er mothers had already come and gone, dropping off their offerings of punch and crackers, chips, cupcakes and brownies. My mother was missing in action.
\"Don't worry, Robbie, she'll be along soon,\" Miss Pace said as I gazed forlornly down at the street. I looked at the wall clock just in time to see its black minute hand shift to half-past.
Around me, the noisy party raged on, but I wouldn't budge from my window watch post. Miss Pace did her best to coax me away, but I stayed put, holding out hope that the familiar family car would round the corner, carrying my rightfully embarrassed mother with a tin of her famous cookies tucked under her arm.
The three o'clock bell soon jolted me from my thoughts and I dejectedly grabbed my book bag from my desk and shuffled out the door for home.
On the four-block walk to our house, I plotted my revenge. I would slam the front door upon entering, refuse to return her hug when she rushed over to me, and vow never to speak to her again.
The house was empty when I arrived and I looked for a note on the refrigerator that might explain my mother's absence, but found none. My chin quivered with a mixture of heartbreak and rage. For the first time in my life, my mother had let me down.
I was lying face-down on my bed upstairs when I heard her come through the front door.
\"Robbie,\" she called out a bit urgently. \"Where are you?\"
I could then hear her darting frantically from room to room, wondering where I could be. I remained silent. In a moment, she mounted the steps—the sounds of her footsteps quickening as she ascended the staircase.
When she entered my room and sat beside me on my bed, I didn't move but instead stared blankly into my pillow refusing to acknowledge her presence.
"\.elpmis dna nialp—togrof dna ysub tog I .togrof tsuj I"\ .dias ehs "\,yenoh ,yrros os m'I"\
𝑤𝑡.𝑝𝑜𝑜於源來節章本
"\.yap reh ekaM .uoy togrof ehS .uoy detailimuh ehS"\ .flesym dlot I "\,reh evigrof t'noD"\ .evom t'ndid llits I
.emulov dna yticolev sti ni desaercni neht dna tsrif ta ylteiuq nageb tI .reh koohs rethgual eht sa redduhs reh leef dluoc I .hgual ot nageb ehS .detcepxenu yletelpmoc gnihtemos did rehtom ym nehT
nemtnioppasid dna egar eht ees reh tel ot ydaer ,reh decaf dna revo dellor I ?siht ekil emit a ta hgual ehs dluoc woH .suoludercni saw I
