pizzaface | ✓

37.

NOEL WOKE up to the smell of fresh eggs, he clambered out of his mom's bed, tentatively making his way down the steps, only to be greeted by his mom flipping eggs in the air and frying bacon.

"Good morning!" Her hair was in loose tousled waves, her face smeared with light makeup and a bright smile. She looked youthful, fresh, glowing, a stark contrast to the empty shell Noel had grown so used to seeing. "I've made English breakfast...there's toast in the toaster over there, sausages cooking in the oven, I'm boiling tea on the kettle...oh! Sausage is done!" Soon all the food was plated up and lay restaurant worthy on their dining table. They sat down together, crunching on toast and downing on eggs and laughter.

"I was thinking..." Noel's mom had dabbed at her lips, taking a sip of her milky tea. "About moving?"

"M-moving?"

"Just to a little apartment in town."

"Ohh, okay, I thought you meant to another state or something."

"No! I would never do that! You're settled here. It's just, we've been leaving in this house for so long and it doesn't have many good memories for us, I thought it'd be good to start afresh, something a little smaller, an apartment perhaps?"

"That'd be great. That's amazing Mom." Noel couldn't quiet the grin on his face, this was what his mom needed, this was what he needed. Although he'd definitely miss where he grew up, the memories were stifling to be around. "Have you seen any you liked?"

"Not yet...but I'm thinking very nature orientated, plants and all of that stuff. Something that reminds me of my home back in Japan."

"We can go over to Plantworld and pick up some plants."

"Yeah we can." His mom picked up her plate and mug and dumped it into the sink, she turned round to look at Noel, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Need me to drop you at school?"

"Nah, I'm good, I'm going to walk, it's a good day today."

"Okay."

"And I might be going to chipotle after school since it's the last day of the semester."