16

For the next week, my mind was more on Mom than it usually was because I was worried and waiting for the police or anyone else to give me news. I didn’t know where to look for Mom myself. My mind was half on Mom and half on what was going on in my life.

    I knew my boss would tell me to take some time off, but I didn’t like the idea of spending all of my time in bed being sad.

    Before rehearsal started, I took Christian aside and told him. I needed his compassion specifically. Christian looked horrified. He asked if I looked everywhere and told the police.

    “What about your Dad?” he asked.

    I could tell he was worried, but he kept it together because he didn’t fall apart easily, which I respected. He also wanted to give me someone strong to rely on.

    That made me hug him.

    The fact that he stayed strong made me feel safer.

    “The police will do what they can,” he assured me. “The dwarves and I will help, if you need us.”

    “I’m scared and it hurts.”

    “I understand and I would feel the same way if it was my Dad. Until you get more information, which I’m sure you will, you can rely on me.”

    “I’m tough.”

    “Yes, but in a situation like this anyone would need someone to rely on.”

    That day, I had to struggle in a way I never did in order to be able to perform as best I could during rehearsals. My friends noticed and asked me what was going on. I told them. Maybe I should have told them sooner, but I wanted to tell Christian more. And I was too sad to make the best decisions right now. My friends were sad for me and many hugged me. Others said they were sorry. Some asked what they could do to help. They were confused. They did what they could to make me feel better, but they only helped a little.After work, I talked to my friends from school. They all knew how close Mom and I were.

    That night, I remembered a trip to the beach when I was fifteen. My parents and I lied on chairs for a while to enjoy the sun. I absolutely loved the feel of the sun on my face. It made me feel comforted. But I stayed under the umbrella most of the time because it was still the beach and the sun got too hot after a while. My parents talked for a long time while I relaxed.

    Then, Mom suggested we go for a swim. Dad wanted to eat first, then go for a walk instead.

    Mom and I ran to the ocean. Once we got used to the temperature of the water, we started swimming around. We splashed each other and laughed. We spent an hour swimming and talking about many topics. Eventually, Dad joined us. One of the topics we discussed was whales because I had been interested in them for years. I told Mom and Dad all the stuff I had learned about whales. It was one of the reasons Mom told me that I did measure up to everyone else because I knew more about whales than anyone in the family. It felt great to be able to share that knowledge.