Mommy's in Africa

"Daddy why are you sad?" My Dad looked back at me, I was only eight yet I could still see the sadness in his eyes. He scooped up in his arms and drew me close to him, not answering my question but letting me know he loved me. Eventually he answered he told me he wasn't sad and that he was happy, and out on a brave smile a smile I could see through, it was all bravado, it was all for me.

The next day he took me to the hospital all through the drive he was silent and looked straight ahead I asked questions but I don't think he heard them. When we got there he lifted me into his arms, I was eight, I didn't need carrying, I didn't tell Daddy that, he needed me there.

In the hospital we wandered through corridors the hospital smell found its way up my nose, I didn't like it but I didn't say anything, Daddy hadn't spoken since we left our house. He looked really tired, the way Mommy looked when she got home from one of the country she's been working in.

Daddy put me down on the floor. We'd reached a closed door. Daddy put his hand on the handle, I expected him to go straight but he just stood there it felt like days but I know I could have only been minutes he gripped my hand tighter as he turned the handle.

When the door opened I saw a room, it was very white, and at the side of the bed that was in the middle was a cup of coffee, apart form the coffee the room was empty of anything personal. The machine, which was connected to the woman that lay in the bed, was beeping steadily.

I looked up at Daddy, expecting instructions or a hint of what to do, but Daddy just stood there tears falling from his eyes, looking at the woman in the bed. "Daddy don't cry" I told him, in a voice that was barley a whisper, but he didn't seem to hear me. I'd never seen Daddy cry before Daddy was always strong he always wiped my tears away when I cried, but he never cried.

His crying unnerved me and tears began to drop incessantly from my eyes, and unwillingly a sob escaped from my mouth. Daddy was forcefully brought back to earth as my sobbing increased; in sound and persistence. He took me in his arms and rocked me gently our tears mixing as they fell to the ground.

"Why are you crying Daddy?" I stuttered through my sobs. He paused and studied me carefully wondering how to break it to me, in the end he decided on simple and honest.

"Because that's Mommy" he said pointing towards the bed. That's all he said I looked at him but he wouldn't look at me, so I looked to the bed, I didn't look like the Mommy I knew.

"That's no Mommy" I laughed "It can't be she's in" I paused trying to remember what far-away country my Mommy was in now, "Africa, I think it's Africa"

"She came home" he said still avoiding my eyes, I couldn't understand I couldn't get my eight year old head around what was happening. I jumped out of Daddy's arms I crept carefully towards the bed, when I got there; I poked the woman laying in it and said "Is that you Mommy?"

"Logan?" she murmured.

"Rory?" Daddy whispered hardly daring to believe what he heard.