4
After a while, Mom’s phone rang.
I went to answer, but the ringtone stopped.
The phone was dead.
I plugged the phone in to charge, but no one called back.
I was hungry. I moved a small stool and opened the fridge, but I could only reach a bag of
bread.
I wanted to get the milk from deeper inside the fridge, but the stool fell, and I tumbled
down hard.
“Mommy, it hurts!” I cried as I went to find Mom.
Mom still didn’t wake up.
She was always so worried about me falling and getting hurt.
I cried until I was tired, then fell asleep next to Mom. In my dream, I heard Dad’s voice.
No, it wasn’t a dream. Dad really was back.
I opened my eyes and heard the sound of the door code being entered.
The door opened, but Dad didn’t walk in. Only his voice came through: “Lily’s preschool
called and said she didn’t show up. I came back to check. Don’t worry, it’s normal after surgery. Go ask the doctor, I’ll be right there to find you.”
He was on the phone, and his voice was so gentle. He had never spoken to Mom and me
like that.
He was always so indifferent to us, sometimes even cold.
“Daddy.” I crawled off the bed from beside Mom and ran out.
Dad frowned when he saw me. “Why aren’t you dressed? Where’s Mom?”
I stopped, afraid to go closer, and whispered from the bedroom doorway, “Mommy’s sleeping on the bed.”
He didn’t even look at Mom. He just said coldly to her, “Anya, I’ll give you three more days to think about it. The house and car here are all yours. Sign the divorce papers soon; it’ll be better for both of us.”
Something fell in the bedroom. I thought Mom had woken up and ran to check.
It was just the phone, which had fallen off the charger onto the floor.
I went out to call Dad again, but he had already taken the elevator and left.
I stood on my tiptoes, trying to press the elevator button to go down and find him, to tell him that Mom wouldn’t wake up.
But Mom had said that children should absolutely, absolutely never ride the elevator
alone.
Once, when I was playing around, I took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Mom looked for me for a long time and cried, she was so worried.
I went back to Mom’s side and lay down. I didn’t want Mom to cry.
When she cried, she was so sad, and she’d secretly hide so I wouldn’t see.
I loved it when she smiled.
