Parenting
“Just check in my drawer, Mom,” he said from the other room.
She opened the drawer and stared at its contents. A pack of cigarettes stared back at her. It brought back every memory she had had with her son. She felt her heart plunge to her stomach. She had known that she would have to deal with this some day, but had hoped that day would never come. She felt despair and rage simultaneously. But she kept herself in check. She forced herself to think about herself as a teenager. Hadn’t she done the same things? How had she reacted when her parents had shown disgust at her behavior? Her teenage rebellion had led to the downfall of her relationship with her parents. She still harbored resentment against them. She couldn’t let her son feel the same way. She would have to blind-side this. He was lost now and will find himself.
“Did you find it?”
She turned and saw her son looking at her.
She shut the drawer . “ No, i don’t think it’s there.”
He frowned ‘How has she not found the cigarettes yet?’ He had expected some good old-fashioned yelling from his mother. She yelled when he keeps the remote in the wrong place, this should have sent her flying. For the past week, he had been carefully placing the cigarette pack in different parts of the house for her to find. It had been as subtle as over the cupboard and under the bed, to in his bag and now finally in his drawer-where he had urged her to look. It was absurd that she still hadn’t found them. He needed her right now. His friends all smoked and were urging him to try too. Not wanting to seem like a dork, he had taken the cigarette pack. But the only way his friends would back off is if his mother found out. None of them would want to get in trouble with her. They even called her woman hitler behind her back. They would just call him names for getting caught and that would be the end of that.
“You must have kept it some place else.” she said.
How could you smoke! That thing is a death stick!!
“I could’ve sworn it was in that drawer. Let me open it and check,” he said.
Really, are you this blind mom!
“ There is no need. I’ll check in the other room,” she said and swiftly walked out. I thought he was smarter than this. But I’ll have to bite my lip or risk losing my son forever.
He opened the drawer and stared at the stupid pack of cigarettes. He might actually light one after all.
She opened the drawer and stared at its contents. A pack of cigarettes stared back at her. It brought back every memory she had had with her son. She felt her heart plunge to her stomach. She had known that she would have to deal with this some day, but had hoped that day would never come. She felt despair and rage simultaneously. But she kept herself in check. She forced herself to think about herself as a teenager. Hadn’t she done the same things? How had she reacted when her parents had shown disgust at her behavior? Her teenage rebellion had led to the downfall of her relationship with her parents. She still harbored resentment against them. She couldn’t let her son feel the same way. She would have to blind-side this. He was lost now and will find himself.
“Did you find it?”
She turned and saw her son looking at her.
She shut the drawer . “ No, i don’t think it’s there.”
He frowned ‘How has she not found the cigarettes yet?’ He had expected some good old-fashioned yelling from his mother. She yelled when he keeps the remote in the wrong place, this should have sent her flying. For the past week, he had been carefully placing the cigarette pack in different parts of the house for her to find. It had been as subtle as over the cupboard and under the bed, to in his bag and now finally in his drawer-where he had urged her to look. It was absurd that she still hadn’t found them. He needed her right now. His friends all smoked and were urging him to try too. Not wanting to seem like a dork, he had taken the cigarette pack. But the only way his friends would back off is if his mother found out. None of them would want to get in trouble with her. They even called her woman hitler behind her back. They would just call him names for getting caught and that would be the end of that.
“You must have kept it some place else.” she said.
How could you smoke! That thing is a death stick!!
“I could’ve sworn it was in that drawer. Let me open it and check,” he said.
Really, are you this blind mom!
“ There is no need. I’ll check in the other room,” she said and swiftly walked out. I thought he was smarter than this. But I’ll have to bite my lip or risk losing my son forever.
He opened the drawer and stared at the stupid pack of cigarettes. He might actually light one after all.
The power of silence... This one makes me think a lot, Samah. It seems so...plausible.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tarun :) :) eee.
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