Sing to me

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      The only day off in the last month turned out to be gloomy, rainy, and completely unlike a real spring day. The sun, which had previously generously caressed the earth with its rays, hid behind leaden clouds and showed no intention of appearing. The girl sat at the kitchen table in her Boston home, lazily picking at the macaroni on her plate.       "Stop teasing your lunch," her mother said expressively, looking at the poor spaghetti and sighing as she sat down to her daughter. "Eat already, or you'll become too skinny. All skin and bones, you don't take care of yourself at all."       The girl smiled wearily. After all, her mother remained a mother even when you were well past twenty-five. Twirling the long macaroni on her fork, she put her lunch in her mouth.       "Very delicious, thank you, Mom," the girl said after chewing.       "Eat up, my dear, enjoy your meal."       A kind smile appeared on the mother’s middle-aged face. Then the woman, quite childishly, patted her daughter’s hair and, taking out her mobile phone from the bosom of her apron, twirled it in her hands and hesitantly placed it on the table.       Ollie looked at her mom with surprise in her eyes. It seemed like she wanted to talk about something with her daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to start.       "Is everything okay?" asked Ollie, finishing another bite of spaghetti.       "Yes," the woman took her phone again and nervously fiddled with it in her hands. "But Ollie, I would like to talk to you about something."       "About what?"       Mom took a deep breath, as if preparing to jump into the sea from a sheer cliff like some reckless boy. Then she looked up at her daughter and sighed heavily again, still unable to start the conversation.       "Mom," Ollie put her lunch aside, "you're scaring me. Is everything really okay?"       "Yes, I just want to talk to you about your future."       The girl rolled her eyes.       "Here it goes," the inner voice whispered.       "Don't roll your eyes," the mother frowned. "I knew you would immediately take offense."       "What conversation? We haven't even started it," Olivia replied.       "Look, Olivia," the woman stopped fidgeting with her poor phone and moved closer. "You're already twenty-seven, you have a successful career, many friends, a loving and supportive family. So when are you going to find someone to share your life with and give us a couple of adorable children?"       "Why just a couple? Why not ten right away?" Olivia asked.       "We would be happy with at least one from you and your father!"       Rolling her eyes once again, Olivia smirked at her thoughts and continued her meal.       "I understand that it's very difficult to find a worthy young man nowadays," the mother persisted, "especially with your work schedule and constant travels."       Ollie just nodded silently and began to twist the spaghetti onto her fork. Over twenty-seven years, she realized that it was easier to let her mother speak out than to argue and prove that she still has a good life.       "But, dear, you're completely alone in this regard, and the years are passing by. You may think you have plenty of time, but in reality, it goes by so quickly that before you know it, you'll be an old lady without children. Your father and I are already gone, and your only company will be cats!" her mother exclaimed.       "Very uplifting, mom," Olivia replied sarcastically.       "But don't worry, I've already figured it all out," her mother said enthusiastically.       Silence fell in the kitchen. The middle-aged woman sat and eagerly looked at her daughter, waiting for her to ask what she had come up with. But Olivia sat silently, staring at her mother's happy face. She lost her appetite. It always scared children when parents said they had already figured everything out and planned it all, even if those plans usually came from the purest intentions, they usually didn't end well.       "Alright," Olivia finally spoke, "what have you come up with?"       "I've found someone with whom you can spend a happy old age!" her mother declared.       "And who is this lucky person?"       Mom squealed with delight and, unlocking her phone, began searching for something in it. The cunning smile never left her not-so-young face.       "Like a little child, I swear."       Thought Ollie, pushing her plate of macaroni away.       Finally, mom found what she was looking for and handed her daughter the phone. Glancing at the screen, the girl was slightly taken aback.       "Who is this?" Ollie asked, although she knew the answer perfectly well, she just didn't expect to see his photo.       "Who? Of cause Chris Evans, your neighbor, his family's house is across the street."       "Mmm." The daughter replied meaningfully, crossing her arms over her chest.       "Well, what's wrong, Ollie? He's an eligible bachelor, an actor, still young, good-looking, financially stable, and we've known him since childhood. He's a very pleasant and decent young man, even though he's thirteen years older than you, but your father and I also have a significant age difference."

***

      "Well, that was the most unusual and awkward conversation with my mom in my entire life," Ollie remarked after telling Chris about her visit to her parents. "Even the discussion about contraception at fifteen is now in second place."       The man chuckled. By evening, the weather had improved, and stubborn sunbeams pierced through the dark clouds. Ollie and Chris sat cuddled under a blanket on the couch in front of the fireplace in the house that Evans usually rented when he returned to Boston.       "Enough laughing," the girl grumbled. "You're the photograph in my parents' phone."       Chris laughed even louder, and a second later, Ollie couldn't hold back her laughter either. The joyous laughter of the two lovers filled the warm living room. Yes, they had known each other since childhood, but they had only started dating a year ago when fate brought them together at a film festival. They didn't want to share details about their relationship with the public, friends, or even family. Perhaps they were afraid that unwanted guests would intrude into their cozy and happy world of love. After all, they were incredibly happy together, and they didn't need advice from outsiders.       "Oh yeah," Chris said when they finally calmed down after a wild bout of laughter, "your mom has a good eye. Knows a thing or two about promising husbands."       "That's for sure," Ollie smiled and snuggled closer to her beloved man.       Evans tilted his head, delightfully burying his nose in the crown of his beloved's head. Then, slightly pulling back, he cradled Ollie's face in his warm palms, gazing into her large and beautiful eyes, and kissed her. It was tender and, at the same time, passionate, causing their legs to weaken from the overwhelming emotions if they had been standing. The kiss was brief but intoxicating. Stepping back, they pressed their foreheads together, and possessively, Ollie threw her arms over Chris's shoulders. He smirked and planted another short kiss on her enticing lips.       "So, when are we going to tell your mom everything?" Chris asked, smiling into his beloved's lips, prompting another laugh from Ollie.       It seemed that soon everyone would learn about their secret romance, and one very responsible mother would be immensely happy that her daughter was in good hands, the hands of the man in the photograph.