Looking Up.

“What is weed?” the girl questioned, tilting her head to the side as she looked up to her mother, who, instead of resuming her usually busy day – which included making Madison her usual peanut butter and jelly sandwich, cleaning house, and cooking dinner right before her daddy came home – was seated at the table, her head in her hands. She had heard her mother say ‘weed’ to her friend over the phone and she was genuinely curious.

Her mother looked to her sadly, the blue eyes that mirrored her daughter’s cloudy with sorrow, her voice laced with sadness. “Baby, it’s what’s wrong with your sister. It’s why she’s so mean.”

Mady didn’t understand, though. Why was Mommy so sad? Where was Daddy? Why wasn’t her sister just smart enough to stop? Oh, she had so many questions. “Why doesn’t she stop, Mommy? Can’t she stop?”

“It’s not that easy, Mady. I just don’t know.”

That wasn’t right, was it? Mommy always had answers to everything she asked. Her mommy was the smartest person she knew, but she dropped the question, knowing she wouldn’t get any answer for that one. “Where is Daddy?”

“He’s finding your sister, Madison. Go play, please? Mommy needs a break.”

Madison did as she was told.

*

“Mady, why won’t you play tag with us?” Garrett questioned, sitting down beside her on the school steps, his red hair disheveled and wild, his freckled cheeks red from running from the other kids. Her blue eyes met his green ones, but she stayed silent, not wanting to spill her heart to the other five-year-old.

“C’mon, Mady!” he exclaimed, his short arm wrapping around the blonde’s shoulders. “You can tell me anything!”

She gave in, a pout on her lips as she stared forward, the only words falling from her lips being, “My sister is eating weeds.”

His reaction was to scrunch up his face, tilt his head to the side, and to exclaim a “Yucky!” When Madison glared at him, though, he frowned and heaved a sigh. “My brother ate weeds once,” he said softly, looking down at the concrete step beneath their feet.

It immediately got Mady’s attention, causing her to stare at him, the sadness in her eyes apparent. “What happened?”

“Mom and Dad got him help. Put him in something called…re-hap,” he state matter-of-factly, nodding his head as he looked over at her.

“Is he okay now?” she questioned, clearly anxious to find out a way to help her sister. “Is your family okay?!”

“Mmmmm-hmmmmm!” Garrett hummed, his smile so wide that you could see that he was missing a tooth, though one was poking through the bright pink gum, coming back in nicely. “He’s happy now. We all are.”

Madison sighed softly, nodding her head. “Sissy’s gotta go to re-hap!”

He smiled, leaning over and wrapping his arms around her. “Your mommy and daddy will be okay, Mady,” he told her as he held her. “I promise!”

Madison hugged him back.

*

Today, two months later, Madison is back in the game, running away from one of her girlfriends who is being ‘it’ during tag. Her long blonde hair is pushed out of her line of sight, giggles escaping her lips as she looks back at Sara, her dark haired friend who’s older sister is so close to Mady’s sister that they could be sisters. When Madison’s small body slams into another, she stumbles forward, landing on top of Garrett with a ‘thump!’

“Sorry!” she exclaims, scrambling to get off of him, helping him up to his feet when she stands. Sara has seemed to forget that Mady was her target, running in a different direction and in pursuit of a different girl. Garrett brushes off his pants and gives her a full-toothed grin, his new tooth having come in already.

“It’s okay!” he says as he looks her over, making sure that she’s all right. His red, tousled hair is longer than before, hanging in his green eyes as if it’s to prove that the boy needs a new haircut. “How is your sister doing…ya’ know, weed-eatin’?”

Madison giggles, leading him over to the steps where they had sat two months prior, leaning back on her hands as she gazes up at the sky, her bright eyes the same color as the cloudless blue sky. She remembers her mom this morning, humming a happy tune as Mady sits patiently, waiting for her eggs and bacon. “Things are looking up,” she remembers her mom saying as she places the plate in front of her before placing a small kiss on the top of her head. Her sister and her daddy agrees, her daddy nodding as he reads through an article in the paper and her sister nodding as she giggles, much happier and much, much more nicer.

When Madison looks over to her friend, she grins and simply states, “As Mommy would say, things are looking up.”