True Friendship

In the Hospital...

My dad went into the back and Veronika and I were left in the care of the nurse at the desk. Veronika suggested we play tic-tac-toe and we did for about an hour. After we got bored with that, we started talking about school. There wasn't much to do, so we just started reading the magazines and talking about random subjects. We spent the night with the permission of Veronika's mom, since she was going to spend the night anyway. We fell asleep at about 7:00 pm and woke up the next morning at 5:28 am. My dad came out of the back at about 8:30. His eyes were bright red and he was crying really hard. I didn't realize it until he came over to pick me up, but his hands were shaking...

  We dropped Veronika off at her house and my dad and I went home. He sat me down on the couch and tried for a few minutes to explain that mom had been sick for a few years. Finally he gave up on this impossible mission and told me my mom had passed away. I didn't stop crying for about five hours straight and when I did stop crying, I immediately fell asleep. I woke the next morning to the sound of the stove going. For a half-second, I thought my mom was cooking me the usual grilled cheese sandwich for when I was sick or sad, but when I heard my dad's voice cursing at who knows what, I remembered what had happened the day before. No more mommy to take care of me. No more mommy to tuck me in. No more mommy to comfort me when I am sad.
   
  Veronika and her mom came by to ask if my mom was better, my dad told her she was dead. What a cold word, yet so common in  the world. At that moment, I realized she was never coming back. I realized that she would have a grave in a cemetery, just like my dad would too. Veronika and I were closer than ever then. Every day she would drop  by and we would talk. That meant so much to me. One day her mom came by with news that would leave Veronika and I closer...