Don't Let Me Go

Breakfast

I smiled at the cashier as she rung up the eggs, milk, pancake mix, and bacon I purchased. The woman must have been in her 50's and looked like she had been through a lot of hard times. I thought maybe, just maybe, my smile might help her day be a bit better. She smiled back and handed me my groceries and said "have a nice day." I took my things and started the hike back up the hill towards my house. It was a beautiful day out, birds were singing and the leaves were green, as it was almost summer. I took a deep breath of the spring air and it felt great. I missed this time of year.

I got to my house and my mum was sitting in the kitchen.

"Ready to start making breakfast with me and Harry, Gemma?" My mum called to my sister.

She didn't answer, just walked in and came towards me to bring the supplies to the counter.

You could at least answer mum, Gemma.

I didn't say anything but I snuck a look at my mum and saw a quick look of disappointment before she hid it from us.

"Alright, who wants to make the pancakes, who wants to make the omelets, and who wants to make the bacon?" She smiled trying to make it all seem cheery.

"I'll do whatever you guys don't want to do," I say.

"Gemma, what do you want to do?" Mum asked.

Gemma didn't say anything, she just took the pancake mix and just started preparing it on the counter.

"Well, Harry would you mind doing the omelets?" She didn't falter, yet I knew inside Gemma's silence was killing her.

"No I don't mind, mum," I grabbed the eggs, milk and all sorts of vegetables to put in the omelets.

My mum started to make the bacon and went to the counter space next to Gemma. Gemma moved the pancake mix and herself away from mum just a bit, but still enough to notice her moving away.

Mum let a tear slip and pretended that she had to go to the bathroom to blow her nose. I could hear her silently cry in between nose blowing.

"Why are you being completely silent to mum?" I kept myself from blowing up and sounded calm even.

"Who says I'm not being silent to you both?" Gemma said rudely.

"Because you just replied to me,"

"I'm not really hungry, I think I'm gonna go hang out with my friends," Gemma stopped making the pancake batter and picked up her purse and went out the door. I could hear her car start outside and pull out.

Mum came out of the bathroom and her eyes and nose were red.

"Where'd Gemma go?" She looked concerned.

"She got called into work," I lied, trying to keep my mum from feeling any worse.

"Oh, well I guess we will just have a mother-son breakfast this morning," she smiled. Mum was so pretty, especially when she smiled, even if her eyes and nose were red and her daughter was killing her inside.