When You Know

12 - We can all make this work. You, me, Ruben and Jet. Dream team.

Dinner that night tasted better than ever.

Sleep was more restful than ever.

Even the air felt lighter than ever.

And I felt happier than ever, rivalled only by the time Mum first called me her son.

Ruben held Mum's hand all night, even as we ate dinner, so it was handy she cooked soup so they only needed one hand to hold their spoons. Whenever she looked at him he just smiled, then kissed the back of her hand and stared at her ring finger for a few minutes, grinning ear-to-ear.

I didn't know this until the end of the night, but he ate his entire bowl of soup using the wrong hand, just because he didn't want to not be holding her. He loved her so much.

When it got late, Jet asked when we were going to be moving our things, which was something I had been wondering myself. I knew Ruben wanted it to be tonight, but he didn't argue Mum when she said she wanted to have one last night with just me before we moved in forever. I would have been happy packing my stuff right now, but I also really liked the idea of spending one night with just us beforehand.

I hadn't really thought about this in all my excitement about everything else—it no longer being just me and Mum. That's all I had known my whole life after we moved out of Nanny Mary's house and into this unit together. This was the first real home with Mum that I ever had, and I only really remember living with just the one other person. I had never lived with boys before; well, since I've been old enough to remember at least. What if it was weird? What if we argued? What if I annoyed them and they kicked me out? I was starting to panic, and thought I might actually need this time with just Mum to reassure me that we could make this work.

"Of course, babe. Take as much time as you both need. I understand," he said, kissing her hand again. His eyes looked disappointed but his smile had me convinced he understood how big a move this really would be for Mum and I. She really couldn't have fallen in love with a more considerate man if she searched the world for a thousand years. He was everything she said he was and more, and I was so glad that he was about to be in our lives forever.

He kissed her for a long time before he wished goodnight to his future wife and they left to go home. Mum turned back to me, scooped me up into her arms, and asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this, buddy?"

"Of course, Mum. I've never seen you so happy."

"But what about you, Madden? Are you happy with this? I know it's really fast and a big change to what you've been used to your whole life. If you're not okay with it, we'll stay here instead. Ruben will understand."

"Mum, stop. I promise you I'm more than okay with this. You've spent your whole life looking after everyone else, and you've spent my whole life putting me ahead of yourself. I love you, and I'm so thankful for everything you've done for me, but I'm a big kid now, and it's time you look after you, too. I just want you to be happy, and Ruben makes you happy. You don't need to worry about me anymore. I'll be just fine so long as you're doing the best thing for you."

"How are you so well-balanced and mature for an eleven-year-old?" she asked.

"Just raised well, I guess," I said, hugging her tight. "Stop stressing about me. I love you, and I love that you love Ruben, and that he loves you. We can all make this work. You, me, Ruben and Jet. Dream team."

"It really is, isn't it?" she grinned, and I couldn't agree more.

- - -

Mum and I agreed to call in sick to school and work the next day—something she would normally never do—just so we could spend some time on our own and go through our stuff to start packing. I slept in her bed, and she woke me up with pancakes and a hot chocolate, saying we were going for an early skate before picking up boxes from the storage facility.