Chapter 9 - The Astoria Kitchen
Later that evening, after the museum gala had ended and the crowds had dispersed into the crisp spring night, Ethan took a crosstown taxi up to Astoria.
He climbed the three flights of stairs to the apartment he still shared with his mother, carrying a framed photograph of the construction site on Eleventh Avenue under his arm.
When he unlocked the door, the familiar scent of garlic, simmering tomatoes, and old woodsmoke washed over him.
His mother, Sarah Parker, was standing at the small kitchen stove, stirring a pot of marinara sauce. Her arthritis still bothered her on damp nights, but the deep lines of chronic anxiety that had etched her face for years had finally vanished. The stack of past-due medical bills on the kitchen counter was gone, replaced by a bouquet of fresh spring tulips in a glass vase that Ethan had brought home the week before.
"You're home late, sweetie," Sarah said, turning around and wiping her hands on a dish towel. She looked at the framed photograph in his arms. "Is that from the museum exhibition today?"
Ethan walked into the kitchen, setting the photograph down gently on the small laminate table. It showed the steel skeleton of the community center rising proudly against the Manhattan sunset, with a small group of young student apprentices standing on the scaffolding in the foreground.
"Yeah," Ethan smiled, walking over to wrap his arms around his mother’s shoulders. "The museum director said the exhibit broke attendance records for a single-day architectural showcase."
May you like
Sarah looked at her son, her eyes shining with unshed tears of pride. She reached up, gently smoothing down the lapel of his tailored blazer. "I still can't believe it, Ethan. Six months ago, you were just hoping to keep a desk job. Now... now you're helping design buildings that are going to stand for a hundred years."
"I didn't do it alone, Mom," Ethan said softly, thinking of the old man in the Carhartt jacket who had walked through the turnstiles with a dented aluminum tube. "I just answered the phone when the right person called."
