Universal Headaches - Revised

Chapter 8

The house settled in the silence. A rush of nostalgia swept through Sutton. She remembered the early mornings before class, sitting at this same bar as she rapidly consumed a bowl of Frosted Flakes before she had to run out the door. Remembered her mom giving her prompts to get ready and reminders not to forget homework.

Her mom sat down on the stool next to her and intently studied her face. It was a dangerous look, because her mom liked to ask questions and Sutton knew she wouldn't be able to answer most of them.

"You look exhausted, hun." Her mom said. "Are you really not feeling well? I can have Howard make you soup to take home."

Sutton sighed and took another bite of scone to stall for a moment. Howard's cooking was killer and his soup was of legend. But he worked all day and she wasn't even sick.

"No, I'm fine." She finally said. "It's just, um, work. I have some, uh, new responsibilities? It's just- there's a lot."

"There's more to it though."

Sutton winced. This was why it was dangerous to talk to her mom. Because moms knew things.

"It's boring." She reassured. "I'm just, you know, being dramatic about it."

Her mom gave her a soft, sympathetic smile and reached out to tuck one of Sutton's wild, stray curls back. Sometimes she was envious of her mom's sleek hair and peeved that she hadn't inherited it.

"I know you don't like your job." Her mom said. "Maybe you should go back to school? You were doing really well in those interpreter classes."

"Classes cost money, mom."

"And you don't have to live on your own. You could move back in and we wouldn't even charge you rent, you know that."

She did. She did know. And it wasn't like she hadn't thought about it now and then, when she was feeling particularly desperate and she barely kept to her budget and her sign language textbooks started to gather dust.

But she'd already moved out and she couldn't leave Vicki high and dry like that to search for another roommate. And besides, she didn't want to intrude too much. Not that Howard ever made her feel like that. No. But she still felt weird about it. He shouldn't be obligated to help take care of her, especially since she was an adult.

And she didn't know if she could come slinking back into the house after she'd made the effort to move out and already had to drop out of college.

"I know, and thanks. But I'm okay. I'll figure it all out. Maybe I'll sell a kidney; I don't need both."

"You will not." Her mom chided.

Sutton grinned mischievously and her mom gave her a mock glare.

The conversation turned lighter after that, and Sutton eventually crawled onto her mom's couch to take an impromptu nap while her mother puttered around the house.

She woke up a few hours later, her head less jumbled and eyes not burning as much. It felt like some new life had breathed into her. Sutton sat up and stretched, her back popped and she let out a contented hum.

The sun shone through the front window now so it was clearly reaching afternoon and Sutton felt a twinge of guilt that she'd left the Avengers alone so long. Though, as far as she knew they saw it as more of a relief to have her out of the way.

Too bad for them she'd be heading back soon.

"Are you awake now?"

Her mom peered around the far wall leading to the laundry room. Sutton waved and stood.