part 168:

Nick never went job searching again. He stayed in his room sleeping and sulking for days on end. He avoided his mother at all costs. He didnt care if it hurt her that he was behaving this way but he was truly falling into a depression.

After 2 weeks he slowly started venturing out of his room when he was sure both tasha and tom were gone to work.

He watched some tv and looked for things to eat but thats about all he could do. Life was becoming more and more unbearable and lonely for him and he despised his mother more and more everyday.

All the tension in the house was once again causing a strain on tom and tashas marriage but tom wasnt going to allow it to reach a point of no return. 

“You cant keep him locked away for life tash…. you need to give him some freedom. Im not saying too much. But u cant hold on too tight. Have you not made mistakes in your life?” He waited for an answer from tasha and when she didnt reply, he asked again. 

“Have you or havent you ever made mistakes in your life babe?”

She sighed and pulled the comforter over her head. Tom heard a muffled “i have!” Coming from her.

“And? Did you just give up on life after making mistakes? Or did you learn from them and change?”

She pulled the comforter down and stared ahead. “I just… im just… scared… i want to protect him… i dont want him to make any more mistakes. Mistakes that are going to cost him his life. Im not punishing him. Im protecting him. His my only child tom. I love him.”

“Well he probably thinks you dont love him tasha… no offence but you depriving him of life and opportunities…”

“Im not!!!” She defended herself.. ” didnt i say he can find a job? But he gave up after few hours of looking!”

Tom rubbed his hands over his face and turned to pull his wife closer to him. “Baby, all im saying is that we need to understand things from his side. Give him another chance. Give him his phone back…its lying in your wardrobe for months… we have a car in the garage of which the battery is probably dead from not being used in ages. Give him some wings and lets see from there. Let him decide what to do. He is almost an adult… just think about it.”

Tom kissed her nose gently… “now stop over thinking. Lets get some sleep and start afresh in the morning okay?”

The next morning tasha woke up with a renewed take on life. This was it. She needed to mend things with her son. She prepared a quick breakfast of sunnyside up, bacon and toast and a cup of coffee. She sat it on a tray, placed nicks old phone with a new simcard she had on the tray aswel as the set of keys to the car in the garage and the garage remote. She scribbled out a small letter, sealed it in an envelope and placed it on the tray with the rest of the items.

Tom had already made sure that the cars battery was still fine early this morning. He was so proud that tasha was starting this way and given it some thought.

Tasha fiddled with a few things on the tray, grabbed her handbag and keys and turned to the domestic…

“Anna, please take this to nicks room as soon as i leave okay?”

“Yes madam” anna replied.

Once anna was sure she heard tashas car reversing out of the driveway, she carefully picked the tray up and proceeded to nicks room. 

She knocked once to alert nick that she was entering and then let herself in knowing that nick wasnt going to answer.

She placed the tray down on his bedside padestal with a slight thud causing nick to open his eyes in shock. And then she left his room, closing the door behind her.