The sweet aroma of coffee awakened Shay. She had been drinking coffee for over twenty years but nothing satisfied her senses more than the smell. All of a sudden it hit her, she was not alone. She only hoped it was Anthony that made the coffee because she was not in the mood to deal with her mother so early in the morning.

"Shay" a loud voice squeeled. "Are you up? I made your coffee. Strong and black just the way you like it" she continued.

"Oh God. I'ts not a dream" Shay thought. "Those big ears of hers never miss anything. God, she probably heard me when I pulled the blankets back. She really makes me sick sometimes."

"I made breakfast too if  you want. I know you never eat breakfast but there is plenty here if you change your mind." 

"No thanks mom" as she reached into the fridge for the cream. 

"Good morning Shay. You never were a morning person but I tried my best to make you grow out of that nasty habit of not speaking to people in the morning."

"GOOD MORNING MOM. How are you today? Thanks very much for making my coffee this morning. I really appreciate that so much. No thank you I will not be having breakfast this..."

"That's enough sarcasim Shay! I have warned you about being disrespectful."

"Sorry mom". Shay kissed Gertie on the cheek. Is Ant up yet?"

"Of course and he's already eaten. I sent him to the store to get more soda and trash bags. He was all bent out of shape because he wanted to make your coffee. Mom loves my coffee he kept saying; like he had some kind of secret ingredient. My God, it's just coffee!"

"Mom you only say that because you don't drink coffee. I don't expect you to understand but it's ok". Shay got her favorite coffee mug from the cabinet and began to pour. As she raised the glass mug to her mouth she could see the coffee was weak.

Marcus had bought her those glass mugs for her 30th birthday as a joke. He used to make Shay's coffee sometimes when she worked late nights and he knew she would be too tired to get up in the morning. After just one sip Shay would spit the coffee out and add another spoonful of grinds. 

"Damn woman, I added three spoons just like you told me to" she remembered Marcus would say to her.

Shay would reply "Well babe, it's so weak I can see thru it."

"Shay maybe you should drink coffee out of a glass then. You can see it better." And the rest is history. They both laughed when she opened her present. That's the kind of thoughtful person Marcus was. He had gone to four gourmet shops just to find Shay those mugs and he hated shopping with a passion.

Shay had a decision to make; drink the coffee as is and avoid a major argument or add some more grinds and invite chaos into her morning. Last night was enough and the day was just beginning. After the third cup of coffee her quiet time was interrupted.

"That's an awful lot of coffee you're drinking, Shay. I sure hope you don't have a hole in your stomach. All that coffee with your stressful job can't be healthy for you."

"Mom I don't normally drink three cups of coffee; it's because the coffee... I mean I am under a lot of stress right now. I promise you once today is over with I will be just fine. Allright mom?" Whew that was a close one Shay thought.

"I understand completely dear and admitting you have a problem is the first step. It's never too late you know. Maybe they even have a patch for caffeine addictions. Sorta like the smoking patch. With all the technology on the market"

"Mom that's enough! I'm not giving up coffee." Shay heard a door slam and welcomed the interruption.

"Grandma I'm back" Anthony shouted from the garage.

"That's wonderful Anthony but why exactly are you shouting? I know your mother taught you better than that. What if your mom was sleeping?"

"But mom is up now grandma" Anthony pleaded his case.

"Anthony, it's very rude to shout indoors" Gertie insisted. "Now say good morning to your mother; it's the polite thing to do".

"Hey mom. Hope you slept well" Anthony moaned. Shay nodded and gave him a half smile. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She wanted to run too. "How was your coffee mom? G-r-a-n-d-m-a made it" Anthony whined like a little kid.

Shay shook her head to give Anthony a signal. She did not want to go down that road again. "It was fine Ant, now go and make sure the bathroom is extra clean for guests today."

"But mom, I could see right thru it!" Anthony chuckled. "I told grandama"

"Ant! I said it was fine. Now go do what I said" Shay ordered.

"Yes mom".

"If you didn't like the coffee then why drink three glasses? That doesn't make any sense at all. You could have told me Shay you didn't like the coffee."

"Ok mom here it is! I didn't like the coffee. It was too damn weak. That's why I had to drink three glass to get my caffeine boost. And yes I probably have a hole in my stomach the size of a plum from all the coffee. I've been drinking coffee since I was fifteen and yes I have a serious problem. I am an addict! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW MOM?"

There was an uneasy silence in the kitchen. Shay waited for her mom to say something but she didn't. She just pretended to tidy up the kitchen. "Nothing to say mother? Come on' I know you got something to say".

Gertie turned to face her daughter. "I can certainly see where Anthony gets all his rudeness and shouting. If you do not mind, I'm going to my room now to prepare for our guests" and she quickly exited.