“We can fix it ourselves,” she said.
I grew up hearing that line, and for the longest time, it was true.
“I design roads and analyze traffic.” I leaned in, scrutinizing the shiny faucet.
“Exactly. Roads are like pipes, and traffic is like water, same thing.” She waved her hands and left the kitchen, allowing me time to search for YouTube tutorials on the basics of plumbing.
Mid-tutorial, Mom returned. The kettle boiled for our fourth cup of chai, and gathering from the lemony scent, cake would be involved.
She offered me a slice of carrot cake with lemon icing. “Thank you for doing this. You’re a good son.”
Never knowing what to do when she said these things, I shrugged and smiled. “Well, I haven’t completed any of the things I came here to do. So don’t thank me yet.” I opened and closed the faucet, testing the pressure. “I’ll have to stop at the hardware store. I don’t suppose you’ll hand over this place with this tiny flaw?”
“It has to be perfect.”
I shoved a forkful of cake into my mouth, savoring the sweet and sour combination.
“How’s work?” Mom stared at me while I stared at the faucet,willing it to stop leaking because there was only so much the internet could teach me in half an hour.
I swallowed the cake. “Oh… um…”
Before I could ramble off my potential news, Claire walked in, her nose still stuck between the pages of her novel.
My mother offered her a slice of cake but kept her focus on me. “When will they let you know about the promotion? You work so hard for this company. They don’t recognize your efforts.”
Claire’s gaze zapped upward. “You haven’t told her yet?”
My mouth dropped open, and my mother ran forward and pinched my shoulder.
“Ow,” I yelped.
“Really, Lincoln?” Mom narrowed her eyes but couldn’t resist smiling. “Why didn’t you lead with that? So you got it?”
“Did you just come here to cause trouble?” I asked Claire. “I was about to tell her.”
Claire grinned. “Your mom gives me cake in exchange for secrets about you.”
“It’s hardly a secret…” I shifted on my feet. “They haven’t promoted me. They’re offering me a temporary post as the acting manager of the Roads division to see if I can handle it.”
My mother’s eyes widened and then narrowed. “Of course you can handle it. What are they implying? You’ve been there for over a decade, and you’re the best civil engineer there.”
“Engineer? Very possibly.” I doubted everything in my life but not my technical knowledge. There couldn’t be doubt in a field where there was no room for error. “Manager? Very questionable.”
“I’ve never liked your boss. He always seemed jealous of your brilliance,” Mom said. If my mother was a cartoon character, a puff of smoke would erupt from her head. “How does he plan on testing you now?”
“Well… I guess I’ll find out tomorrow. Obviously, I’ll have towork on more projects and”—I threw my head back, groaning—“manage people.”
“We know how you feel about people.” Claire burst out laughing. My mother joined her.
I glared at them.
“We’re teasing.” Mom patted my shoulder. “I’m sure all the people you work with will be exactly like you.”
“That would be a nightmare.” I picked up my phone and scrolled through another step-by-step tutorial on fixing a leak. At the very least, it distracted me from my growing discomfort at the idea of having people following me around at work, asking me questions.
My mother laughed again and pulled me in for a tight hug.
“Do you think you can do it?” Claire asked, chewing on the inside of her cheek.
