by Patti Mcquillen

Created on: April 25, 2008

Haley's tears fell as the words she feared the most rang in her ears. Her parents would finalize their divorce in less than a month. She longed to run to the safety of her room. Still, she sat on the edge of the couch, with her dad one her left and her mom on her right. The scent of cookies, warm from the oven, circled around her nose. A holiday decoration flashed on and off in the picturesque window at the front of their warm, comfortable house.

At least that was how it seemed until that moment. She thought back over the past two months and realized the signs did not seem to fall into place. No loud fights, hushed tears or a sudden vanishing of her dad occurred. What she remembered was the silence, stony looks, grim mouths set in place without any feeling.

Now, she knew why those would be the final memories of the year. She also knew they both loved her, at least that was what they said, right after the big D word. A wave of emotions rocketed through her ten year old body and she practically launched herself from the dimmed room.

Her mom's hand flew out to reach her, to grasp her arm and pull her back. She escaped it, yet not before tears fell from her mom's eyes. Haley heard these and felt glad, although a nagging guilt instantly filled her heart.

During the night, Haley struggled to sleep. She needed sleep, yet it would not come. Throwing back the covers, she sat on the edge of her bed. She leaned on one of the white, solid posts at the corners of the bed. They did not give, and she felt safe. She felt what she wanted to feel with her parents, but knew she would never feel again.

The next morning, she helped her dad carry boxes to his car. She was torn and confused. One minute she cried and the next, she stared without a care. Her mom stayed away until all the boxes filled the tiny car, and the man she promised to love forever, drove away to start a new life.

Haley did not know why they needed a divorce. She only knew she hated it. She also hated the sadness she watched crawl over her mom's face every time her dad called. Her mom would stop what she did, disappear into a nearby room and wait. Haley did the talking and when she hung up the phone, she always reached for the tissues. She slipped them under the door, feeding her bits of comfort.

Time passed this way until the new year began and Haley returned to school. Her friends arrived, chatted about the gifts they received and all the fun they had in the snow. Haley lived a few blocks away and suffered from a

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