Stay

A soft smile tugged at Sylvia's pink lips as she stepped into her son's room with a big white laundry basket on her hip. Like all other teenage boys who were developing into grown men, his room stunk with the remnants of puberty and old gym socks. She shook her head, her soft smile fading as the bittersweet emotions danced in and out of her heart. She could remember when this room smelled like nothing, and her worst complaint was him leaving his legos spread all over the floor for her step on. Now, he was taller than her, with a voice that deepened with age, and off to college once the summer ended.

She set the laundry basket onto his bed and started to pick up his dirty clothes, tossing them into the basket. Her fingers grazed his many baseball awards on a dresser as she picked up a stray pair of his boxers he had carelessly thrown off and landed on top on the dresser. She could feel the salty tears rimming her eyes as she thought about his new chapter starting once summer was over. Autumn would come, and Alex would go, and she would be all alone. A stray tear fell at the realization.

Alex was freshly eighteen and headed off to college, leaving his childhood bedroom, and her, behind. Her fingers ran gingerly over the pictures of him that he had sitting on his dresser; one of him holding up a fish he had caught with his father, a few of him and her sharing tender moments, and a new one that she had just noticed: him and his friends on their graduation day. He was very handsome, she thought, inheriting his father's boyish good looks, square jaw, and big perfect smile. He had a charming mole on his chin that Sylvia had always adored, and loved to kiss when he was a little boy. She watched as his featured matured through the pictures, with the most recent sporting a bit of facial hair on his chin and upper lip. "I need to make copies of this." She reminded herself out loud, picking up the graduation picture and tossing it on top of the clothes inside the basket.

She could hear Alex galloping up the stairs with all of his young, sporty energy, whooping and hollering in celebration to something she couldn't place since his voice was muffled by the walls. She snatched her sleeve up to her eye and quickly wiped her tears then turned to face the door just as he burst through it.

"Mom?" Alex asked, dropping a football near the door as he continued into his room. He looked at the bundle of clothes in the laundry hamper, with his photo resting on top. "I told you, I'd get the laundry, Mom. I'm gonna have to learn how to do it anyway. You're not always gonna be there."

"What's all that noise for?" She asked with a smirk and an eyebrow raised.

He grinned, his chest swelling with pride as he dropped his backpack onto a chair pulled out from his work desk. "The guys and I found a house near campus! It's so nice, it's newly renovated! And it's big enough for all five of us." He beamed. "And I already made you copies of my picture so... yeah." He pointed to the basket.

"Since when were you looking for a house?" Sylvia asked, frozen with shock. She could barely handle her son growing so fast before her eyes, and now he was planning on leaving? She couldn't bear it.

"I thought I told you! That's where I've been all day! Davy just dropped me off."

"You know it doesn't have to be that way, Ali-Bear." Sylvia sighed, grasping the picture housed in the black wooden frame out of the laundry basket and setting neatly back on his dresser. "You could stay here, live rent-free. Save some money. You could buy a house when you're finished with school, baby. Don't you want to get ahead?"

"Mooom," Alex sighed, throwing himself onto his bed in annoyance. The laundry basket bounced off of the bed and onto the floor, toppling all of the clothes Sylvia had just picked up. "The guys and I already talked about the house we found. We could all split the rent, and I make more than enough from my job at the bank. Plus, my sports page is picking up. My Google stats are climbing!"

"All the more reason for you to stay here." Sylvia sighed in slight annoyance, squatting down to pick up the basket and refill it with all of the dirty clothes. "Tell you what. I'll match every dollar you save. After 4 years of saving you could probably buy a house, cash. Especially if your baseball career takes off."

"No, Mom. That's money that Dad left for you, I can't take that from you." He shook his head, stretching out on his stomach like a lazy cat, opening his mouth for a big, wide yawn. "You've been talking about buying that beach house you guys always wanted. I think you should do that while I'm gone." He folded his arms and laid his head on them, his shiny, light brown hair falling over his eyes.

"I know, honey." Sylvia sighed, standing up and sitting next to him on the bed. She ran her hands through his silky hair, pushing it out of his face. "We talked about it all the time, but now that he's gone, I don't know if it would be the same without him." She instinctively started to massage his scalp, her fingers getting lost in his soft chestnut waves. He had hair just like his father; perfect. It was bouncy, silky and was the envy of all the women around him. It fell in in wisps on either side of his face, like the lead of a boy band or teenage heartthrob.

"Yeah, it's still weird that he's not here anymore." Alex agreed, his eyelids flickering to a close. Thick, dark lashes fanned out against his high cheekbones and Sylvia snorted; she always did wish she had Alex's long, thick lashes.

"You have to know that he would be so proud of you. You're going to school on an athletic scholarship. Our baby got a full ride playing baseball just like he said you would." Sylvia was glowing, unable to contain her pride for her only son. She grinned at him, blinking back tears. "You really should stay here, Ali-Bear." She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled her hand back to her lap. "You really have such an opportunity to grow here."

"Mom. I'll be fine." Alex didn't bother opening his eyes. "The campus isn't far away from the house-"

"All the more reason for you to stay here." Sylvia stressed, trying to mask how she was pleading for him to stay.

"I can come visit you, every weekend Mom. No. I want the chance to live on my own with the guys for once."

Sylvia sighed in exasperation and stood up, picked up the laundry basket, blinking back her tears of frustration. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."

"Mom!" Alex called out to her sympathetically, knowing he had hurt her feelings, but she ignored him. She shut the door behind her and could hear her making her way downstairs.

Sylvia huffed, walking into the laundry room, overturning the basket and dumping its contents into the washing machine. She tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths as she measured the liquid detergent into a little plastic cup and poured it on the clothes in, going around in big, distracted circles. She closed the lid of the washing machine softly and pressed start.

He is so ungrateful! She fumed to herself, setting the basket on top of the washer. She washed her hands in a small sink next to her and walked out of her laundry room and into her kitchen.

She smiled, running her hands along the countertop of her kitchen island, reminiscing the times when Alex was younger. He would sit atop, his eyes bright with curiosity and wonder as she would mix Sunday morning's waffle batter. He would always stick his finger into it, and he would always he scolded for it. She smiled sadly. He's just like you, Bill. Hard-headed, and stubborn. Always wanting to go his own way. She grasped the locket around her neck that housed the small picture of all three of them in it happily and closed her eyes, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes and running down her cheeks. I'm not ready to lose him too...

Sylvia, despite being in her late forties, was still incredibly beautiful. Although her thick red-brown hair was starting to streak with silver, and her once taut waistline was starting to fill out, she still had incredible D cup breasts that sat large and round on her chest. Since having Alex, her hips had widened, giving her much-appreciated curves. Her piercing green eyes had started to line with crows feet but all in all, Sylvia still had the majority of her youth in her looks, something she was very proud of. Even though she got lots of male attention while out and about, she often faltered. Never returning the calls, never giving out her number, never taking the men up on dates. She was solely focused on the well being of her son.

She turned the dial on a small radio on the corner of the countertop, enveloping the room with the soft Motown grooves that she and Bill had once adored. She could remember dancing with him to many songs the old-school radio station played as she pulled out her wooden cutting board. She turned towards the fridge and started to prepare dinner, pulling out an assortment of vegetables and thick, bright orange cuts of salmon. Alex's favorite. He adored her garlic salmon and it was something he often begged for.

She grinned excitedly, knowing that her son just couldn't resist his favorite meal. As she went to rinse the asparagus, she swayed her hips to the beat of the song, shaking off the water from the bright green vegetable and setting it on her cutting board. "He's going to absolutely die." She said to herself out loud, thrilled.

Alex came walking down the stairs meekly. "Mom, I just want to say I'm sor- Are you making garlic salmon?" His tone suddenly changed to excitement as he saw the array of ingredients all over the kitchen island.

"Yes, baby, I am. I thought you wouldn't mind that," She smiled sweetly, cupping his face with the palm of her hand as he sat down on the bar stool in front of the kitchen island. "What were you saying though?"

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I know you miss dad a lot, and it helps with me being here..." He paused.

Sylvia held her breath, her body tense with the excitement. Her eyes brightened, although she tried to mask the anticipation of him finally telling her that he was going to stay, she could barely contain herself.

"It's just that you've taken such good care of me. I know it's hard without dad. I want to be a man now. But I promise that I will come and visit you every single weekend. I'll stay during every holiday, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving. But I guess..." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just want to know what independence feels like. There's no men in the house, Mom. I want to be around my boys."

Sylvia deflated, her smile slowly diffusing into a slight frown. No, no, no... She gulped, her mind racing. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and took a deep breath.

"I don't know, Alex. It's great that you are so eager for manhood, but you're only eighteen. Embrace your youth. There will be plenty of time for you to be a man when you've saved up enough to buy yourself a house. Just think, son. You could meet yourself a nice young lady at college and once you two graduate together, you could marry her and buy her a nice house. Or a loft out in the city like you've always wanted. You could get your entire future jump-started, if you would just stay home."

"No college girl is going to want to date a guy who still lives at home with his mom, Mom!" He sighed a little louder than he had meant to. "All the girls I know won't. I'll be the laughing stock of freshmen year!"

Sylvia huffed, blowing hot, disheartened air out of her nose. "You're a baseball star. None of those girls are going to care if you live at home with your mom. They just want to sleep with an athlete." She said honestly. "But if that's how you feel, being at home will help you weed out your future groupies." She rolled her eyes.

Alex sighed, knowing she was somewhat right. He had broken records in high school and proudly accepted a full scholarship to the school of his dreams. Living so close to the campus, he and his dad would always rise early in the morning and watch the baseball tryouts and practices together. Now, on the cusp of his own dream, he knew he was starting to receive a different, and often special kind of treatment from the ladies in his class.

Although he was always handsome, once it was announced that he would be accepting a scholarship to the prestigious school known for giving birth to world-famous athletes, women starting coming on to him more. He had women throwing themselves at him, giving him blowjobs, hand jobs and everything else they could give him in the attempt to grow closer to him. Alex was a level headed young man, but it didn't stop his sexual appetite. In truth he did have thoughts of eventually settling down like his father did, hopefully finding a nice woman like his mother and living his dream out with her. He gritted his teeth, thinking about how all of that was going to go down the drain if he stayed at home during what were supposed to be the best years of his life.

"I just don't want to be at home anymore, Mom." He looked up at her with pleading eyes, begging her to understand.

Sylvia fell silent, her anger, sadness and frustration clouding the room up in a thick fog of tension. She tossed the salmon pieces into a glass bowl then scooped the fresh garlic she was cutting onto her knife. Running her finger down it, the fragrant herb started to fill the room as it fell over the salmon.

"Mom. Please. Say something."

"I just don't understand why you don't want to stay here. You know the guys are always welcome over here. I remodeled the entire basement into a giant man cave for you and your friends. You have everything you could ever want here. So help me understand, Alexander. Help me understand. You've got a wonderful roof over your head, with a big room with a view, a live-in cook, a live-in maid because you surely do not do your laundry, or pick up after yourself. " Sylvia poured olive oil into the glass bowl, watching as it flung carelessly all over the raw fish. "

"I mean, yeah, but-"

"You get three hot meals every single day. You have a pool, you have a gym, you have so many things your father built and left for you- for us- in this house. Why would you want to give all of that up? Why? I'm offering you the chance to be able to focus on your education. To focus on your career. You don't have to worry about bills, because I already pay them. You don't have to worry about rent, because your father and I already paid this house off. You don't have to worry about groceries, because I buy them. I am offering you something any other young man would kill to be able to have, Alex, baby. Why do you want to struggle?" Sylvia began frustratedly throwing seasonings and spices into the glass bowl with the salmon, wilding mixing the contents up with her hands. "You want to give all of that up for a house with three or four other young men who probably also can't cook or clean."

"I wouldn't be struggling, mom! I make enough money!" Alex's voice was raising out of irritation. "And once I land this sponsorship, I'll be able to pay off rent in advance. I wish you would just listen to me."

Sylvia took a deep breath. "I am listening to you, baby. I am just trying to understand why. What if I bought you a car?"

"What?" Alex asked, thrown off by the question. They both knew that he had been saving for a car and Sylvia had actually encouraged him to save to make that first big purchase on her own. Alex wondered why the sudden change of heart. Surely, she wasn't that desperate to keep him home when he had already promised to see her every weekend, a promise he intended to keep.

"Yeah." Sylvia shrugged, turning around and placing a skillet on to the stovetop. "You can save all that money, and I'll buy you a car. I'll even pay the insurance for the first six months. What do you think? With a car, it will be a lot easier for you to see your friends. You guys could go on those little road trips I hear you talking about in the basement all the time. You could make it to and from campus a lot easier too. I'll buy you one, if you just stay home."

"A car." Alex repeated incredulously.

"Yep." Sylvia leaned back, supporting herself on the handle of the oven with her arms. "We can go right now and buy one right off the lot."

"So let me get this straight. You want to buy me a car just so I'll stay here with you."

"Not here with me," Sylvia lied. "I just think you are already blessed to have received a full ride. Why not keep saving money? All the money you make at the bank, and with your social media can go straight into your future. It's something to fall back on in case you don't go pro right away, or you get injured. Anything can happen Ali-Bear. I just want you to be prepared."

"I can't accept a car from you mom. The public transit by the house is great, anyway. It would just be a waste of your money."

Sylvia sucked her teeth, picking up the glass bowl of salmon and placing the filets, one by one, into the heated skillet. She sighed, the delicious fragrance perfuming the kitchen. She turned around, putting the asparagus on a sheet tray before sprinkling them with salt and pepper. "Having a car is a great investment."

"And when I'm ready to make that investment, I will." Alex's voice was rising as the frustration in him started to bubble below the surface. He shook his head. "Why is it so hard for you to let me go?" He asked. "You can even come check out the house right now if you want to. I'll even text the landlord."

Why is it so hard for you to let me go?

The words echoed through Sylvia's ears and floated around her mind. Tears rimmed up in her eyes as she quickly turned and placed the asparagus-filled baking tray into the oven. Because I can't lose you too. She replied to him in her mind, the silence awkward in the kitchen as she didn't answer him. "It's not about letting you go. It's about advising you to make smart," She pulled a drawer out and snatched out a pair of tongs. "Financial decisions." She clicked the tongues in her hands and then went to flip the salmon, now golden brown and perfectly cooked on one side. She sprinkled a bit more olive oil into the pan, along with some pepper flakes and a small square of butter. "I won't always be here, Alex. Why not just kill two birds with one stone? Save lots of money, and get to spend some time with your mom before you run off, get married, and start begging me to watch my grandkids?" She chuckled.

Alex smiled. "It's not like I won't still see you, mom. It's not that I don't love the house. It's just that... I want the chance to be on my own. Feel like an adult." He tried to explain softly. He truly loved his mother and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, which is what he felt like this sudden conversation was doing. He stood up from the bar stool he was sitting on and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. Towering over her, Sylvia only came to his shoulders. She reached up and cupped his face.

"Hey. Dinner's almost ready. Go get washed up."

"Alright!" He grinned, looking at the salmon in the skillet, his mouth practically watering. As he walked away, Sylvia placed the fully cooked salmon onto a plate and covered it with aluminum foil. Alex's strong legs went thundering up the staircase and soon she heard the shower water running.

She sighed deep. After turning the over and stove off, she followed his trail up the stairs. She entered the bathroom where she saw Alex sitting on the toilet seat, his gorgeous, muscular, tanned body nude with his phone in his head. He was looking for his shower playlist when he dropped his phone with surprise and shock.

"Mom! What are you doing in here? Get out!" He yelled.