Free Laura's Light by Donna Gallagher

always about food. Laura smiled at the thought, reminiscing over all the home-baked cookies and milk the two had shared over the years at this very table. But suddenly Laura felt a tiredness, an all-consuming weariness that seeped to the centre of her being.
    “Mitchell, don’t leave your gym bag there—put your dirty clothes in the washing basket. How many times do I have to tell you? You’re an adult. I shouldn’t even be doing your washing anymore.”
    “Sorry, Mum. I was on my way to the laundry. But you know how the fridge always calls to me,” Mitchell said. Laura watched as her son closed the refrigerator door. He walked over and picked up his discarded bag, pulling a face as he opened the zipper. “My stuff reeks—what about I put this load on straight away, save your delicate nose from my sweaty stench?”
    Mitchell’s apology and thoughtfulness shook Laura from her bitter mood. She had spoken harshly and it wasn’t her son’s fault she was feeling low. She shouldn’t take it out on him. Shaking herself from her gloom, she stood and headed towards the fridge. She would make Mitchell some lunch to make up for her grumpiness.
    “Thanks, son. That sounds good. You start the washer and I’ll throw something together for you. Wouldn’t want you passing out from starvation, would we?”
    Laura stared into her full refrigerator, trying to find some inspiration as to what to feed her son. She could hear him moving around the laundry room, then the water coming on to fill the washer. “Just a spoonful of the washing powder, Mitchell—it’s concentrated.” She shouted out the instructions as she began pulling foodstuffs from the fridge. “What about some grilled cheese, ham and tomato? How does that sound?” She didn’t wait for Mitchell’s response—she knew him well enough to know he loved her toasties.
    “Awesome, Mum. Sounds great. Did Trev leave?” Mitchell’s voice was closer—he had obviously returned to the kitchen. Laura was pleased her back was to him as she prepared the food, so she didn’t have to mask her pain.
    “He had things to do.” Her response was clipped. Laura was not sure she could have said any more without giving away her distress.
    “Well, I gotta tell you, Mum, the Jets gossipmongers have been out in full force—got ribbed by all the guys this morning about you and Trev having dinner at Mia’s. Gosh, you can’t sneeze these days without someone knowin’ about it. Anyway, the guys were giving me shit about how now that my mum and Trevor had hooked up I’d be getting heaps of good press. They were sayin’ stuff like I wouldn’t even have to play all that good and my new daddy would edit the footage to make me look like a star. Pfft! As if I need any help to be a star—I’m a natural.”
    Laura was only just holding it together. Mitchell was confirming her worst fears. She had been gossiped about—his teammates all knew that she had been out with Trevor. The clichéd desperate older woman chasing a younger man—what did they call it, a pity fuck? And now that it was all over, they would also know that he had rejected her. More gossip. More gossip about Mitchell’s single mother.
    She was filled with shame, so caught up in her own thoughts that she not only hadn’t picked Mitchell up on his swearing, but hadn’t noticed she was burning the food.
    “Mum… Mum. Are you okay? Umm, I think something is burning.” Laura felt Mitchell push past her, watched as he removed the tray from under the heat. She blanched as she realised that he had probably burnt his hands on the hot tray because she was wearing the oven mitt.
    “Ouch… Ouch… That’s hot.”
    Laura turned the cold water tap on and grabbed her son’s hands, pulling them under the water to ease the pain of his burns. They didn’t seem to be bad, but she had to do something. Hopefully the water will work better on his pain than the shower worked on mine , she thought sadly. A sob escaped her mouth