Chapter 2

2

My uncle took me to a lady. "Mom, this is Sarah's daughter. Having her here might be just the push Sarah needs."

So that was my grandma. She seemed nice at first.

I said, "Grandma, can I call my dad...?"

Her face twisted. "Don't call me that! I don't have a daughter low enough to abandon her family!"

"Keep her locked up! Don't let Tiffany see her, she can't have kids, and it would hurt her feelings."

My uncle took me upstairs.

That's when a lady in a wheelchair came out, and I saw my grandma's face light up like a Christmas tree.

"Tiffany, how are you feeling today? Are you tired? Can I give you a massage?"

Her voice was so soft and sweet, not at all like how she spoke to me.

She was Mom's mom, too.

My nose started to burn.

I wondered if Mom ever felt this bad when she was alive.

I told my uncle, "I want to stay in Mom's old room."

Maybe it would still smell like her.

Whenever I missed Mom, I'd sleep with her old blanket.

It made it feel like she was right next to me.

Mom's room would have all her stuff in it, and might even smell like her.

It would have the pens she used, the books she loved, the clothes she wore...

It was as close as I was going to get to her.

I looked at my uncle, hopeful.

He looked down at me, and then led me in the other direction.

We walked to the end of the hallway.

"This is where your mom used to live. It's just a junk room now."

He opened the door, and I saw piles of dusty junk.

I found a walker. "Was this Mom's?" I asked him, clearly excited.

My uncle seemed to think of something funny, because he laughed. "That was Tiffany's when she was little. She was so bad at walking back then."

I set the walker down and found a doll. "Is this Mom's doll? Can I sleep with it?"

"Tiffany was scared of the dark, so I found the perfect one for her. It sings, and Tiffany loves it."

I was confused. "What about Mom's stuff?"

My uncle stopped laughing. "Gone. She doesn't have anything here."

No wonder I couldn't find anything that was hers.

This was her house, but there was nothing of hers here?

I couldn't find a single photo of her.

In the family photo in the living room, my uncle and Tiffany were standing behind my grandparents on either side.

They looked happy, like one big, happy family.

Except for Mom.

This house was so big, but there wasn't room for my mom.

Tiffany found me anyway.

My uncle was just about to leave when she came into my room, yelling like a maniac. "How is it fair? How can Sarah live like this and have a kid?"

"And I'm stuck like this! I can't even walk! What's the point of me being alive?"

My grandma hugged her tight and soothed her. "It's okay, Tiffany, Sarah's time is coming. She's only alive to give you a kidney. She owes you."

Tiffany stared at me with dead eyes and suddenly rolled her wheelchair closer, grabbed me hard, and started reaching into my pockets.

I tried to protect my pockets and run away, but Tiffany wouldn't let go.

I fought as hard as I could, and she fell.

We both fell on the floor.

My grandma rushed to help Tiffany up.

I was in a lot of pain, but I didn't cry. No one cared anyway.

Grandma slapped me hard. "How dare you do that to Tiffany! You're just as bad as your mom, nothing but trouble!"

I covered my face and started to cry. I couldn't help myself.

Mom always said I was a good kid, and neither of my parents had ever hit me before.

So this is what it felt like.

My uncle's face was dark. He reached his hand out. "Give it over."

I didn't, so he tried to take it.

My uncle was much stronger than me.

It was Mom's old phone.

Dad gave it to me after she died.

It had a lot of videos and pictures of Mom on it.

Whenever I missed her, I'd watch them.

Tiffany glared at me and snatched the phone from my uncle. "This little brat was probably trying to call the cops!"

I panicked. "Don't touch my phone! There's no SIM card in there, so it can't call anyone!"

"Give it back! I won't call Dad, and I won't call the cops!"

I got on my knees and started grabbing his leg, crying. "I won't be able to sleep! I need to watch Mom's videos and look at her pictures, please, give it back!"

My uncle said, coldly, "Then get your mom to tuck you into bed."

Tiffany rolled her wheelchair to the window.

She held the phone out the window. "Tell me where your mom is, or I'll throw this phone out."

My heart was racing. I was so scared.

"No! Mom's in there! Give it back!"

My grandma held my arm so I couldn't move.

"Not going to talk? Fine. Naughty children need to be punished."

Tiffany let go.

Splat

My head started spinning.

Mom's phone was old, and the case was all scratched up.

But I still cleaned it every day and took good care of it.

Now, it was broken into a million pieces.

And I wouldn't see Mom again.