When she opens the door
Her mom’s face says it all
A forced smile and her puffy eyes
Confirm what she already knew
Hesitantly she enters
She takes off her coat
And begins to unpack her books
Silence fills the room like smoke
And an unspoken reality weighs down on them both
Her mom asks, “how was your day?”
“It was fine, I couldn’t stop thinking about…well you know”
“How are you mom?”
“Okay, I had a hard day”
Watching her mother start to cry
She hugs her tight in an attempt to comfort her
Finally, she is unable to hold it in any longer
Her emotions pour out of her like the tears streaming down her face
She cries for her loss
For her mother’s loss
And for the gaping hole their loss has left
It hurts
But what hurts even more
Than losing a loved one
Is having to watch someone else you love
Lose that very same person