Mia was quite done with pizza at this point. Since her mother had started a new consulting gig she’d been coming home late and more often than not dragging in a cold pie with her. She’d tried telling her mom she could make dinner and they really didn’t need a new pizza 3-4 times a week, but she’d always pick one up anyway. The two of them had been alone for as long as she’d been alive and her mother had often been working two jobs just to keep them above water.

  Tonight was the same as ever, her mother stumbled in, exhausted, tossed the new pizza on the kitchen table and dropped on the couch after pulling a beer from the fridge.

  “Mom?” Mia stood by the couch as her mother fumbled with the remote. “How was your day?”

  Lauren put on a weary smile as she tossed her bag aside. “Same old. How have you been, baby girl?”

  “I’ve been fine, I just… Can we talk about the pizza thing?” Mia made a point of conveying exasperation in her tone as she was truely sick of rehashing this point of conversation.

  “It’s only for a bit longer, Next week we’ll be back at school and we can get something else.” Her mother pulled the tab on the beer and took a long sip.

  “I know but… it's so much. I am begging you. Please let me fix a proper meal.” Mia pleaded.

  “Baby girl, I know you wanna contribute and I’m proud of you but you should be focusing on your education. You remember what your grades were like last year? You are so smart-You just need to focus.” Lauren chided gently, kicking her shoes off.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “I’m not as smart as you...” Mia lamented starting to sulk, she’d always felt as if she fell short of her mother’s expectations when it came to her school work. It had been pretty discouraging that she hovered in the mid B’s for most of her report cards.

  “Mia look at me.” Lauren shifted and looked her daughter in the eyes. “You are every bit as smart as me. You merely lack the experience and knowledge to make use of it. I just want you to live a better life than…” she twirled a finger around the small cluttered apartment. “...this. I want you to get into a good college - don’t you?”

  “I… I mean yeah sure,,, but I also wanna spend time with you Mom…. and I really wanna eat something that isn’t pizza.” Mia grimaced. “-Also you smell really REALLY bad.”

  “I know, baby girl. I know.” Lauren pulled herself slowly to her feet. “I’ll go hit up the shower; can you toss a slice in the air fryer for me?”

  “Yeah sure.” Mia replied dejectedly.

  “Sunday. Sunday you and I will go shopping and we’ll make dinner together; how does that sound?.” Lauren put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder as she passed.

  “Okay.” Mia nodded, not really sure she believed it.

  Lauren downed the last of her beer and set the empty can down in a cluster of half a dozen empties already on the counter.

  Mia sighed, disgustedly. That was another problem they desperately needed to have a talk about.