Page 45 of Praising Haru

I won’t be. Thanks for checking in. Take care.

I slide my phone into my pocket and jog downstairs. Mum is putting shopping away in the kitchen, so I help her in silence until the reusable bags are empty.

She kisses my forehead. “Thank you, sweetheart. Any news today?”

My gut twists. “One ‘thanks but no thanks’ email. That’s all.”

“You’ll find something soon.”

“Yeah, I hope so. Is there anything you need me to do?”

She laughs. “Cook dinner so I can put my feet up?”

“I can do that.” I pinch my brows. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just finding jobs for you. I know you hate twiddling your thumbs.”

I do. “Well, feel free to put me to work while I’m here. Anything you need doing, I’m your guy. Unless it involves reaching high things.”

Mum laughs. “I’ll get your dad to do those jobs.”

Dad is almost six feet tall, Mum is a petite five-foot-one. Whenever they get photos taken together, they either find some steps for Mum to stand on, or Dad bends his knees so the height difference between them is less obvious. It’s so cute. It’s one of the myriad ways they prove how in love they are every day.

She strokes my hair behind my ear. “You know you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, don’t you?”

I don’t miss that she said ‘want’, not ‘need’. “Yeah, I know, thanks.”

“You haven’t failed or taken a step backwards. You’re in a bad situation through no fault of your own.”

“I know that too.” Not that it makes me feel any better about it.

“Your dad and I were talking.”

Uh-oh.

“Why don’t you take the time to find your dream job? Don’t settle for the first one that comes along. We know supermarket clothing wasn’t your passion.”

“No, but it was fun, and it paid the bills.”

“You don’t need to worry about bills while you’re here, and there’s no rush for you to leave.”

“You just want me to stay longer.”

She hugs me. “Yes. But we also want you to soar, sweetheart. Let us be your safety net while you learn how to fly.”

I sniff as I return her embrace. “That was beautiful.”

“I meant every word.”

“I know. But I’m not going to take advantage. I’ll find a new job. Soon. It might be a stepping-stone job, but that’s okay.” I’m doing it again. Glass half full. Kyle’s attitude is rubbing off on me. And my thoughts have gone somewhere they shouldn’t while I’m hugging my mum. I pull away. “What time do you want me to cook?”

“Your dad will be home by six.”

“Got it. I’m going to check my email.”

I hightail it out of the kitchen before Mum can get another word in and go to my room. Even though Kyle is at work, I still send him a text.

You’ll get me into trouble.