Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
When I reached the table, I was happy to see my mom had everything laid out and ready for my arrival. The dish of Mom’s homemade mac and cheese was in the center of the table and was still steaming, fresh from the oven. It was a wonderful feeling about all the problems at the office today. I was glad to know I would be eating something so comforting with someone I trusted with my life.
“You’ve outdone yourself, Mom,” I told her as I sniffed the air. “It smells amazing.”
“Nothing but the best for my boy,” she remarked as she took a seat. “I made plenty so feel free to have seconds or I can pack some up for you to take home.”
I sat down and smiled over at her before digging in. “That sounds great.”
After that, the two of us ate the creamy, rich food with relish and we shared small talk. Mom told me about a new embroidery project she’d started working on and I filled her in on a new television show I’d started a few days ago. I thought I was acting just like my usual self, but clearly, I was wrong. Mom noticed something was up.
“Griffin, darling, what’s bothering you?” she asked me out of nowhere as she rested her fork down on the wooden table and turned her gray eyes on me. “You’re looking ever so worn out today.”
“Is it that obvious?” I asked with a frown. I thought I’d gotten good at hiding my true feelings, but evidently not. I sighed and leaned back in my chair before running a hand through my hair.
“I’m your mother, it’d be weird if I didn’t notice something was wrong,” she pointed out. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Griffin, but I want you to know I’m always here for you.” She reached out and put a hand on my own. It was so small and frail that it reminded me of everything my mother had been through over the years. I couldn’t let her take on my own worries too.
“It’s nothing, Mom,” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s just that the company I work for, Enviropak, had been bought out by some new owners and well…” I trailed off and sighed as I looked down at the glass of water in front of me. “It looks like there are going to be some changes coming to the office… I’m worried they might get rid of me.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle, Griffin,” my mom replied with a wide smile. “You wouldn’t be where you are today if you can’t manage a few changes here and there!”
“You’re right,” I acquiesced. “Still, it makes me nervous.”
“Well, you’re an excellent employee, Griffin, you always have been,” my mom pointed out. “They’d be a fool not to keep you where you are. You never know, these changes could be for the better. They might even promote you!” She looked so pleased as she encouraged me and gave me the pep talk I needed to hear. It was lovely to see her so animated.
“Thank you, Mom, you’re my biggest cheerleader like always,” I said with a smile. “But I think that’s just the problem. You see, the new owner isn’t really concerned with performance or leadership skills.”
Mom looked at me like I was crazy. “What? But he should be. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I know, I know, it’s really strange,” I admitted. “The thing is, the new owner is a family man and he wants all of his upper management team to be family men too.” I rolled my eyes a little and let out a huff of breath. In all honesty, I thought the whole thing was absurd. What kind of boss cared whether I was married or not?
But when I glanced over at my mother, I realized she was nodding.
“That sounds like a good thing to me,” she said. “After all, Griffin, I do want grandchildren someday you know! If you wait much longer, I’m going to be far too old to play with them.”
The smile on my face vanished. I couldn’t believe that my mother of all people was saying this to me. Did we not grow up in the same house? Did she not remember what my childhood was like? Why on Earth would I want a replay of that?
“Well, you know I’ve been too busy with work to really date, let alone think about children,” I explained with a sad shrug as I looked back down at the table. “My job has been really important to me.”
“Of course,” she replied and put a gentle hand on my arm. “I know that your career is very important to you, but other things in life can be just as important too.” She paused for a moment. “Like having a family.”