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