I was having afternoon tea with mum last Sunday evening 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 very young, and for a long time, it was just mum and me. We had to learn to do what dad would have helped with, like checking on the cooling unit and scheduling air conditioning maintenance. Mum said dad was fascinated by the cooling industry, studying to learn more about air conditioning and eventually becoming a cooling representative. 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 recommended the public check their air conditioners and other HVAC equipment to help with indoor comfort. I pulled out my phone and put a reminder to call the cooling corporation for air conditioning repair. I remember hearing weird 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 requested 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.