I heard the door of my mama's bedroom slide open along with the usual shushing of the carpet against wood. I was in my bedroom working on my projects for the end of the year and checking my Facebook. I didn't pay much mind to my mom's coming and going in the house. I usually assumed she was feeling restless and needed to rearrange things in the house to her liking. Either that or she needed to use the bathroom or go to the kitchen. Today, I heard the sniffling of her nose and the heavy sigh before she spoke. Her voice was shaky. "My father died," she said. I could hear the tears that she had been crying when she heard the news. I knew that it was only moments ago when she got the call, from whoever it was. It was just instinct. I was at my door right away. Even though it was rather dark in the hallway, I could make out the puffy red pouches underneath her eyes and her flushed cheeks and nose. I did the best I could to hide the painful tightening of my stomach and the slight tingle in my nose from showing on my face. I couldn't show my mama the weak side of me anymore than I already have in the past. It would only get her more upset - mad, even. I planned on reassuring my mama that it would be alright, but I couldn't say anything. No words would come out. I just stared into her eyes and tried to sympathize through my facial features. It was a failure and she only turned back towards her room and closed the door once more. I did the same.

It wasn't the news of my grandfather's death that made me sad. I never really knew the man. The only thing I remember about him was that he lived in a small house that smelled strongly of incense. No, it was the fact that my mom was crying and the fact that she showed it to my brother and me. It was a surprise. My mom didn't like showing tears, especially if it were in front of us. I didn't feel particularly upset by anything and I just sat back down on my bed. I couldn't comprehend what had just happened. The only thing I could conclude, before I went off and continued on my homework, was that I was stressed about school and that the tightening in my stomach wouldn't go away.