Leslie darted out of the car before it was parked into the cabin fuming that he was not able to stay in the city with all the upcoming events he had planned with his friends. Leslie was beginning to drift away from the family. His mother thought it best for him to have some time away from the city and his friend, from all the bad influences to rediscover who he is as an individual. 

Abigail knew it was going to be hard for her trying to  convince her son that the path that he was taking was the path of destruction. She wanted him to know that he is an individual and not the mirror image of what his friends thought but it was hard for her to get inside of her son's head while he was still in the city competing with the demands of his friends.

She remembered when he was much younger coming up to the cabin; he loved it here. He loved going swimming and fishing with his dad when he was alive. To her it seemed like it was okay a few years after his father's death but instead of confiding in her, he seemed to take refuge and confide with his friends who were staring him the wrong way.

Abigail has seen so many parents in the community making the 6 o’clock News because their children were no longer with them because of gun violence. Being terrified, she decided to be proactive and take him to the cabin. It was going to be the longest week of her life but she was still hopeful that Leslie would be broken enough not to continue on the path that he was heading.

He struggled with the groceries from the car when Leslie came out of the cabin like a whirlwind yelling at her.

“Did you even check to see if there was electricity here? And if there's no electricity what about the internet? And my phone doesn't even work.  What is the sudden interest in having me in your life when all these months since dad’s  death you have been buried in your books pursuing your happiness without me? 

“Please come and help me with the grocery then we can talk after supper.”

“I am not staying up here with you.

 Leslie, this is for your good. This is for our good we need to reconnect like we used to. Please come and help me with the grocery

. so you knew all along that there was no electricity in the cabin?

 I did not know there was not any electricity in the cabin. Didn't you see me go buying fresh meat and milk for the refrigerator? Had I  known that I would not have spent my money and things that would go bad. Stop being hysterical. I need for you to be strong this time.

 “I'm going for a walk.”

 “Why are you being so difficult?

 “Because you didn't give me any choice in the matter. There has to be a better way in getting my attention mom. You can't just decided to put my back against the wall expecting me to give you my undivided attention when you too had buried yourself in things that pleases you while I had to find ways in dealing with dad's death and you don't see me forcing your hand in dealing with the issue, then why are you doing this to me?

 “I will call the electrician in the morning.”

 “Can we not stay out here for the entire week. I will give you the weekend.

 “When  has it been this difficult for us to spend time together as we used to be together at this very cabin. I remember your dad going away on business trips and we would be here with a faulty electrical system and you did not become this hysterical.”

Leslie slowly dragged himself to a car and took two of the grocery bags from his mom and took you to the cabin. 

Trying to lift his spirit,  “the sunsets are beautiful here. Do you remember us going down by the lake just to look at the sun set? You used to love it.”

 “I still do love the sunset but that does not change how I feel about coming here.”

“I bought some books from the library that you always love reading. We can read together.”

 “For crying out loud mom come on Let It Go!  No TV, no Sports! and no entertainment. Just us and the woods and all the wild creatures that might be running around  out there. You seriously did not think this through.

“We need to have a serious discussion about where I see your life is heading and if we had stayed in the city you would not have listened.”

“Deciding to kidnap me and bringing me here without being transparent to me should make all this go away? what about the part you play in me pulling away from you mom?

 “You know I have tried on many occasions to talk to you but there's always an event or something that involves your  friends. I've seen you lose friends to gun violence and I'm terrified that if I don't get your attention I will be one of those parents on the 6 o’clock News morning for her child and pleading to the community to come forward with evidence of what your killer is. I don't want to be searching for a killer who has murdered my son. I want my son to live and live a good life. You said I've buried myself in books but what I've been trying to do is to get a better job so that we can move out of that Community  that has taken the life of so many young men your age so forgive me if I have not been doing such a good job multitasking. I am doing my best and I realized that it is not good enough until I can get you to  be on board with me.”

 “And once again you have decided on something that would affect my life drastically without asking me what I think about your decision. Moving out of the community will not help me. That's the community with all the memories of the things that I've done with dad. The community reminds me of the good times with my father and  for you to decide that you're going to remove me from a place that is filled with his memory is very selfish.”

“I need to cook these meats since we don't have any electricity. Your father was a wise man when he decided to put in a gas stove. look over there for your grandmother's recipe for cookies or cake; we have to use up the milk I have as much eggs as we can.”

“Will they not all go bad eventually?

 “You might have gotten your wish. Since there's no electricity here, our stay is as limited as long as the food will last.”

“Mom you've made your point; you've got my attention. Now, can we just go back home?

“You said the city is a place filled with your father's memory and you would prefer to remain in that community. Have you forgotten that the cabin is also filled with your father's memory and all the good things you date with him here?

“You promise, when all the food is finished we go. “With that said, I am holding you to your word that you will not go into town to stock up on supplies.”

“You have my word son.”

“ And you got my attention.”

 “So, what do you think about the idea of us leaving the city but in close proximity where you can still hang out with your friends?

“If it gets me into a better school, I'm open for it.”

“Let's get the fire going. It's cold inside here. You do all the baking now do the roasting broiling and all that jazz.”

 “Do we still have that recipe? He was not much of a baker but he had ambition.”

“He sure did son, he sure did. There was no shame in his game.”