"Hey, Mom," Tony Snow answered his phone.
"Hi, son. Why did you transfer a thousand dollars to me all of a sudden? Where did you get that kind of money? Are you working part-time again? How many times have I told you—don't waste your time on side jobs while you're in college. If you need money, just tell me.
Your dad and I have been working hard for years. We can afford to cover your food, clothes, and school. Right now, you should be focusing completely on your studies. You're already a junior, nearly a senior—why not prepare for grad school? A master's degree earns way more than a bachelor's nowadays…"
As soon as she picked up, Tony's mom launched into a long, breathless monologue, giving him no room to speak.
"Mom, I get it, really. This money came from tutoring. I'm charging 300 bucks an hour. I actually started tutoring last year, but it's really picked up this semester. And by the way, I was ranked first in my final exams last term—how much more focused do you want me to be?" Tony said, trying to ease her concerns.
He hadn't told her before about his plans to take the graduate entrance exam. He knew exactly how she'd react—dragging him back to their hometown over winter break, forcing him to stay home and study nonstop, with no distractions allowed.
"Wait, what? How much did you say per hour?" His mom clearly hadn't heard anything past that part.
"Three hundred. Three hundred an hour. I only tutor two days a week, two hours each—Saturdays and Sundays. It doesn't interfere with my classes."
Three hundred an hour. His mom didn't even make that much in a full day. Hearing that her son earned more in sixty minutes than she did after ten hours of work completely shattered her sense of reality.
"Is it safe? You're not being scammed, right? I've read about schemes online. They offer crazy pay to lure students, then trick them into going somewhere remote and... traffic them overseas." Her tone turned cautious.
"It's safe, very safe. The student's dad is a legit CEO. I mean, why would they go through all that trouble to scam me? I've already been paid for today," Tony assured her, though he couldn't help sounding a bit impatient.
"Safe is good, safe is good," she said, surprisingly soft.
What caught Tony off guard was that for the first time, his usual impatience didn't upset his mom. Instead, there was something different in her voice—something Tony couldn't quite put into words.
It wasn't anger or pride. It was... a quiet realization.
"If you really want to work part-time, then do it. Just don't let your studies suffer. How's school going? Are you eating well?" she asked, her voice gentler now. She no longer sounded like the commanding figure from his childhood.
The number Tony had quoted earlier—300 dollars an hour—kept replaying in her mind. If she and her husband worked from 8 AM to 6 PM, that was ten hours a day, maybe $100 total between the two of them.
Her son, with a few hours on the weekend, could out-earn them both.
And in that moment, she realized—he didn't need them like he used to.
Tony could take care of himself now. But even as she felt proud, she also felt the ache of time slipping away.
"I'm doing fine. Same cafeteria food I've been eating for three years. I'm used to it," Tony replied, a little caught off guard by her sudden softness. The frustration he'd felt earlier vanished without a trace. "I won't fall behind, I promise."
"Good, good... that's all I needed to hear. You're not in your dorm, are you? I can tell from the call quality. You're outside, right? Don't voice calls cost a lot of data without Wi-Fi?"
"Not really, Mom. Voice calls barely use any data. It's video that eats it up."
"Oh, I see. That's good. So... how's your health? Are you seeing anyone?" she asked, her tone shifting again. "You're going to be a senior soon. It's a good time to find someone. Once you're out working, it'll only get harder. Didn't you used to like a girl before? If you still like her, go for it. And if you're short on cash, just ask us—we'll send more."
"I'm healthy, still working out every day. And yes... I'm still pursuing her. If it works out, I'll bring her home to meet you," Tony replied. Strangely, her questions didn't annoy him anymore.
…
The mother and son chatted a while longer before finally ending the call.
After hanging up, Tony stared at his phone's black screen until it dimmed. His own reflection stared back at him—sharp features, a strong jawline, and standing at six foot one, he was a good-looking guy by most standards. If he paid more attention to fashion and hair, he might even turn heads.
But right now, he wasn't thinking about any of that.
His mom, the woman who'd always been strong-willed and unyielding, had sounded… different. Softer. Older.
For the first time, Tony felt something shift deep inside him.
His parents were aging.
The moment his mom realized Tony had truly grown up, she also realized that she and his dad were getting old.
And the moment Tony saw that his once-ironclad mom wasn't quite so strong anymore—he felt that too.
"But I'm only in my early twenties. They're not even fifty yet. Why does it feel like time is already running out?" he whispered to himself.
The subway continued its journey. Stations passed, passengers got on and off, and the gentle rocking brought Tony back to the present.
It wasn't until the station announcement called out his stop that he snapped out of his thoughts.
By the time Tony returned to his dorm and made it to the library, it was almost 8 PM.
Clara Quinn was already there, seated at their usual spot. Tony sat down beside her and opened his laptop. She glanced at him, lips parting slightly, as if wanting to say something—but ultimately stayed silent.
Studying isn't easy for someone who doesn't naturally enjoy it. It's tedious, monotonous, and often feels thankless.
But for Tony, this was now the part of his day he looked forward to the most.
Before he knew it, the library was closing.
As they packed up to leave, Clara finally asked, "So... how was it today?"
Tony had already messaged her about the job through QQ, but he hadn't gone into details. She knew the pay was unusually high—high enough to raise suspicion.
"It went alright," Tony replied. "When I first walked in, I honestly thought the student might be a handful. Rich kid, only child, big house, you know the type. But after spending some time with her, I realized she's actually pretty reasonable.
Not only that, she's really smart. I've never seen someone pick up math that fast…"
As he spoke, Tony suddenly trailed off. Something didn't feel right.
He turned—and caught Clara staring at him with a sharp, unreadable look.
That's when he realized where the unease in his gut had been coming from all along.