I Feel Our Memories Fade With Time.

Penny For Your Thoughts?

I got through half the movie when my mind started to wander.

I walked in my dad’s room later in the day. I wanted to know why everyone was so sad. Dad looked really sad. His head was in his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Daddy?”

He sniffled and looked up at me.

“Come here, Ty,” he said with a crackle in his voice.

“What happened to mommy? Where is she?”

“Ty? I know that you’re barely four years old, but I want you to listen. I know you’re smart enough.” He pulled me up onto his lap and he hugged me. “Mommy’s in a better place.”

“At grandma’s house?”

“No. People come to a point in their lives where they just don’t like it anymore. Some people deal with it, some people want to go to a better place. They take their life from here and then they go to that better place. That’s what mommy did.”

“She’s on vacation then?”

“You could say that.” His voice was crackling again. “It’s a vacation she’s not gonna come back from.”

“Where’d she go? California?”

He was ready to lose it or something. What was wrong with dad?

“She’s in heaven, Tyler.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s where good people go when they die.”

“Mommy’s died?”

He sniffled again. “Yes, she’s dead. But she’s much happier now, and she’ll watch over us.”

“No! I want mommy!” I started to cry.

He pulled me into a tight hug, and I cried hard into his chest. He started to shake as well as I was.

“I want mommy too,” he said in a whisper.

“I want mommy home now!” I shouted, still crying.

I cried and cried until I fell asleep. Dad did the same thing. I sat up and wiped my eyes. I hadn’t realized I started to cry. I coughed, sneezed, then I blew my nose. I was really crying.

“Tyler James Way, you’re supposed to be asleep,” dad said from the door.

“Sorry, dad,” I said.

“Ty? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“A penny for your thoughts, young man.”

“I don’t need a penny. Dad? I just had that dream again, the dream where you told me what happened to mom.”

“Oh, Tyler. Come here.” He sat on my bed and hugged me. “Just let it out. I know how you feel.”

I took five minutes to have a good cry. This happened every once in a while. It wasn’t fun at school, because there were times I’d fall asleep. I actually did once, and I had the dream. The whole class looked at me weird. I told the teacher what happened, and she got the class to get off my back about it.

“Feel better?” dad asked.

I sniffled, and sneezed again. “Yeah. Thanks, dad.”

“Anytime. Remember, you can always come to me if you want to talk.”

I nodded and he walked out. I laid back down and went to bed.