Steve was raised by a single mother, Christine, which made him independent. He was ready to protect her at all costs. That’s why he rushed to his mother’s boyfriend’s house after seeing her crying one night and discovered that as a teenager, he was a better man than most adults.
As Christine returned home from work, her 15-year-old son Steve inquired about the identity of the man who had dropped her off. Despite her initial reluctance, she eventually agreed to discuss the matter and they sat down together on the couch. Christine, a 32-year-old woman, spoke positively about the man in question, much to her son’s curiosity.
Christine gently explained to her son that the man’s name was Ray and that he was her boyfriend, although she wasn’t sure if “boyfriend” was the appropriate term for people her age. Despite never having dated anyone before, she had been seeing him for some time and hoped that her son could be happy for her, even though it might come as a shock.
“Ray? Your boss?” Steve asked.
“Yes, sweetie,” his mother nodded in confirmation.
«Mom,». Steve shook his head in disbelief and felt older than his years, which wasn’t unusual for him. His mother had been only 17 when she had him, and his biological father had refused to be a part of his life. A few years later, the man passed away, so Steve would never get the opportunity to know his father.
Despite the absence of a father figure, Steve grew up with a strong sense of responsibility to be the man of the house and protect his mother no matter what. He began taking karate and boxing lessons at the age of eight and became more mature and self-reliant than many of his peers at school.
Although his mother wasn’t impulsive or irresponsible, she was quite naive and tended to see the good in people. Despite facing limited resources, she did her best to raise Steve and had eventually secured a good job as a secretary at a large company. Additionally, Christine had a side business selling her knitting products on Etsy. Despite being just the two of them, they lived relatively comfortably.
But even if they were OK, Steve felt he needed to protect her. After all, she was his only family since his grandparents kicked her out when she got pregnant. He always thought that was the worst thing a parent could ever do to his child.
«Steve, I know you’re concerned. But I am a grown woman. I know what I’m doing. I know this might not last forever, but it’s been… fantastic, honey. He treats me wonderfully,» Christine continued before Steve could lecture her.
The teenager knew he could do nothing at that moment but support her as he always did. «Fine, Mom. I won’t say more. But if this guy steps out of line…» he warned, half-joking, half-serious.
Christine laughed heartily. «Of course, my sweet boy! Now, what do you want for dinner? Should we get a pizza?»
They didn’t talk more that night about the situation, and Steve tried not to worry about it. His mother was right. She was a grown woman and could care for herself. Ray was 35, so the relationship wasn’t entirely inappropriate except for the boss-secretary thing. But Steve worried that as her boss, Ray might be using her or might fire her when they broke up.
He couldn’t do anything about that then, so he put the thoughts away and finished his homework.
***
Over the next few weeks, Ray picked up Christine several times at the house. Since they were now openly dating, he decided to take her out properly and introduced himself to Steve. His mother would always return home from those dates with the dreamiest smile and sometimes flowers and chocolate. So, Steve was finally happy for her. Besides, he had already warned her boyfriend.
«Ray told me you gave him a talking to? Is that true?» Christine asked Steve during lunch one Saturday while she was preparing some sandwiches.
«Oh, man. I can’t believe he told you. That was supposed to be a discussion between us men,» Steve gripped and got the mustard out of the fridge.
«Steve, I’m the adult in this house. You shouldn’t have said anything,» she shook her head. «But what exactly did you say? Ray didn’t tell me much. He just said you ‘warned him.’»
«I told him that if he hurt you, I would come for him. Simple,» Steve shrugged.
Christine sighed. «You can’t threaten people.»
«It wasn’t a threat.»
«Fine. Eat your sandwich. But no more secret talks with Ray. OK?» Christine said, crossing her arms after handing him a plate.
«If he doesn’t step out of line, I won’t,» Steve continued casually and went to his room.
***
Everything seemed well between Christine and Ray, so after a while, Steve stopped worrying and focused on his classes, his boxing lessons, and his hobbies. However, one night, his mother arrived in a sad mood.
She wouldn’t say what was wrong despite Steve’s probing, and he let it go. Sometimes, people have bad days at work like I have bad days at school, he reassured himself.
Sadly, his mother was not herself for several days in a row. The woman would usually greet him with a smile and ask what he wanted for dinner. She was bright and bubbly. But the biggest red flag was that she was no longer knitting in her bedroom. She was falling asleep right after dinner, and Christine was usually a night owl.
Steve knew something was wrong, and it had to do with Ray. But his mother would never admit it, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Or could he? He did warn the man about hurting his mother. However, what if he was wrong? Christine would get in trouble with her boyfriend and work if he did something without thought.
«I also thought men like you had it together. But I was wrong,» Steve continued.
He tried to forget about it and hoped this rough patch would pass. But another night, Christine arrived home in tears and ran into her room, closing the door tightly. Steve followed and knocked, trying to get answers.
«MOM! What happened? WHAT DID HE DO? DID HE HURT YOU? MOM!» he called, but she wouldn’t answer the door, and Steve knew he couldn’t let it go this time. He knew where Ray lived and would teach that man a lesson.
Steve grabbed his mom’s car and drove to Ray’s house. He only had a learner’s permit and never abused what he could do with it, but this was an emergency. He banged on the man’s door, and Ray answered it.
Steve thought the older man would be surprised by his appearance, but somehow, his expression said he was expecting this visit. That only made the teenager angrier.
«What did you do to my mom? I warned you about her! I warned you! She’s crying her eyes out in her room! I swear…» Steve said menacingly. His heart was racing, so he had to catch his breath before continuing. But Ray stopped him.
«Please, Steve,» he said sadly and quietly.
«Tell me now!» the teenager demanded, storming into the house.
«OK. The thing is… when your mother and I started dating, I told her that it would only just be dating. We couldn’t go further because my family would never approve of her,» Ray revealed, shocking Steve. «My father is powerful, and he’s still the company owner. I’m just the CEO.»
«That’s… messed up.»
«Yes, but it is what it is. Your mother started talking about the future. She was sad because I told her to give me time. I was truly considering everything. I thought I could find a way to change my father’s mind, but it would take time. Unfortunately, he found out about our relationship,» Ray swallowed. «And he came into the office today, demanded I fire your mother, and yelled at her in front of everyone.»
Steve’s eyes were so wide he thought he would pop a vein or something. «And you didn’t defend her?» he demanded, his nostrils flaring.
«I… I… I couldn’t. If I go against my father, I lose everything. I couldn’t,» the grown man stuttered.
«And you fired my mother? After everything? After getting her hopes up? After taking advantage of your secretary?» Steve scoffed disdainfully. «I can’t believe this. I thought you two would break up eventually, but I never thought it would be because you’re scared of your daddy. You’re a little boy, Ray.»
«Hey, kid, you don’t get–»
«Shut up. I’m speaking now. I was raised by just my mother and no father or even father figure. That made me grow quickly. I know I have to work hard to become successful and earn good money to care for my mother,» Steve began, his anger changing to almost humor. He started laughing in Ray’s face, almost like the Joker in front of Batman.
«Steve,» Ray breathed.
«I also thought men like you had it together. But I was wrong,» Steve continued. «I can’t believe that a 35-year-old CEO is so afraid of his daddy that he has to follow his every word. Turns out, I’m much older than you. I would do anything for the people I love and wouldn’t let anyone stomp on them. My mother will be alright, and she’ll find a better job… and a much better man. But you… your father will control you even after he’s gone. I feel… sad for you. I came here to beat you up or punch you, but it’s not worth it.»
With those words, the teenager turned and returned to the car, planning to cheer his mother up and help her find a new job. They were moving on from Ray, his company, and his father’s words. They would all be alright.
***
Luckily, Christine was a trooper. The next day, she held it together and apologized to Steve, who told her everything was OK. They started searching online for new jobs, and she seemed happy with the idea of finding a new place of work, so that was good.
However, an invitation arrived three days after Steve’s confrontation with Ray. «It’s for a company party,» Christine said after reading it. «They’re inviting everyone and their families.»
«Maybe, they forgot to take you off the employee mail list?» Steve wondered, grabbing the invitation.
«Let’s go, Mom,» Steve encouraged, and she nodded, pressing her lips together.
«Should I go?» she asked him, showing her vulnerability clear as day. «It would be a chance to face them with my head held high, I guess.»
«Well, if you want to go, we’ll go,» Steve said, although he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. «At least we know there will be good food.»
They laughed together, and the teenager knew his mother would be alright. She was holding in her pain, but she was rising above it, probably for Steve wouldn’t worry much. She was his greatest role model.
***
They went to the party, arriving a bit later so the entire company would already be there and they could blend into the crowd. They ate the hor’dourves. Steve noticed some people looking at his mother strangely and with confused expressions, but she wasn’t paying anyone any attention. Christine was acting like it was a typical day at an office party.
Suddenly, Ray got on stage and took the mic. His father, Mr. Higgins, was standing right beside him. They finally learned that the company was celebrating its 30 years in the business. Christine had not known about it before because a different department handled it.
«Welcome, everyone. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re all here with your families because Higgins truly values all of our employees,» Ray began, and his father beamed proudly. «Family is all that matters at the end, and I… I wouldn’t… I mean….»
Christine and Steve looked at each other, wondering why Ray was stuttering.
«You know what? I can’t stand here with this speech when the family I envisioned for myself is not standing here with me. Christine and Steve, would you come up with me here?» Ray said, and the whole crowd turned to them.
Christine’s eyes widened in shock and confusion, but Steve looked at the stage, and Mr. Higgins’ face turned red. The old man grabbed his son’s arm and said something in a low voice. But Ray pulled himself free and called for them again.
«Let’s go, Mom,» Steve encouraged, and she nodded, pressing her lips together.
«Christine is the woman I love,» Ray said when they got on stage. The crowd oohed and awed at that statement. «I know everyone in the office probably heard what happened a few days ago. I should’ve done something. I was not acting like a real man, and I have Steve – her son – to thank for reminding me so thoroughly. But I want to be a man now.»
Finally, Ray turned to Christine.
«Christine, will you marry me? If Steve approves? I don’t care what my father says. I don’t care if I get fired from the company. All I know is that I can’t imagine my life without you anymore. Will you be my wife?» the CEO announced, and Christine burst into tears as he ran to his arms.
The whole party cheered. But Mr. Higgins yelled, «YOU CAN’T MARRY A LOWLY SINGLE MOM! I WILL TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING I GAVE YOU!»
«I have all I need right here, Dad,» Ray clapped back.
Steve tried hard not to smile, but he clapped along with the other invitees. The teenager never expected this from Ray, but he was proud of the man.
«I’m sorry, Steve. About everything. And I’m so thankful that you opened my eyes,» Ray told him quietly after the cheers quieted and they stepped down from the stage. «Even if it was a little harsh.»
«What did Steve do?» Christine asked.
«I’ll tell you later, dear,» Ray said and patted Steve’s shoulder. «Would you approve of me marrying your mother?»
Steve rolled his eyes good-naturedly. «It’s what she wants. I’m happy to see that maybe I was wrong about you. But the warning always stands. I might not be so lenient if something happens again.»
Ray smiled brightly. «Never again,» he promised the teenager.
