Too Rushed or Not Too Rushed

Too Rushed or Not Too Rushed

The last of her dozen eggs boiled and bubbled on the stove. Luckily, tomorrow was grocery day so they would be replenished. 

‘Cassandra, don’t forget to put them in cold water as soon as they’ve cooled. And add ice cubes as well.’

Her mother’s directions came to her every time she boiled eggs, or, for that matter did anything kitchen or housework related. At first it was kind of comforting but then over time her ‘inner teenager’ got just a little bit annoyed. Now, however, that voice sounded more like her own 'mother' voice. Cassandra had learned that, what sounded like her mother nagging, was really just one more life lesson. With some nagging thrown in? This time it was about hard boiled eggs. 

The back door slammed. "Mom! Is there anything to eat? I’m starving and my school lunch wasn’t enough."

Cassandra’s son was home from school. She could almost put money on what Garth would say when he came in the house. That kid was always hungry so Cassandra always tried to have something for him. Today, she hadn’t even had time to make the egg sandwiches he loved. 

"Garth, you’ll have to just eat plain boiled eggs and I’ll make you some toast. There’s cheese in the fridge and you can have a glass of cold milk with it. Are you sure it won’t spoil your supper?"

This was almost the same conversation Cassandra had had with her mother when she was going to school. It had always seemed that she couldn’t eat enough to keep up with school, dancing class, riding lessons and all the other activities she was involved in. Garth was on the football team, the soccer team  and in the winter he played hockey and was an excellent student. Sometimes it all seemed too much. Seldom any downtime at home. Just as Cassandra had learned about how to get along in this world, so was Garth learning the same things. The differences? Gender and Cassandra didn’t remember her own gym bag smelling quite so nasty and rank.

"Hi honey." Cassandra pulled Garth into a big hug. "I'm going to join you and have one of those eggs. I made myself toast too. We can sit down …….. Garth where are you going?” 

"I’ve got an extra hockey practice today. Gotta go mom!"

Just before Garth rushed out the door with his hockey bag over his shoulder and his half eaten toast in his hand, he gave his mom an extra hug and a quick kiss that landed on her ear, almost knocking her glasses off. 

"Love you, mom. ‘Bye."

“No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us.”

~ Brad Meltzer, American novelist