Member-only story
No One Told Me the Hardest Part of Losing Loved Ones
It comes after all is done and never fades away
We’re sitting at a café, my boyfriend Kris and I, waiting for our to-go, when I hear a boy’s voice behind me.
He says he has to give Tom’s mom a Mother’s Day gift today, but his mom tells him he doesn’t need to give gifts to everyone’s mom. It’s enough that you thought of me, honey, she says.
Kris’s staring over my shoulder. Oh, he whispers, eyes wide and mouth curved downward. Oh, the little guy is upset, he says, so I swivel to look.
Boy’s standing in front of his mom, lips quivering. He wants to say something, but his words escape into his eyes and flow down his cheeks. His mom wraps her arms around him, kisses his head, and wipes his tears. Let’s buy a gift for Tom’s mommy later, okay? she says.
I turn back to Kris, smiling. Don’t forget to phone your mom today, I say, lowering my head to scroll my phone aimlessly. I don’t want him to see my eyes welling up.
Don’t know who Tom is or why the little boy insists on giving a present to Tom’s mom. Doesn’t matter. This isn’t about that. That’s not why my eyes fill up.
Just a memory of when I argued with my mom over a pair of sneakers is brought back. That’s why.
