I.

That night, a drop of cool sweat trickled down the slope of his forehead. It made its way through his left brow, slid past the thin layer of oil that coated his eyelid, and gently splashed into his watery eye. It did not sting.

Instead it gave the light a potent glare. The bright circle shimmied before him, illuminating his damp face and triggering his eyes to flutter. He lifted his heavy hand halfway to nowhere in amusement. His lips parted, cracking a shapeless smile.

She smiled back and placed his hand between both of hers. The warmth of her palms sent shots of wonderful up his arm and throughout his body. His head sank deeper into the pillow, now drenched in cool sweat, as his neck extended and his pupils retreated to the dark seclusion of his mind.

“Michael. Michael, don’t sleep, baby,” she said, cupping her son’s face in her hands. She took her thumbs and peeled back the flesh of his eyes.

“Mikey, wake up, baby!” Tears flooded her face as she slapped his left cheek repeatedly, forcing the color back to his paling skin. Her other hand readjusted the phone to her ear where a 911 operator had her on hold.

“Yes. Yes. 1432 West Manor Grove… Yes! Please miss just hurry please!” She was screaming into the receiver.

“Yes. Yes! I'm not sure! I…I don’t know! Please just hurry! 1432 West Manor Grove… Please.” She dropped the phone beside her and wrapped her arms around her son.

II.

Maureen stared at her first-born, a man she had grown estranged from in the last couple of years. He called her out of nowhere that afternoon and asked if he could stop by. He said he was “around the area.” He must have been, she thought. About five minutes after they hung up, he was at the door knocking, bearing gifts for her and his brother. He had a way about him that made her forget why it had been eight months since they last saw each other. Charming was an atrocity of an understatement. The way the boy could work a room, she swore it was a God-given talent. He had the ability to control other people’s feelings and for awhile she was convinced he was nothing more than manipulative.

She watched him dote on his little brother, trying to make up for the past year he didn’t even bother to pick up the phone. They laughed and played in a way only brothers could. Jimmy’s eyes sparkled as he followed Mike around like some love-sick, neglected puppy. She pitied them both. Not once did he call, not even on Jimmy’s birthday. She almost hated him for it. For the dozens of smiles Jimmy forced that day and for the explanation he didn’t know he deserved, she almost did. She knew he would leave again. She knew it all too well, but this time it would be different. When he leaves she would be ready.

It was the story of his life. Michael cast spells on everyone he encountered, sucking them into a whirlwind of bliss by his mere presence and leaving them with sparkles in their eyes. It never failed. She had seen it happen over and over again. And just as fast as he would give it, he would take it away.

They sat together in the living room to catch up on things. He said he was working as a temp in Frisco. Some company hired him as a mail boy over the summer. That’s where he met his girl. Her name was Laura. They were both new to the city at the time so they instantly bonded. She moved there from Fresno to attend the university in the fall. His face lit up as it always did when he spoke of a new muse. Maureen smiled and shook her head at the thought of this smitten young girl, unsuspecting of the heartache that was certain to befall her. He said he was in love. She sighed.

“So when are we going to meet this Laura?” she asked for her own amusement.

His face drew an awkward blank.

“Umm… It’s really up to her. She’s great, mom; you would like her. She’s really something,” he said staring past his mother. For a second she thought his eyes were teary. He laughed.

“We’re perfect for each other. I can’t really explain it. She understands me.” He shook his head as if he didn’t believe it himself.

“We’re just like each other,” he said with a wry smile.

She chuckled quietly. Good luck with that, she thought.

He stayed for supper. The dining room lit up brighter than it had in the last eight months. All thought and laughter hailed from his lips and spilled over to the rest of the table. Even the food seemed to taste better. All her disappointment aside, she adored her son. She was like everyone else, a sucker for the slice of euphoria he graced them with. Whether or not he knew or cared, she would never know. He treated them all the same.

She insisted he stay the night in his room. She kept it as it was the day he first left, only disrupting its natural state to dust and vacuum every other week or so. As they walked down the hallway, he squeezed between her and his brother, draping them each with one arm. He hugged his brother goodnight before placing him in a headlock and kissing him on his cheek the way he did when they were little. Then he walked her to her room. At her door, he hugged her longer than he had in years. He stepped back and looked her in the eyes.

“I love you, mom,” he said. Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and walked to his room.

III.

“Honey, stay awake for mommy, okay?” He blinked a couple of times.

“Laura.”

“No Mikey; it’s mommy. Laura’s not here right now. Do you want me to call her and let her know where you are, sweetie?”

“We’ll call her and let her know, okay, honey? Is that what you want? Just stay awake, and we’ll call Laura. Where’s your cell phone sweetie? Did you leave it in your room?” She shook her son hysterically.

He stared at the ceiling with newfound concentration. The waves of stucco jumped closer and closer to his face each time he blinked. Voices trembled throughout the room with an echo from some fantasy world. He could hear a distant wailing. It must be some sea creature, he thought.

“Do you want us to call Laura, Mikey? Mikey… Stay awake sweetie. We’re gonna call Laura, okay? You and me.”

He scoffed at the idea in his mind as the bottle of Tylenol and the handful of Vicadine found each other in his stomach. The room whirled around before his eyes as ghostly figures gathered around him, faceless under the thick haze of some fantasy world where it was just him and his girl. Only she could take him there. She understood him; they were just like each other.

“F--k Laura.”

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