Both Sides of the Fence 2:. M.T. Pope

      “Hey, Ma.” Alex greeted me with a kiss on the cheek as he walked into the laundry room.

      I fumbled with the clothes a little longer, just to distract him and myself from my nervousness. “Your clothes are over there.” I pointed away from myself, trying not to make eye contact with him. “I didn’t want to invade your privacy, so I just folded them. All you have to do is put them away.” I brushed past him and made my way toward the steps in a faster pace than normal.

      “Hey, Ma,” he slightly yelled.

      “Yeah, baby?” I turned around to see what he wanted.

      “You thought I wouldn’t notice, didn’t you?” He had a serious look on his face.

      “Ah. Notice what?” I said, afraid that he’d noticed that someone had been through his things. My palms began to sweat as he walked toward me. I wanted to run and leave him standing there.

      My eyes quickly darted around the room, making sure I had placed everything back as I’d found it. In my haste, I could have left a drawer open or something. To my relief, I left no evidence of my previous invasion. Whew! I sighed mentally.

      “You thought I was just going to let you walk away from me without giving me a hug?”

      “Oh. Ha-ha.” I laughed nervously and placed the laundry basket on the floor, preparing to be hugged.

      He hugged and squeezed me really hard, like he normally did. I had forgotten that Alex was a very affectionate person. Even as a child he hugged everyone that he greeted like they were family.

      “Alex, baby, you know you can talk to me and your dad about anything, right?”

      “Yeah, Ma. Why you getting all mushy?” he said, a smile on his face.

      “Alex, I just want you to know that, okay,” I said in a serious tone.

      “I know, Ma, I know.”

      I turned around, picked up the laundry, and headed upstairs with a load in my hand, and on my mind.