i took back all the complaints about not having enough "alone time" when my father barged into my room that night.
"you think you can hang out by yourself till your aunt gets here tomorrow morning, hyde? " he asked, looking flustered.
"sure, what's up? " i asked, wanting to find out what was wrong and not feeling ready for the answer. when my stomach growled at the same moment, i realized we had not eaten dinner yet. it was almost nine at night, and mom was not in the kitchen. i hope mom is okay, i thought as i feared the worst.
"your mom needs an operation—it's nothing major," my father responded in a hurry as he gathered a few things in a duffle bag. "but, i'll probably be at the hospital all night. aunt sara will be here as soon as she gets off from night shift. fix yourself some dinner and keep the doors locked. call me on my cell if anything happens." before i knew it, he was out the door and out of sight.
as the clock started to tick louder and louder, i felt the night was getting longer by the minute. i was old enough to fix myself a meal and take care of the house, but i realized i was not ready to face my fears alone. that night, i fixed my first meal. i could have eaten a sandwich or a microwave dinner, but i wanted to eat something mom could have cooked. so, i made my first pasta and ate it with garlic bread. nothing about dinner was close to what mom would have prepared, but it me grow up a little that night.

what is the main conflict in the passage?
a. the narrator has to give up his "alone time."
b. the narrator has to deal with losing his mom.
c. the narrator has to the father with his crisis.
d. the narrator has to manage being home alone.