I wake up at nine and yawn lazily.

"I'm a mess." I couldn't get enough sleep after what happened yesterday. Replaying the whole twenty four hour event, the baking, my father leaving, Naven, my mother. I don't believe I can look at my mother's face at the moment. I try to go back to sleep but I fail miserably. After a while I give up and get up.

I go to the kitchen and I find my mother sitting on one of the counter chairs with a cup coffee in her hand. She looks at me and smile, but I could tell she isn't happy at all. The smile didn't reach her eyes. They are bloodshot and there are dark circles under them. Her hair is messy, and all the signs that she did not have a good bedtime sleep. That may result to her knowing that I left the house yesterday.

"Hey." I say cheerfully hoping to lighten the gloomy and silent atmosphere.

"Hey." She gives me a weak smile.

I walk over to grab the cereal from the cupboard above the cooking stove.

"Cereal?"

"No, thanks." She half smile.

"Mama?"

"Huh?"

"I been thinking..."

"I'm listening."

"How about we start going to see a therapist?" I half smile too.

My mother's rests her cup on the counter.

"Sweetie you know I'm looking for jobs. I mean somebody has to maintain this household with your father gone and everything I don't see why I should wasting my time going to see a therapist if I could just use that time to do something productive for the both of us like getting a job." She shrugs.

"Yea I hear you."

"I mean I totally understand where you coming from here."

"Then why aren't you considering going?"

"Dale!"

"Have you at least thought about it?"

"Oh yes I have, a lot of times. Dale we don't have money to just throw around in fact we don't have money at all. If I don't find a job anytime soon you might as well consider your ass kicked out of school."

"Yea." I open the fridge to cup the gallon of milk. "Where's the milk?"

"It's out."

"I can go and buy it."

"Look inside my coffe and tell me what you see." I comply.

"Nothing but black coffee."

"Have you ever seen me drink black tea."

"No." Come to think of it I have never seen my mother drink dark tea, her tea always has milk. "Your point is?"

"My point is we don't have money Dale Mayfield." No milk?

"No milk?"

"No! No money to buy milk." She sips her tea. "Today we were supposed to buy the grocery with your father but..."

"Mama it's okay I understand. We'll live." My mother rests her hand above mine on the counter.

"That is why I love you. You are always optimistic about everything and you are not demanding."

"You mean a spoiled brat?"

"Yea that, a spoiled brat."

"No." We burst into laughter.

Her laughter sounds magically but still held deep emotions.

"Let me go shower and when I'm done we are going to start cooking."

"I don't feel like cooking today."

"But you are going to cook."

"No..."?

"Yes!" I slowly walk backwards to the bathroom yelling Yes to my mother all the way.

I take a quick shower and quickly brush my teeth before my mother turns my offer down. After a few I dressed and rush back to the kitchen.

"Done!"

"Whoa that was super fast."

"I'm clean, okay."

"I never said otherwise." I know she thinks I didn't actually get in the water.

"It's only been ten minutes."

"Okay." She lays her elbows on the table and let's her chin fall on her hands. "So...what do you want to eat?"

"I don't know."

"Me too. How about chicken and rice."

"Yes that sounds great mama. So where the pots at?"

"Oh brother today is going to be a long day."

"Cheer up. Pots and pans" I wiggle my shoulders.

"What are you doing?" She laughs till her head falls back. "As soon as I get a job I'm signing you up for dance classes." I join her.

"I miss this."

"Me too. The pots are in the last drawer under the stove." She clearly doesn't want to dwell much on this conversation so I just nod.

"You sit there ma'am I'll do everything today."

"You sure you don't need any help?"

"I'm crystal sure madam."

"Huh." She finishing her coffee with the corner of my right eye I spark her jaw clench and his dark eyebrows rise a little.

"Tea madam?"

"Certainly my young man."

The rest of the day is filled with motivation words, beautiful poetry and flying chickens. My mother laughed so hard when I flipped the chicken so high that it all fell on my feet. ***

"I have an idea."

"Oh no."

"Let's call Elaine."

"Goodness. That is a good idea." My mother sounds relieved.

Elaine picks up on the second ring.

"Elaine?"

"Hey weirdo."

"Still sassy I see?"

"Call it whatever you want. Anyways where is mama?"

"No how are you?" She sighs.

"How are you Dale?"

"I'm pretty good actually."

"Nice. How is school? You coping?"

"School is dope?"

"Dope?'

"Means cool."

"I know it means cool I just never heard you use that word before. Your new school is really fucking you up."

I used the word because Nav used it a lot yesterday.

"Hey." My mother scolds Elaine.

"Sorry mama. Hey how have you been? I have missed you guys? You good?"

"Whoa. Hang on" my mother and I laugh at her hundred questions. "We have been good my dear how's you and your father?"

"We are okay but I must say College life is very..."

"Hectic?"

"You read my mind like you always do mama." After fifty minutes pass of my mother and Elaine talking over the phone my mother decides to tell Elaine that I'm cooking.

"Embrace yourself to eat burnt food mama."

"Dale flipped the chicken and it all fell on his feet." They joyously laugh at me.

"What? Who flips chicken?"

"I don't know too Elaine probably weirdos."

"Mama!"

"Uh-huh" they both say at the same time.

"Hey I'm still learning you know."

"Speaking of learning where is dad?" Elaine just had to fuck it up.

"He...he...he...well." my mother stutters on the phone.

"He is at work."

"That is cute. Tell him that my dad and I send our greetings."

"We will. Talk to you later."

"Bye mama bye chef flying chicken."

"Bye Elaine." We say together and hang up.

"What a good phone call."

"Yea. Glad you like it."