Saturday had always been a good day for Abel.
It was his mother's day off, and while it wasn't necessarily because he had her company the entire day, there was something special about it. Saturdays were when his mother usually felt a pang of guilt for being absent all week.
To make up for lost time, she'd try to spend quality time with him, and this weekend was no different.
They left the house in the afternoon, visiting their usual spots around town. But as the day went on, Abigael began to notice just how much Abel had changed.
Normally, he would use these outings as an opportunity to guilt trip her into buying him all sorts of things—video games, snack packs, whatever caught his eye.
She'd often try to steer him toward healthier choices, but Abel had perfected the art of persuasion, and more often than not, he got what he wanted.
Today, however, was different.
Abel hadn't touched a single snack, and his choice of meals was surprisingly limited.
It didn't take long for Abigael to realize that the foods he was picking were those recommended for singers and voice coaches—foods that wouldn't harm his vocal cords. She didn't say much, but inside, she felt a swell of pride.
Seeing how disciplined Abel had become filled her with admiration. Even for a complete professional, making such a drastic lifestyle change would be difficult, but Abel seemed to have an ironclad resolve.
She knew how passionate he was about music. While she had always hoped he might pursue a career in medicine, she also knew better than to stand in the way of such commitment.
***
Abel hadn't yet told his mother about his current mission, but when they left the house, he had secretly loaded his gear—mostly his guitar and amp into the trunk.
At some point, given his mother's love for shopping, she was bound to see them when she opened it.
That wasn't an issue, though.
It wasn't like he was doing anything dangerous, and as far as he was concerned, he didn't see any reason why she would object.
The rest of the day dragged on, moving painfully slowly, and it was close to 1 p.m. when Abel finally decided to bring up the issue with his mother. "Mom, can I ask you a favor?"
Abigael smiled to herself, thinking perhaps she had misread the situation. Maybe Abel's reserved demeanor today was because he was saving his energy to ask for something even bigger than usual.
"Depends on the favor, honey," she replied, still focused on the road as they headed toward the park.
Abel took a deep breath, aware of his mother's mixed feelings on the subject.
"Ben and I promised to pick up Hilsa from the group home," he began, pausing to gather his thoughts as he noticed the frown forming on his mother's face. "...We're just going to hang out, you know... help her forget the incident for a while. She just attended her stepfather's hearing."
At the mention of this, Abel saw a complete transformation in his mother's expression as she glanced at him through the rearview mirror. The suspicion was gone, replaced by a look of compassion mixed with pity and curiosity.
She had only heard about Hilsa from Abel and hadn't met her yet, but she felt proud of her son for doing the right thing. For a moment, she put herself in Hilsa's mother's shoes and knew that if it had been her daughter subjected to such abuse, she wouldn't have spared any effort in bringing the culprit to justice.
Abigael also realized this was an opportunity to meet the girl her son spoke so highly of. In her line of work, she often encountered victims who were deeply traumatized by such events, and she knew how important it was for them to have someone who had gone through a similar experience to talk to.
This could be a win-win situation.
"Of course, dear. Why didn't you mention it earlier?" she said, slowing down as she prepared to change lanes.
"Was waiting for the right time," Abel replied, using the good old cliché. 'Well, that one's down... one more to go,' he sighed to himself. But his mother was only getting started.
"Where are you guys going? Do you have anything in mind?".
Of course, Abel had everything planned out, though he had kept the details to himself..he had just disclosed enough to Ben just this morning over the phone to help him secure the venue.
He wondered if he should just tell her. After all, there was no harm in it, and knowing his mother, she would support him no matter how bad things turned out to be.
Plus Having her on board would mean he had three fans already—Even better.
"Sure... we're going to perform at the subway station,"
Watching her reaction closely. He could tell she was caught off guard, and he had a good idea why. She probably thought he was pushing it, moving too fast, even for himself. Her response wasn't unexpected.
"Honey, don't you think that's too much..." she began, but seeing him stare at her reflection in the driver's mirror, she hastened to clarify, "I mean, not that I doubt you... but the subway is a big and busy place. Can't you just do it at the park? It's even fun there."
Abel remained silent.
He had considered all of this before making his decision.
The park would be easier, but that wasn't the point. The subway station offered a different kind of challenge—one that could help him break out of his shell and face a larger, more diverse audience.
His mother, however, wasn't giving up so easily.
"Do you even have permission? People usually ask the subway management beforehand," she said, clearly thinking she had found her winning argument.
Abel smiled. She hadn't.
"Of course we did," he said confidently. By 'we,' he meant Ben. Ben had texted him earlier that morning, around 10 a.m., saying he had spoken to the guy in charge. Ben's dad was a well-known figure, so getting such favors wasn't a hard thing to manage.
Abel almost laughed seeing how poor she was trying to mask her defeated look as she pulled in front of the big signboard that read 'ST. ANGELA GROUP HOME'