Where's Jas?

Finally home after a morning outing,

with a sigh, she rests her head against the steering wheel,

allowing herself a minute for the overwhelming sadness to consume her.

With tears streaming down her face,

she takes a second to remember her furry friend.

A cry from her sick son in the back seat snaps her back.

No time to grieve,

she has to keep going.

She hides under her disguise —

a thin, fabricated smile —

and gets out of the car.

***

A mum has lost her feline companion of thirteen years,

a friend she had before a husband and child.

But she forgets,

a little boy has also lost his playmate.

***

She pushes through.

She reads all his favourite stories,

sings songs,

plays games.

Behind her vacant stare,

she carries her pain.

***

Every now and then,

the little boy turns to her and asks,

“Where’s Jas?”

and she’s lost in a wave of sadness again.

“She’s gone, sweetheart,

she’s not coming back.”

***

They play more games,

sing more songs,

and the little boy asks again,

“Where’s Jas?”

He’s just too young to understand death.

***

When her son’s not looking,

the mother dabs tears from her eyes

and washes her face with cold water,

wondering, how many more days or weeks

she’ll have to endure

this painful question.