“Well, I was about to make some coffee for myself and something else for my new roommate, because he doesn’t drink coffee.”
“Who doesn’t drink coffee?” she asked, almost outraged but in a playful way.
“He’s not Finnish.”
“Oh, well then that’s allowed. I guess.” She giggled. “Tell me more about him?”
As I set up my coffee maker, I told her about Allen’s call and how I’d found Bear at Carl’s and so on and so forth, without all the details she wouldn’t want to know anyway. She knew about my lifestyle, had even done her own research to understand me and my relationship with Elio better.
“Poor boy, at least he’s with someone nice now.”
I leaned my hip to the counter and pushed my index finger and thumb against my eyelids, feeling my eyeballs, as if that would help any. “Mom, he’s not my submissive.”
“I understand that, but I can tell you’re fond of him. So maybe keep an open mind?” Before I could interrupt or object, she let out a long breath. “Luukas, you know I only want you to be happy, and you’re the happiest when you’re with someone you can take care of, you know that, right?”
I knew. Kind of. Maybe I wouldn’t have put it quite like that, but I knew.
“Yeah, Mom.”
“Oh, so are you getting something for Anni for her birthday or are we pooling funds?” she asked suddenly, changing subject like she sometimes would out of the blue.
As I chatted with her, Bear wandered in, looking curious.
“Are you speaking Finnish?” he asked very quietly.
“Yes, Bear, I’m talking to my Mom, so we’re speaking Finnish.”
“Oh, tell him I said hi!” Mom immediately jumped in.
“She says hi.”
Bear blushed crimson for some reason, then went to the fridge to take out the orange juice. “Hi to her too.”
“He says hi back,” I said in Finnish.
“Aww, I’m so happy you’re living with someone. I feel like it does good things to your mental health. You need someone in your space so you don’t just sink into your art or whatever show you’re binge-watching.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure, Mom,” I said in English this time, making Bear guffaw and her laugh.
“Okay, I’m gonna let you go, but I’ll send you the email about Anni’s present options and we’ll go from there. Give your dad a call one of these days. He’s working too hard and needs to be reminded about having a work-life balance even this close to retirement.”
I chuckled. It was a thing she told me and my sister to tell our dad every now and then, because he didn’t listen to her, apparently.
“All right. Talk to you later.”
“Love you, bye!”
I smiled.
“What?” Bear looked at me over his now-filled glass of juice.
“Sometimes I wonder where I get my energy from, but every time I talk to my mom, it becomes obvious. I think she could power a small country, and I’m blessed enough to have inherited some of that.”
“Helps you keep going?”
I huffed with wry amusement. “Yeah. Even during the harder times, thankfully.”
Bear nodded. “I can see the positives in that for sure.”
