Mother

by Phil Temples

Benny wishes desperately for his mother’s approval. She hasn’t said anything nice to him in a very long while. Mother is always unhappy about every aspect of his life––even trivial matters. She has no compunction when it comes to voicing spiteful criticism. Benny loves his mother, but their relationship is evolving into one that can be characterized as love-hate. 

“Button your top button. You can’t go out in public looking slovenly!” or, “How do you expect to find a nice girl with your hair in such disarray?” His mother’s barbs never stop.

Benny loves his mother dearly but wonders if it might be time to make a clean break, move out and become more independent. He’s not sure how she would cope living alone. Benny’s mother has taken to staying in bed all day––sometimes for days on end. Benny brings her her meals, but they go untouched. He tells her he thinks she’s wasting away but his mother responds with, “Pfft. What do you know about anything?

#

Benny brings home his new girlfriend, Susanna, to meet his mother.  He leaves them alone for just a minute when suddenly, Susanna abruptly bolts out of the house. She refuses to discuss the encounter with Benny. Susanna won’t return his calls or even come to her door when he visits. His mother swears that she was on her best behavior, but Benny knows she said something hurtful to drive Susanna away. He suspects that Mother is secretly jealous. She doesn’t want Benny to have another woman in his life––especially someone that might take away her precious son.

The arguments are happening more frequently. Tonight, Benny needs some time alone. He tells his mother he’s going out to the neighborhood bar, saying he’ll meet another nice girl and when he does, he won’t make the mistake of bringing her home.

“You’re wasting your time. You won’t find anyone! Child, I don’t know what that last girl even saw in you! You’re an idiot. And hateful, too. You disrespect me all the time. Sometimes, I wonder if you really came out of my cooch!”

Benny is enraged because he knows she’s right. He won’t meet any nice girls at the bar tonight. It’ll be filled with middle-aged men filling their bellies with empty calories and drowning their sorrows while half-watching the game on the television. Benny will be drowning his sorrows, too. Making small talk with the bartender. Wondering how to get out of the toxic relationship with his mother.

“Yeah? Well, screw you! In fact, it would serve you right if I packed my suitcase right now and never came back!”

Benny denies his mother the last word; he slams the door to her bedroom especially hard, then he cups his ear to the door in hopes he’ll hear her plead for him to come back––or maybe an anguished sob. But there’s only resounding silence. The woman has a heart of stone, he thinks, as he heads down the stairs and out the front door.

#

Benny is feeling better the next morning. He’s completely put their argument out of his mind. 

He enters his mother’s room and greets her cheerfully. He notes that the act of slamming her bedroom door the night before has shaken loose a bit of crusty material from his mother’s decaying carcass. Benny dutifully grabs a broom from the closet, sweeps up the mess and deposits it in the corner along with the mountainous pile of rotting, uneaten food. Then he heads downstairs to the kitchen to fix her a new breakfast.