When a Hug Isn't Comfortable

Chapter One

I really love to daydream. Some may say that it is a terribly bad habit of mine, because I am completely unaware of my surroundings. I can be sitting in a car, and my mom might be talking to me, but I will be in a totally different world.
I was once daydreaming about one of my friends. Her parents had just gotten divorced, and her life was falling apart. I thought to myself that I was really lucky that my parents cared about me, and would never get divorced because they didn’t want to see me unhappy.  It was that day that everything changed…
My brother, my mom, and I were driving home from a museum. Home. I don’t know what that is anymore. When we pulled into my driveway, as always, my brother and I both ran up to our doorstep, and waited for my mom to come with the keys. Then, we would both run up to our rooms. I remember that, that particular day, I was making origami stars. I started to fold a dog patterned piece of paper, but my mom came into my room and interrupted me.
“Hi Cecelia”
“Hi,” I responded
“Daddy and I want to talk to you and Newton now, so could you come into the living room?”
“Okay,” I said
I started to worry. They’re going to tell me that Gramps died… I thought. And then Daddy is going to cry.”
Once my brother and I made our way downstairs, my mom and dad were already sitting on the thick white rug. We sat down. My mom spoke first.
“Would you kids like to tell Daddy about the museum today?”
So this is what she wanted to talk to us about?  My brother and I started talking about the museum. Once we had finished, I stood up to leave the room. My mom stopped me. Then she started talking. I remember her exact words.
“In life there are good changes and bad changes. A good change, maybe, is like when you get a pet or something and a bad change is when someone dies, or when somebody you love moves away.”
I started to fidget with the tie on my shirt. I knew what was coming.
My mom continued. “And sometimes marriages don’t last..”
I began to cry. I just let the tears pour out. I didn’t try to stop them. My parents don’t love each other anymore… I thought... the people I thought were a match made in heaven… they don’t love each other… they don’t love each other.
“Daddy and I have decided not to be married anymore.”