CHAPTER TWO: MOMMY!

I remember it was a breezy summer day, when it happened. When Mommy left us forever. I was planning on celebrating my passing freshman year by going out and buying an ice cream cone. I had been worried I might not pass, but luckily for me, I managed a C- in my math class. Mommy and Daddy had not been pleased with the grade, obviously, but they were glad I passed.

After buying my ice cream, I ran into friends from school and we went to see a movie, but only after I called Mommy and told her where I would be. To this day, I cannot even remember what the movie was called, that is how insignificant it was. I remember I came home and Mommy wasn't at the door to greet me.

"That's odd," I said to myself, "where could Mommy be?" I put my jacket on the coat rack and went exploring, searching for Mommy. She was not in the kitchen, where she usually was when I returned from school, so I went upstairs, to her room. I heard some strange noises coming from the bathroom; they sounded like humming.

"Mommy," I said, "are you in there?" I stopped at her bathroom door, which was closed, and tried the ornate brass doorknob. It was unlocked, and I pushed it open.

At first, I didn't notice anything too odd. The shower curtain was drawn, and the water was running. I assumed she was taking a shower, and turned to leave. Just as I went to leave, I happened to notice that the water was spilling over the edge of her marble bathtub. My heart began to pound in my chest.

"Mommy!"

I tore back the shower curtain. Mommy was floating face down in the bathtub, her long, beautiful black hair floating above her head like seaweed. She was wearing her white lace wedding dress and a single silver chain around her neck. I charged forward and grabbed her by her shoulders, trying to drag her from the tub. I managed to halfway drag her out of the marble tub, and cradled her cold face in my hands. Her lips were blue and her eyes were wide open, staring at everything and nothing. I dragged a shaking hand over her eyes, shutting them, and held her in my arms and began to scream.

"DADDY! DADDY! COME QUICK! SOMETHING'S HAPPENED TO MOMMY! DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!" When Daddy didn't come, I sat back on my heels and held Mommy's limp, lifeless body to mine, hugging and rocking her, hoping that maybe the warmth from my body could jar her cold form awake. "Mommy," I whimpered, "why? Why did you do it? Why?"

I spotted a piece of folded notebook paper that had fallen to the floor and snatched it up in my hand, unfolding it and I began reading.

My dear, beloved Spring,

I'm so sorry I had to do this. But as you will soon find out, there was no other way. There was no more room in his heart for me.

I'm sorry, so very, very sorry, but I hope you can forgive my weakness and me.

One day.

Your loving Mommy

Sobbing now, I crinkled the note in my hand and jammed it into the pocket of my sopping wet jeans. I tried to lift Mommy's lifeless body, but she was too heavy, and I collapsed to the bathroom tile with her. I pressed my lips to hers, trying to breathe life back into her lungs, but I knew she had been in the water far too long.

"If only I knew CPR, I could have saved her," I sobbed, holding on to her body. "MOMMY!"

She had put on her wedding dress to die. I hadn't realised it until the paramedics finally arrived to take her away. To take my Mommy from me forever. I wouldn't let them separate us. There was no way I'd let them take her from me. Even if it meant that I would have to die as well. I clung to her cold body as they tried to take her away, screaming and screaming.

As a large man tried to pry me away from her stiffened body, I screamed, summoning all the pain in my heart. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE MY MOMMY AWAY!" I shrieked, batting his hands away from her. "LET ME DIE TOO, MOMMY! LET ME BE DEAD AND WE CAN BE TOGETHER! LIKE SOFIA AND REYNALDO WANTED TO DO! LET ME DIE TOO, MOMMY! LET ME DIE!"

"Someone please control this child!" the man snapped harshly, shoving me away from him. "We've got work to do!"

Someone, Daddy I think, grabbed me and picked me up in his arms, kissing my tears and holding me in his arms. I tasted something salty on my lips, but I realised those were his tears. "It's just you and me now, Spring. It's just you and me," he whispered.

I should have known he was lying. Even then, so soon after her death, he was lying. Less than two months later, Claire moved into our house, and into Daddy's heart.