Page 1 of Ethan
1
Sydney
“I don’t likethe idea of you being out there all by yourself.” My mum’s voice is dripping with emotion. It’s the first birthday I’ve spent away from her. Ever since my father passed away we’ve been a team. And now I’ve broken things up. Moved to the city to pursue my dream. “It’s not right, Sydney. You should be at home. With family. Not working all day, doing whatever the heck it is you do out there.”
“Mum,” I groan, flipping my shoes off and looking around at the shithole that is my apartment.
My roommate is having really loud sex. Her door's closed, but the walls are thin. I can hear every slap and thrust.
Inwardly, I groan. It’s like all she ever does is have sex with gorgeous men. Reminding me how long it’s been since I’ve even kissed a man.
It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t a total slob, too. The apartment is always a mess. Dirty plates. Clothes everywhere. The heady, pungent smell of cannabis wafting out from beneath her door.
Fortunately, I’m so busy with work I hardly spend any time at home. But that doesn’t mean the continued feeling I live at a landfill doesn't get on my nerves.
“We’ve been through this,” I say, picking up an empty pizza box and shoving it in the already full trashcan. A small swarm of flies shoot out at me. Swarming around my face before returning to their banquet of half decomposed foot.
I press my fingers to my nose to avoid the disgusting stench. I’m really going to have to have words with Cindy. This is not acceptable. A little bit of mess is understandable, but she needs to realize that the living room and the kitchen are shared spaces.
“I know, honey.” I can practically hear the tears streaming down my mom's face through the phone. It breaks my heart. The last thing I want is to upset her. “I just miss you, that’s all.”
“I miss you, too, Mom.”
I open the refrigerator and pull out the little birthday cupcake I’ve been looking forward to all day.
My mom catches me up on all the gossip from our tiny, little hometown.
Mavis, our elderly neighbor, walked to the bus stop and forgot to put on her pants. It caused quite the commotion.
“Her son needs to take care of her,” she gripes. “What kind of man leaves her elderly mother alone like that. She raised him, for Christ’s sake. The least he can do is visit a few times a week. Make sure she’s taking her meds.”
“Poor, Mavis,” I say, slumping down onto my bed.
The walls are banging loudly and from the sounds of it, Cindy is really enjoying herself.
“Yes! Yes!! Right there!!” she screams. The walls so thin, she might as well be having sex on the bed next to me. “Oh, God… Fuck me, big boy! Fuck me with that big, fat cock!!”
A moment of silence passes between me and my mom. She knows all about Cindy and her sex life. It’s one of the reasons she’s so worried about me. I try and tell her I hardly have enough time to wash my hair, let alone have a sex life. But she has all these mental images of me galavanting around town, twerking against erections like a cat in heat.
If only she knew the reality. I spent most of my days running to coffee shops, answering emails, or posting things on social media. All while trying to do a hundred and one other menial tasks for my boss, Gunther.
I thought working in the music industry would be more exciting. And the worst part is, I can’t tell my mom anything about it. It’s much better to put on a brave face and tell her everything is going okay. Even though, most days, there’s nothing I’d like more than to go home to a freshly made home-cooked meal. To sit on the porch with a book and a glass of wine. To watch the birds on the grass and wave as the people from town, who I’ve known all my life, walk by with a smile and few nice words.
But that’s just not an option. I want to be a songwriter. A music producer. It’s what I’ve wanted since I was a kid. To share my love of music with the world. To switch on the radio and hear one of my songs blaring out at me. Filling the world with happiness.
“Happy birthday to you!” My mum sings the happy birthday song over the phone. I light the candle on my miniature birthday cake. It's not much, but it will do.
Normally, I’d have a proper cake, but I’m trying to lose weight. There are so many slim, attractive women where I work. Being around them all the time has made me seriously self-conscious. And, seeing as how I don’t have any spare time to go to the gym, I've decided to starve myself instead. All in an attempt to shed some of my extra pounds.
Not that it’s working. No matter how little I eat, I never seem to get any thinner.
I’m just about to blow out my candle when another call comes through…
Gunther.
My boss.
“Urgh,” I sigh, telling my mum I’ll have to call her back.
