A Kiss Goodnight at the End of Forever

Chapter 4 Pt 2 - The Talk

"I know! Just a second!" I replied as I placed the black seat in the blue square, then fastened Hannah to it.

My mother stuck her head through the interior door. "Sweetie? Ooh, are you building?" She entered the garage and walked to my side. "Is that you and me?" she asked, pointing at the figurines. I lowered my chin to my chest, afraid of disappointing her and ashamed of my feelings. After a few moments, she gave up on getting a response. "Well, I think it's a wonderful addition. But I want you to take a break from that for a little while. Daddy and I want to talk with you about something."

Something else?!

"It's okay," she said, seeing my reaction. "You're not in trouble."

Suddenly, my shame rebounded off the bottom of my stomach and morphed into hope in my chest. "We're moving to New York?!"

Her face was confused for a moment, but she looked at my lego build then back to me and understood. "No, sweetie." My mother rubbed my back to comfort me, but my hope withered, all the same. She started to walk me out of the garage. "But I promise you, Sera. You're going to make tons of friends."

My father sat on the living room couch, a juice box in one hand. "Hey, Ser-Bear. Thirsty?"

I nodded silently, then accepted the juice and sat next to him. I took a sip and the sugar made me happy for a fleeting moment.

"So, your mommy and I wanted to talk with you about something," he began gently from one side of me.

"Right, and it might be a little confusing at first," she added from the other.

"But we think it's important for us to tell you because Mommy and Daddy don't want to keep any secrets from you."

"Because we love you so, so much."

Something's wrong. Something's really, really wrong.

They looked at one another and I could tell they were worried. Finally, my father said, "Do you remember last Thanksgiving when Hannah's hamster died?"

"Wait, no-" my mother stammered.

I dropped my chin to my chest. Yes, I remember Hannah.

"Do you, sweetie?" he repeated, unaware of the open wound he was gouging.

I nodded and forced out a timid, "Mm-hmm."

My mother sighed, then said, "And do you remember how we talked about Chunky - about how he would never wake up and how we'll never see him again."

"Mmm-hmm. Just like Hannah," I said.

"Well... No actually. Not like Hannah," my father said.

"Right," my mother agreed. Their voices sounded happier all of a sudden. "Because Hannah is still alive. And that means we can go visit her or she can visit us."

"Yeah, and when you become an adult, you get to decide where you live. You two could live in the same town."

"You could be roommates."

"Every night would be a sleepover."

"Really?!" The image of Hannah and me in oversized bunk beds laughing together at who knows what flickered in my mind.

"Anything's possible," my mother said, beaming down on me. Then her smile fell. "But not for Chunky."

"Right," my father said. "Not for Chunky."