Chapter 32

First week of October – Friday afternoon

It was 3PM in the afternoon. Charles was working on his mom's shop the whole day. He didn't sleep the whole night but he worked the whole day as if he wasn't tired. He even skipped going to see his friends for his lunch break. At the moment he was working on the aisle for writing equipments, like paper pads, pencils, pens, easers and those kind of stuff. As Charles was working, his mom approached him.

"Charles are you ok??" Sara asked him.

"I'm fine mom!!" Charles said in an annoyed tone.

"You didn't eat the whole day. You never took your break? Is something in your mind? Are you ok sweetie??" Sara asked him in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine mom. Just have a lot in my mind, that's all," Charles responded in a 'can-you-leave-me-alone' kind of tone.

"Well honey if something is bothering you, you know you can come and talk to me!!" Sara said to him.

Charles kept on working, not even looking towards his mom's direction. Sara left him, deciding that he wanted to be alone right now.

For Charles, as long as he kept working, he felt that he was doing something worthwhile. Working did something for his damaged ego. He felt like a soldier who kept on going stronger and stronger, regardless how tough the enemy was. As for who was the enemy: Ivy.

When he finished work, he followed his mom back home. His mom let him spend the entire evening playing video game on their television set. Sara knew that Charles was feeling upset about something. He didn't want to talk about it. She decided to let him have fun with the tv for tonight. Charles was playing with his PS3 for hours and hours until 3AM in Saturday morning. Charles was so tired that he just slept there on the lounge sofa.

When it was Saturday morning, Sara woke up around 9AM. She cooked breakfast for herself and ate at the dining hall. She decided not to wake Charles up and ask him to come to work with her today. After breakfast, she went to the lounge to take a peek at him. He was there sleeping on the sofa. And he was sleeping without a blanket.

Sara wasn't going to wake him up. Instead she was just going to get dressed for work. She thought about his friend Thomas who often came to visit him at their shop. If Thomas came and asked why Charles didn't show up for work, she would tell him that he wanted to be alone right now and that she had given her own son the day off.

When Sara was finished dressing up, she left the house and got into her car, driving off to work. While she was driving on the road, she was thinking of what she could do for her son and help him out with whatever problems he was having. After all, she was his mother who loved him with all her heart.