Never Make A Promise

I can't even tell you how much I suck at coming up with titles. O jeesh, I hope I did okay, though.

-Davidson Manor, Brownville, Maine. 12 years ago-

I was sitting in my room at my little pink table with my dolls and Mr. Ted. Mommy and Daddy were downstairs talking. At least that's what Mommy said they were doing. They were talking really loud and I thought Mommy was crying, but they said it was okay and that I should get back to my tea party. I was pouring Mr. Ted some tea when Mommy came into my room. She started getting my clothes and putting them into the bag she had.

"Mommy? What are you doing?" I asked her. She didn't look at me.

"Sweetie, I need you to grab a couple of your toys and come with me, okay?" she said, still putting clothes into the bag.

"Why? Are we going on vacation?" I asked. She was quiet when she answered.

"Yeah, honey. We're going on vacation, just you and me," she said, smiling. It looked more like a sad smile than a happy one.

"What about Daddy?"

"Daddy....daddy has to work," she said.

"Oh, I want him to come with us," I said.

"I know you do, baby, I know you do."

"Maureen!" Daddy shouted. Mommy closed my closet and walked toward me. I got a chance to grab Mr. Ted before she picked me up and took me out of my room. She went down the stairs really fast and I saw Daddy by the front door. He looked really mean and scary while he was looking at Mommy. He looked at me and his mean and scariness went away. He looked sad.

"Daddy, are you sad?" I asked. He shook his head and looked down.

"No, baby, I'm not sad," he said. There was something wet by his eye.

"Daddy, you're crying!" I exclaimed.

"Alright, we have to go now," Mommy said, opening the door.

"Maureen, hang on a sec," Daddy said.

"Hurry up, Will," Mommy snapped, putting me down. Daddy got down to my height and took my hands.

"Hayley, it's going to be a while before I see you again. I want you to take this and promise me that you will keep it and not lose it," he said, placing the crescent shaped sparkly gray rock in my hand. This was mine and Daddy's moon rock. We found it when he took me to the beach one day. He said that this kind of rock was hard to find and that it was special because we found it. I nodded my head.

"I promise I won't lose it, Daddy," I said.

"Good girl," he whispered.

"Will I see you again, Daddy?"

"I promise you will," he said sadly. He hugged me tightly and I hugged him back. When was I going to see him again? He said it would be a while and every time Mommy or Daddy said a while, it always meant a long time.

"Okay, we have to go now," Mommy said, taking my hand.

"Bye Daddy," I said, waving at him.

"Bye baby," he said. Mommy took me out to the car and put me in my booster seat in the back of her car and she ran to the front seat and drove away from our house, with Daddy still in the door, watching us leave. I watched him out the back window until I couldn't see him anymore.

"Where are we going on vacation, Mommy?" I asked.

"I don't know, hon. I don't know," she sighed. She must have decided to take us someplace far, because it was getting super dark outside and she was still driving. I saw the lights of the cars and the lights on the street getting brighter and brighter each minute and soon, my eyes were too heavy to keep open anymore.