Friday, June 25, 2010

The Divorce




Lissy was a seven year old with pretty blond hair and dark brown eyes when she watched her daddy drive away for the last time. His fishing polls and ratty t-shirts packed into boxes.
She'd heard mommy crying as he walked out of the side door. Mommy spent a lot of time crying anymore. Ever since her baby brother had to go away.
Lissy knew what "divorce" meant, but she didn't know why it had to happen to her family. She remembered times when she'd gone to the park with mommy, or gone to the river with daddy. Happy times. But not anymore.
Lissy walked downstairs, holding onto the railing the whole way. Mommy sat on the floor in the kitchen staring at the cabinets. Maybe she saw shapes in the glass fronts just like Lissy did.
"Mommy?" Lissy said.
Mommy stared at the cabinets some more.
"Mommy, is daddy gone?"
Mommy nodded her head without looking. "He went away because he isn't happy."
"Is he coming back?" Lissy already knew the answer.
"No. No he isn't coming back."
Mommy stood up and walked over to Lissy. "Lissybeth you know how to make grilled cheese right?"
Lissy nodded her head, happy that she could do something so grown up.
"And you know how to make cereal for yourself?"
Again, Lissy nodded.
"You have plenty of clean clothes, and you know how to take a bath by yourself right?"
Lissy started to wonder if maybe she'd done something wrong. "Yes maam."
Mommy walked into the livingroom, again never looking at Lissy.
"Lissybeth you know how much I love your daddy don't you?"
"You used to call him your super hero."
"He still is Lissy. But I can't make him happy."
Lissy stood next to mommy and held her hand. "Maybe it was me, maybe I didn't make him happy."
Finally mommy glanced down at her. "No Lissybeth, it isn't you."
Mommy walked over to the desk in front of the big window. "Lissybeth, you know I can't live without your daddy don't you? I can't be alone."
Lissy stood where she was. "But you have me mommy."
"I know, but I can't do this without him." It sounded like mommy was far away. "Lissy, I want you to go up to your room now. Go up to your room and be a good girl."
Lissy automatically did what mommy asked, something she'd always been told to do. When she got to the stairs she looked back at mommy.
"I love you mommy."
Mommy looked at her. "I love you too Lissybeth."
Lissy had just closed the door to her room when she heard the loud POP.
She knew what that sound was, and she knew not to go downstairs.
And so Lissy did the only thing she could.
She crawled into her pink and white bed, and went to sleep.

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