“It was time for you to get out of bed. You sleep too late. Both of you,” my mother admonished, while she spooned eggs onto her plate.
“I lead a hard life,” Antony said with a mocking sigh.
“Your brother’s life is harder,” my mother said.
She wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t fair of her to hold my brother to that standard.
“Mom, Antony works hard. And mostly during the evenings. Give him a break.”
“And if he wasn’t working during the evenings, Romeo, he could be dating.”
“You mean giving you grandchildren?” I asked.
“That, too. But when he’s married. That’s how this family operates.”
“That’s why I wrap it,” Antony said.
A spoon went flying at my brother’s head.
“Watch that mouth of yours,” my mother said. “No wonder women don’t stick around with you.”
“Not my fault they can’t handle the animal inside,” Antony said as he laughed.
“You two are hopeless,” she said.
“Hopelessly in love with you, Mom,” I said with a smile.
She put her hand on my shoulder and massaged it, communicating all the love in the world. That was what she did. She was as hard as they came when raising us. No tears. Harsh punishments. She was heavy-handed with the spankings. But when she put her hand on our shoulder and looked down into our eyes, we knew. All the words she never said because of the hard life she’d lived alongside Father, and all the things she had to keep silent on because my father had done this family a disservice, it had marred her. Scarred her like it had all of us.
But that one gesture reassured me that she was there.
Our mother.
Strong. Mature. Dominant. Protective. A guiding light in our family.
Julia had reminded me of her last night.
“Now you boys eat up,” Mom said. “You’ve got long days ahead of you.”
“Yep. A long day of napping before my shift starts at seven,” Antony said.
“I have to get out of here within the hour,” I said.
“See? Ten o’clock is useless for a chef,” my mother said.
I rolled my eyes and took a bite of my eggs before I felt my mother looming over me.
“Did you roll your eyes at me?” she asked.
Antony chuckled and shook his head as I wiped my mouth off with my napkin.
“Never,” I said with a grin. “I love you too much.”
“Uh-huh. Eat. You’re a big boy. Nourish yourself.”
And I did as ordered as Antony shot me a look.
“What?” I asked.