Mom tells me things that I should need to know. She tells me that everything will be ok. Dad tells me that he is going away. He has to help others, and wants to make me and Mom proud. I don’t know what he means. Mom says that dad still loves us so much. But if he did why would he be leaving? I look out the window to see him in his weird green pants and shirts. As he boards the truck thingymabobber, Mom has a funny look on her face. For some reason, I feel sick. I tell Mom, but she just says, “Me too honey, me too…”
It’s morning now. I come down the stairs, only to see mom sitting on a chair. It looks like someone painted the under of her eyes with grey paint. I say good morning, but she only shrugs. She says, “It’s okay I guess…” She is sipping from the mug I made for father’s day. I ask her what she is drinking, and she says water. But this water smells bad. Maybe it is special water. Mom looks upset, and I think it is my fault. Maybe I shouldn’t have told mom that I feel sick. Mom says that school was canceled, so I can stay home with her. I grin. We snuggle and cuddle, but something just doesn’t feel the same. But I still managed to fall asleep.
When I woke up, I was in my room. I came down because I wanted some water, but I just see mom acting weird. There is an empty glass bottle on the ground. She is saying words I’ve never heard. She yells about the bloo-I’d king who stole her heart, and some other words I have no idea. Like yernd and pashun. Whatever that means. I just want dad to come home.
Mom says many things. She counts the days. One by one, she says, “Only 608 more days! Daddy will be home soon.” What is a siks hundred? I know what eight is though! Mom’s eye paint is even darker, almost black.
Mom says that half of the time of dad being gone is over. Only a year more. She still counts the days one by one. She doesn’t go to work anymore. I wonder why. But the work people are still nice to her. Mom says that the little paper in the mail is money from the nice work people.
Mom says everything will be fine. She says, “243 days honey! 243 DAYS!” But she isn’t the mom I remember. Mom gave me hugs, kisses and cookies. This one just gives me days.
  But on the second to last day from dad’s coming home, we got a knock on the door. A man in a weird suit is standing at the door. Mom tells me to go away. He tells her something, and mom burst into tears. I run to mom, but the weird suit guy has already left. I should have hit that guy for making mom cry.. Mom would normally tell me everything is ok, but now, she just cried loudly. After she wasn’t as loud, she called grandma and asked grandma to come over. 30 minutes later grandma pulled up in her little “ninetene ninedyfor toyota curola” as dad would say. I wonder why he calls it that. It isn’t curly at all! I always loved riding in her car, be it for ice cream or for the library. The seats were so comfy. ` I was trying to listen to the conversation between grandma and mom but mom said no. Mom kept drinking her special water. After a while, grandma told me that mom went into a deep, deep sleep. I wish mom would tell me something more.