alcohol is true_coz it were to be that factual_those two could have joined their ancestors a long time ago,trust me"

"Are they that wild"

"Wild is understatement mom_they are roucous and unruly when it comes to alcohol and I just fear for their young Iives_I really fear for them,especially their health mom,they're taking alcohol in a wrong perspective,it shouldn't be taken that much,like they do"

"Yeah!,you surely need to talk some sense in their heads before anything serious happen to them",she endoesed but something dawned up in her mind,just as her son's previous lines sinked in "Talking about young life son_don't you fear for yours too", she said with an arched eyebrow and her eyes deep in her son's,maybe trying to read his reaction

" I don't understand_what do you mean by that mom"

"So you don't know!...

" I don't know what????...mom"

"So in your life,you can't even feel or see anything missing"

"Nop_as far as I'm concerned, I think I've archived even more than I wished for in my life_so I don't really get what you're trying to say there",he said in a totally confused manner and his mom just shook her head 'This boy is something else',she told herself. "So you mean_everything is intact and fine to you ,with this your subdue loneliness_are you sure you don't need maybe a proper examination maybe abroad to some specialist maybe_coz this your singleness..ummm! I don't really understand it, to be honest "

"Ahhh!...I knew it!_here you go again mom with this your lousy talk, ain't you tired of it_like for real do you have any other thing in your mind these days_everyday you'll be just bringing up the same issue.Haven't l told you that I'll settle down when the time comes,it's not yet time, when the right right time comes_you'll be the first to know _so chill mom,chill"

"Chill!_you're surely telling me to chill at this point_it would have been better if I had seen even just a 'common female' friend of yours,which with the way things are going,I don't think it will happen anytime soon_and you tell me to chill_are you not even ashamed of yourself_at this your age"

"Relax mom!,and don't forget you're the one who said 'I should watch out for women coz they come in differet forms and you said most of them are heartless,ruthless and evil_remember", he protested, with an arched eyebrow

"I told you so,just for you to be careful when dealing with women,not to bound ties with them_like what you've done_ tagging every feminine you come across as malicious,that's wrong son"

"Mom,if you knew the after effects of your advice_you should have found a safer way to put it_and because of that I chose to avoid every one of them;as a preventative measure _look at me I've been a loyal son to you_have you heard any woman drama of me since_you should give me some credit mom,you really need to"

"Hayas!...", she sighed "So you mean_you're embracing this your pitiful lifestyle_even a blind toddler can notice the evident loneliness in your eyes" "And here you are bragging about your being single whilst in in actual sense_you're like a lonely deserted corpse of the early 15th century_hopeless and desolate inside out "

"I'm never lonely_how on earth can I be lonely; when I have you and Aunt Dee_it's not possible mom!",I said with some declarative firmness dismissing the fact that I've been living a totally lone lifestyle "Even if you have me or Dee_you fool!_there's still an empty gap in your life and even if you had us;doubled or tripled,that empty gap would still be empty by now" , "So stop deceiving yourself and do the right thing before it's too late_me and you know that; age is no longer on your side_you better seize this little chance left" "Hearing you,one may think that;you're talking to a 'silver jubilee' individual",I injected with a chuckle "I'm only thirty-three mom_'three three' and I'm still fresh_doubled times fresher than either a 20 or 18 year old lad_you should know better now that_ 'age is just a number to me'.She sighed arms akimbo "You should quit being to proud of yourself son_it won't take you anywhere_trust me" "But you initiated me into it!",I protested in full confidence

"Ok!...I admit that fact and.... I'm going to make amends with a hearty proposal that I know could be of good help to both of us_don't you want to hear it",

"What could that be!",I just responded without any keenness to the subject matter,with an edge of just wanting to know what it was then I retaliate without turning back

"If I tell you;will accept it...humm?!...."

"It depends with what you will say_it wouldn't be my fault to refute,if you say something gross",I had to 'clear the road first before passing'_you know,I wouldn't want her to trap me in between

"Why would lay gross statements,