I was having afternoon Coffee with mum last Tuesday night when she mentioned her friend, Peter, who I was almost sure was her boyfriend.
Mum looked happy lately, and now that she said someone in her life, I figured he was the reason.
My father passed on when I was really young, and for a long time, it was just mum and me. We had to learn to do what dad would have helped with, love checking on the cooling unit and scheduling air conditioner repair. Mum said dad was fascinated by the cooling industry, studying to learn more about air conditioning and eventually becoming a cooling representative, and she went on about her new friend Peter until the sun went down. We decided to order pizza and have a glass of wine as we settled in for our sleepover. When mum went to the door to get the pizza, I read the headlines of the primetime news on the muted TV that Spring would get warmer leading up to summer. The weatherman suggested the public check their air conditioners and other Heating and Air Conditioning machines to help with indoor comfort. I pulled out my phone and put a reminder to call the cooling company for air conditioner repair. I remember hearing unusual noises from my mini-split air conditioner. I could smell the pizza from the living room. Mum came back, and I mentioned what the forecaster said about having a cooling tech check on her quality air conditioner. She also advocated the club-based service voice, Alexa, to schedule an appointment with her long-time cooling specialist. I would come over for a sleepover once every month to spend time with mum since I moved out 11 months ago.