Mother's grievences

“Wait! You’re gonna do a collab with Sven?” Leona asked.

“Yeah, so I’m going to get there a little earlier tomorrow. You don’t need to come with me if it’s too early for you," I stated.

“Nah, I wanna see you two cook live.”

“Alright, we’ll meet at the station then, see you tomorrow.”

                                                                                ...

I woke up early the next day and got ready before heading out.

“You’re up earlier than usual, and your mood seems to have improved. What happened?” my mother asked.

“I’m heading out to make a video with a friend.”

“*Sigh* I wish you had told me someone decided to hire you.”

“That kind of work is not suited for someone with my skill set. Making videos and editing them are more up my alley.”

“Those aren’t REAL jobs. Besides there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to truly make a career out of it.”

“How is that any different from other jobs? Just because you land a job at a large company doesn’t mean you’re set for life. The company could go under, or you might get laid off. I’m well aware of how harsh reality is. However, I do have some faith that everyone has a specific niche they can succeed at. I’m honestly surprised you aren’t happy that I’m getting back on my feet and going out.”

“You’re just going out to fool around.”

“NO! I’m helping people and bringing laughter and smiles to them. If you disapprove of me so much, then disown me. I’ll happily keep doing what I’m doing.”

“I just don’t understand you,” my mother sighed.

My mother’s philosophy was that you weren’t successful if you didn’t have a steady “normal” job. Since she had grown up poor, she strived to have a stable income family. Her reason for favoring “normal” jobs stems from my grandfather.

My grandfather ended up spending his savings to open a small toy shop. The business didn’t do well, yet he refused to jack up prices, and even give some toys away for free. All he cared about was sharing his craft with the world and making people happy. Even when his business was shut down, he still tried to make toys from home.

Their financial situation only grew worse, and my grandmother eventually divorced him. My mother and grandmother then lived together; however, it was not the greatest experience for my mother. My grandmother ended up overworking herself, forcing my mother to take on jobs at a young age. While she had the skills necessary to do her jobs efficiently, she hated every second of it. Despite making a living wage, she was miserable. She essentially married my father just because he had a stable overseas job.

Now that her living situation was better, she could focus on raising me into someone with a steady income. However, once my social skills took a massive hit due to that upset girl incident in high school, my mother seemed to lose faith in me. When I messed up at the salary company, my mother was livid. She cursed and called me a failure when she learned of the legal fees.

After paying the damages, she became desperate to get me back in the workforce again. She’d drag me out to job interviews only for the recruiter to take one glance at my resume and turn me down. When I tried to convince her to let me try something I might be good at and enjoy, she’d shut me down and tell me, “Work isn’t for you to enjoy, it’s for you to make money.” Eventually, I had enough and shut myself in my room.

I’d concede that a video content creator career might not be the most stable, but it was one of the few things I had a knack for. Sure, I wasn’t as charismatic as Leona or Astrid, but I’d argue there were now far more people who had faith in me now than when I was at the salary company.

As I left, I asked my mother one final question.

“What makes you happy mother?”

She replied with her typical response.

“Living a stable life without having to worry about income.”

“If I do make a living off this, would you accept me?”

My mother paused for a moment before replying.

“I honestly don’t know. After that man chose his passion over us, I just don’t know. I wish you were more like your father and worked a stable job, no questions asked.”

“Sorry, but I’m not suited to be an overworked cog. I respect the work Father does, but you should be well aware I’m not suited for work like that, nor will I ever get the chance to even attempt something like that ever again. Still, was Grandfather really that bad? I thought it was inspiring what he did.”

“IT DIDN’T MAKE ENDS MEET!”

“But I’m sure he helped make lives better. I’m sorry I can’t see eye to eye with you, nor can I relate to your experiences. All I’m asking for is for you to at least accept me as your son. Heck, if you want to play games with me, I’m down.”

“Sorry, I don’t understand the appeal of video games, nor the point of the entertainment industry in general.”

“Very well but know this. No matter what you do or say to me, I’m sticking with this path. I’m not going to let her down when she has this much faith in me.”

“Her? As in a girl!? Oh, please no- “

“I love her. She’s what got me out of my depression. She may be an idiot, but she’s lovable and charismatic. Even if she wasn’t doing as well as she is now, I’d stick with her to the end.”

“No, I don’t want to have to deal with the police- “

“I was innocent that time. The officers themselves even apologized for the trouble she caused. Besides, Leona is into me as well. I’ve already told her I’ll confess to her.”

“YOU WHAT!? Wait, did you say LEONA!? Ugh! I saw a news blurb about a girl named Leona doing degenerate things while she streams games.”

“And people love it,” I stated with pride.

“I don’t care anymore, you’re now worse than a neet in my eyes if you’re working with her.”

“Very well, I’m saddened you feel that way, but I hope you’ll at least be happy knowing I’m doing what I love.”

“Explain to me this channel thing. I want to at least know how you’re ruining your life.”

“Very well, I’ll show you how Mewtube and Wich work,” I smiled.

This was definitely an unplanned detour, but if it would improve my relationship with my mother, I’d be more than willing to take it. If it could at least bring her some happiness to know I’m making people happy despite my small presence, that’s all I could ask for.

When she initially watched the videos, she scowled. However, she slowly became more and more invested.

“What is she doing? Can’t she see that there’s an obstacle approaching her?”

“Sometimes the epic fails are what go viral the most.”

“How are fails enjoyable? “

“When it’s a fail in good fun. Everyone laughs even the one who fails.”

“I don’t understand the youth at all. *sigh* Guess I’ll try to understand. It’s not like I’m doing much anyway.”

It was a small step, but one I hoped would make the house a little less gloomy. I waved goodbye as I set out. I wasn’t going to get to Sven’s when I originally planned to, but it would still be early enough for us to do our collab.

                                                                           ...

“You oversleep? I’ve been hangin for a while,” Leona yawned as I met her at the station.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I just had to do something for my mother.”

“No worries, I just got here seven minutes ago, besides there’s still 2 hours before I go live with Astrid.”

“Yeah, I already let Sven know. You ready for some Crow ramen?”

“If your good cooking is the prize for winning, I’m now motivated beyond the max.”

“Glad to hear it, Leona.”