There was only a knock on the door before the corridor light invaded his cool, air-conditioned room and woke up Jonas. A groan of annoyance escaped him. He heard the intruding steps before her voice.
"Sorry, my laptop isn't booting up. I need to use your printer." His mother's voice. Then came the movement of the chair's wheels and the clicking of the mouse.
Complaints gathered on his tongue, but Jonas chose to sigh them away. He reached for the phone on the bedside table and squinted at the number on the screen, It showed five and a bit in the morning. He had gone asleep only a bit before three.
Aggrieved, Jonas prayed--' Damn it, Lord, illuminate this insane woman.' He knew the typing and clicking of the mouse would keep him from going back to sleep. Reluctantly, he sat up on the bed to look at his mother.
Miriam typed calmly. His eyes roamed over her. She was wearing tight-fitting gym clothes and still had sweat drying on her skin.
'What in the...' Jonas thought, incredulous. He threw the bedsheets aside and moved to the edge of the bed "Working out before the sunrise now? You need to do less for your health, not more."
Focused on reading something on the screen while the printer worked, Miriam didn't turn her head to speak. "If you don't catch the day by surprise... It catches you."
Without a shirt and wearing thin shorts with no underwear underneath, Jonas shook his head before yawning loudly. He couldn't accept that reason. He exercises by ten or later in the night. The gym is nearly empty by that time. Plus, you get to sleep soon after, instead of facing the whole day ahead.
He parted his lip to argue the point but Miriam threw a brick on the conversation. "You're planning to gain citizenship in Europe through Ana? You want to move from the country?"
'What? What is she on about?' Jonas thought, then widened his eyes.
Miriam calmly turned the chair around, facing him. She brought one leg atop the other while donning a calm but unblinking pair of eyes. The printer had done its job and stopped the noise. You could only hear the hum of the AC now.
Jonas's eyes darted to the computer screen. He forgot. He hadn't turned off the computer before going to sleep, he had just let the screen rest. And...He left a document open.
When planning for the future, Jonas is used to typing goals he might want to realize. Then, when well-rested and clear-minded, he'd sift through them and organize things. He believed this removed superficial wants out of his system.
Miriam had just read the before picture.
'This might be bad' He thought. His mother had gone through a few things in life, sure, the woman had pulled through and achieved success out of pure spite for his grandfather and love for him, her son. Yet, Jonas knew she wasn't made of steel.
For her to think of this as him truly wanting to move away from her was possible. He could see it on her. She seemed relaxed all around her form, casually waving her foot with an easy smile that seemed to shine peace.
He didn't buy that for a second. She was rattled. Something like guilt prickled him in the chest because of it. Jonas knew she only had him and his Grandmother left. He didn't want her to misunderstand things and get hurt.
Though a bit forced, he laughed. "That one interested you? You should see the others. In one of them, I open a pet store, solely out of the cuteness of a chinchilla a friend of mine has. Thoughts that sprout at three in the morning while hopped up on caffeine can't be relied on."
Mirian's eyes remained steady. He awkwardly coughed and continued.
"That only got there because Ana had spoken about some vacations she had when young. I got enamored with the image it conjured in my head. Who moves away so easily? Even Ana's family who have roots there couldn't cope with the weather and returned to Brazil."
He paused to yawn, then put on a lazy smile
"I have too much here, my IT business, friends, and most of my network in the professional area are in this country. If my business fails, my safety nets are all here, Plus-"
He got up from the bed walked up to her and leaned down. He kissed his Mother's forehead. "I know mom prefers the tropical weather, you wouldn't want to come with me. And how can I go without you?"
His smile was wide and sincere. Miriam stared at him with a lazy smile of her own. "Am I a child?" She said.
Something Jonas didn't recognize flashed in her eyes. It made the hairs of his nape stand up.
She picked the printed documents; "Abandonment isn't my concern." She said. "You don't need to tiptoe around me like this. It's just that, for a moment, I thought you wanted to go there to make money. You know, that you developed some ambition."
Her tone had a bit of mocking to it at the end. Jonas waved his hands dismissively while yawning carelessly.
"That could never be me. I'm the guy who gave away the option of getting rich after a few years of breaking my back in exchange for a monthly percentage of my own business. God bless the invention of general managers."
She seemed amused at his shamelessness before getting up and walking away.
"You're okay, right?" he asked softly.
She stopped at the doorframe and smiled. "I'm not made of glass. Besides--" Her eyes turned sharp, while the smile became a grin that unsettled him. "You're lazy, I'm not. If I work to keep you here,--you'll never even want to leave."
She walked away, leaving a frown on Jonas's face.
His mother didn't seem hurt, and that soothed the prickle of guilt on his chest. But her eyes... It was filled with ill intent.
********-----------------------&&------------------------********
A tranquil breakfast.
Just a bit after the clock reached eight in the morning, Jonas stepped onto the corridor fresh out of the shower, donning jeans and a white t-shirt, He took slow, hesitating steps towards the kitchen, where his mother and grandma had already started breakfast.
His mother was insidious when angry, though she wouldn't do much to him, he was her son, not a stranger. Though she sure knew how to break his peace apart.
Jonas hid the apprehension away and walked through the kitchen with confidence.
Only his Grandma was there, staring at him. "There's no cheese left." She said while putting the last slice of mozzarella on her sub. Jonas narrowed his eyes.
She shrugged, "Wake up earlier next time, little boy."
He made a face at her, then turned and opened the fridge to see what to make for himself. "Mom?" He asked while picking things and putting them on the table.
"Haven't seen her yet, she might've gone to work already. If she did, can you take me to the park? The ladies want to have some tea today."
