CHAPTER 14 Part 1: Made Her Cry Again --Jorge’s POV-- (When will you grow up, you big lump of meat!) my mom shouted across the table in our native language, alcoholic foam sticking onto her thin untrimmed beard. (I’m 18 years old, you bearded abomination!) I shot back, slamming the pint of ale down the wooden table, sick of our constant back and forth. I stood causing the chair to rub against the wooden floor. (And a child you are still! Where do you think you’re going?) she also stood, banging her stubby hands on the table, which didn’t intimidate me anymore like it used to. (I’ve lost my appetite, I’ll be in my room. Thanks for the food.) I answered, not wanting raise my voice this time. (Jorge, At least finish the fo-) I closed the doors cutting off the words of my mother, kicking the clothes scattered in my room. It wasn’t always like this, we never argued this much before. 5 years. That’s how long it has been since I’ve locked myself inside the confines of my room, never once leaving the safety and comfortable walls of our humble abode, separated from the dangers that took my father. Gimli the blacksmith was what they call my father, a hardworking man who stayed working in his little shack in the capital, even if he bled he stayed and worked. Soot and grime covered his hands which obviously also reached everywhere, to his face all the way to his clothes. He always seemed grumpy something common among dwarves, chasing off the children that played with his merchandise and with his work being physically exhausting, hammering hot iron to forge weapons and armors, he had a muscular build. He was my hero, sacrificing so much of his time away from his family just to support both Ma and me, I don’t know how much he had to go through to learn how to forge or to endure for so long not being able to see us, but I know it took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears just to get to where he had been before the accident took him. I could never understand how my mother was able to move on so quick, being able to just went and go wherever if need be. She had been working 10 jobs ever since my father died, forcing herself just to send her only son to school, it only took 2 months for her body to collapse from the fatigue of working too much, that’s when I realized that our circumstances cannot go on like this. I didn’t want to burden my mother so I quit school, afraid of her hard work not paying off. What if after her relentless working I fail and didn’t move up a grade, what then? Would she be disappointed and leave me too or would she continue on working just for the sake that I finish my education? My social anxiety kicked in after a week or so, something I’ve always had and I couldn’t even go outside our home nowadays, afraid of how others see me. My mother had been nagging me to go back to school, telling me that she’d been saving up for my tuition. How can I go back and face those beardless privilege pricks who butchered both my name and my father’s name? How can I go back to school, knowing that ma’s working her ass off just like how my father had been before her, working even if her body told her she can’t no more, enduring the screams of agony of her muscles and joints, disregarding the words that came out of my mouth. I told her to rest, to at least take a day off, but she never listened to me. Does she even love herself? I don’t want her tiring herself anymore, telling my mother a few years back to relax until I was at least old enough to make money from adventuring. She just slapped me back-handed, telling her foolish son that ‘that is a parent’s duty and not the child.’ I don’t understand. How can she be so selfish, what if what happened to father happened to her as well or what if she died from overworking, what then? Can I really celebrate when I graduate school, knowing that my father and mother died for me? Dwarves live a long life, working our asses off from day till night, mining, crafting, smithing, anything, but there’s more to life than killing ourselves. I just want Ma to live her life, something my old man couldn’t do with his and I know that’s what he would want, for his wife to live a care free and happy life. So, I’ll wait for my age to reach adulthood to go to adventures to help her so that she can finally retire. That’s what I planned at least. I got thirsty so I quietly opened the door only to hear some noises downstairs, it’s rare for people to show up to our doorsteps, the only one who’s a regular would be the landlord that asked for too much money. [who could it be?] Curious I listened and peeked from the stairs. Murmurs from below were inaudible, there are some strangers who were talking to my mother, two kids stood behind a beautiful she-elf, her black hair danced softly on her alluring face, her black dress exposed the curves of her body. She was like an angel. [what beauty…] I wanted to hear what they were talking about so I silently came downstairs and hid behind our kitchen counter. The half-elf stood by our door frame and showed Ma a parched paper. “Sorry for asking this late, but are you the client for this quest?” I was not surprised to hear that the elf spoke in the common Human Tongue, if she did not then she couldn’t survive here. “Yes I am, it has been a while since I’ve put up that request so I was starting to think that no one will accept that… thank you for trying” mother bowed, something I never saw her do. Dwarves are a prideful race so we never bow our heads to anyone but my mother looked like she was used to doing it. “You don’t have to do that ma’am, but I would like to ask, your son Jorge, how bad is his condition?” “Well… first of all he’s really sensitive about his name so you need to get it right… it’s not pronounce as ‘George’, it’s pronounce as ‘Horhe’. And… it’s so bad he wouldn’t even go outside the house anymore.” “It’s that bad?” the little boy behind the elf said. “Yes, boy it’s that bad…” I couldn’t see what face my mom was making but her voice was enough to tell me how disappointed she was in me. “This will take some time ma’am, so we’ll try to go back tomorrow after coming up with a plan. We just wanted to locate the place and contact you, have a pleasant evening ma’am” “Thank you so much, have a pleasant evening as well” she bowed again which in turn the trio responded with a bow as well before leaving. (what was that ma?) I asked, abandoning my hiding place that was the kitchen counter. (that was… the people that would kick you out of the house.) (why would you do that? I thought we discussed this already.) I held back my anger towards her. My untrimmed nails digging into my palms, my teeth gnashing. (that request was from long ago Jorge, they came from a far and needed the money, and your sorry excuse for those ears of yours don’t listen. You need to go out there in the world Jorge, you don’t even talk to people anymore, what would your father say to me when we meet our almighty savior Aiden?) the mention of my father made me snapped. (Father?! Do you really think he would want you to kill yourself for your son?! It is not me who he married ma! Why would he want the girl that he loved and married to suffer and endure so much. *sigh* your so stubborn. Why won’t you just let me be you old fool.) I stopped myself from hurting her even more, so I calmed myself and went upstairs. (…) I looked from the corner of my eye to see that the old fool was crying, her stubby hands on her face, covering herself. I felt the thorns on my chest dug even dipper as I climb the stairs to my room. I made her cry again. ***