As Alex and I continued to eat our meal of bread, the silence in the atmosphere began to bother me. So, I smiled. After all, it was the perfect time to chat.
"You had a good scream climbing the mountain the day after the cliff."
Alex suddenly started coughing, his food stuck in his throat. After a brief moment of relief, he turned to me with sharp eyes.
"Shut up. I can't help having a phobia."
"This is your chance to overcome it."
I took another bite of my bread but we didn't continue talking, at least Alex wasn't too inclined to talk.
"What do you plan to do when you cure your mother?"
Alex stopped chewing his bread and waited a short while. Then he swallowed and sighed but didn't give me any answer.
"Everything you've done so far has been for her recovery. What are you going to do when she gets better? What do you have in your mind? You can't just sit around. You have the highest grades in the academy after all. There must be offers coming from everywhere."
