remember when she left

AIDEN JACKSON

AIDEN JACKSON was home, in his room, reading once again The Short History Of Nearly Everything when he heard someone cry. He stood up and listened. At first, he didn't hear anything. He thought he imagined it. But then, he hear it again. Cries.

He stood up and followed the sound to the living room. His mother was standing in the middle of the room, in front of the piano. Vivian's piano. She was crying and looking at it. "Mum?"

She jumped a little a turned around. Her face was red. "Aiden? I-" She tried to mask her tears with her sleeve and smiled a little. "I didn't see you there."

"Were you crying?"

Her smile faded and she looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry... I just... I heard someone play Für Elise yesterday and-"

"She loved it."

"Yeah." His mother laughed a little. "She played it so much the neighbours went mad." Then, she began crying more, her breath catching in her throat.

Aiden watched her cry, powerless. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't do anything. He was stuck watching his mother cry her heart out, frozen.

"Vanessa?" Aiden turned to see his father run towards his mother. "Vanessa." He wrapped his arms around him. "I'm here." She exhaled in his shoulder. "I'm here."

"I miss her," she said, her voice cracking.

"I know. I do too."

"I miss her."

"I know. I know."

Aiden watched his parents hug each other. He walked out of the room but before he completely left, he turned to look at them again. He looked at his father make his mother laugh a little. He looked at him make her smile. "I love you," he told her.

Hi mother just shook her head. "I love you too."

And watching them, seeing his father being able to make her feel better, Aiden knew. He could never tell anyone about his father. Because if he did, who'd be here for her? What told him she wouldn't just abandon life?

So he left. And he never looked back.