New Leaves

A conversation between a mother and son.

Mother walks into the kitchen talking to herself.

Son walks in and hears her.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up? Why are you talking to yourself?”, asks Son.

“Well, it’s my braces. I’m tired of wearing them. I just put in a new tray and my teeth hurt. I’m fed up with this.”, says Mom.

“Complaining about your braces again, Mom. You do that a lot.”, says Son.

“I know. They’re painful and uncomfortable. I have to brush my teeth four or five times a day. It’s annoying.”, complains Mom.

“FWI, Mom.”, says Son.

“FYI? What does that mean?”, asks Mom.

“Not, FYI I meant FWI. It means First World Issue. You’re complaining about braces when many people don’t have food, shelter, or water. Most can’t afford braces, especially the clear ones like yours. It seems trivial.”, explains Son.

“Um… I guess complaining about my braces does seem trivial compared to someone not having a water or a home. I should be thankful that I can fix my bite without changing how I look too much.”, says Mom.

“Exactly, Mom.”, says Son.

A few days later…

Son walks into the bedroom where Mom is.

“Hey Mom. What’s wrong with the dryer? I put my clothes in to dry and it won’t turn on.”, says Son.

“The dryer is broken. Dad wanted to fix it himself to save money, so he ordered a new part. It should come in a few days.”, says Mom.

“A few days? I need my clothes clean for work tomorrow. What am I supposed to do?”, says Son.

Mom points to a drying rack near the water heater.

“You can dry your clothes on the rack or outside on the table”, says Mom.

“Will they dry in time for work tomorrow?”, asks Son.

“I’m not sure. Maybe you could take your clothes to a laundromat. That way you can make sure they’ll dry in time.”, says Mom.

“Drive all the way to a laundromat to dry my clothes? Tonight? That sounds like a lot of work.” says Son.

“FWI, Son. Some people don’t have running water, a washing machine, a dryer. or even a car to drive the laundromat. It seems trivial to complain, if you ask me.”, says Mom as she walks away.