the talk

we handed our menus to the waitress and settled back in our chairs with our drinks - coffee for me and iced tea for him. i leaned across the table, a bit, and cupped my mug in my hands, drawing confidence from its warmth. the restaurant was filled with the sounds of forks scraping the last bites of egg onto scraps of toast; of laughter; of shouts from the kitchen; of the espresso machine.

"i've been thinking," i said. the range of emotions which danced across his face was entrancing: terror, panic, hesitation, and, finally, resignation.

"oh ya?" he inquired, casting his gaze about the restaurant, clearly wishing he could be at any other table than the one at which he was currently seated.

"um, ya. you see..." i paused for a sip of coffee. he waited as i stirred some more sugar into the pungent brew. "you see, i sort of feel like i'm not doing a very good job at, um, equipping you for the outside world."

"phwah?" he sputtered on his tea.

"ya. i mean, you're fifteen years old. you can't do laundry, you can't cook. you never make your bed. what kind of mom have i been?"

"mom, it doesn't matter. who cares if i can't cook?" he leaned back in his seat, arm thrown over the back of chair beside him. his teen arrogance had returned now that he was sure this was a discussion that wouldn't involve personal revelations, the birds and the bees, or homework.

"no, no. i've been thinking". i stated - strongly now. "i've decided that, since you don't really do any of the chores you are *supposed* to be doing for your allowance, you can cook dinner every two weeks". i put my cup down on the table - surface catching surface with a sharp rap of finality.

"but mom.. what am i going to cook? i can't cook for grandpa and grandma - they don't like anything." petulance had entered his voice - this wasn't going according to plan at all.

"that's fine - you don't have to cook for them. just me, if you want. and, i promise, as long as you don't cook anything i'm allergic to, i'll eat it. i promise."

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this evening i dined on thai red curry with tofu and veggies. and, i must say, it was delicious.