Installment IV

Time continued to march forward and Mikey settled into a routine. He went to school, did homework, and hung out in the store. On rare occasions he went to play at a friend’s house—after one snowstorm he got to spend the night there. They had a snowball battle in the dark. Life was going on. His birthday came and went as just another day. It would have been nice if someone had remembered, but there was a lot going on and he didn’t expect to have a cake or a party every year.

Finally, one Sunday evening Mikey’s grandma told him his mom was at home (she was alive!!!) and he was to go visit. His uncle, a police officer, had brought her from the hospital in his squad car.

Mikey was nervous as he walked down the dead-end road towards home. This would be the first time he’d seen his mom or his house since the day of the blizzard. Could she have forgotten him? He stopped in front of the house for a moment, just looking at it. Suddenly the urge to see his mom took over. He ran to the back steps and up onto the porch. The coal shovel was still where he left it. He went in the back door and passed through their tiny kitchen into the dining room. He stopped there, dead in his tracks.

From the dining room he could see his mom. She was sitting up in a lounge chair in the living room. He stopped because he was shocked by her appearance. She was gaunt and sickly. She had never been well, but this was different. Mikey wondered if she even had the strength to get up. His dad called him over and he stood next to her. She asked a few questions, mostly about school. She asked him for a kiss, but something was wrong. She was having trouble breathing. The visit was over.

A few minutes later, Don and Mikey were taking their coats off back at the grandparent’s house. As their grandmother tried to ask them what was wrong, they heard a police car go speeding by with its siren blaring. Mikey's mom had a relapse and was headed back to the hospital.