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                “Mommy, why won’t she smile?” the small boy pulls on the loose sweater of his exasperated mother, a layer of sweat on her forehead.

                She snaps her head to the child impatiently, “Who?”

                The boy lifts his chubby index finger to a park bench, where a young girl stares solemnly at the pond that is littered with toy motorboats just a few feet before her. “Her,” he whines, “why won’t she smile?”

                The moist grass leaves a mark on the mother’s jeans as she kneels to the boy’s eye level. In a tired sigh, she explains, “the girl probably got her heart broken.”

                Big brown eyes gape at the mother, “By who?”

                “Her boyfriend probably broke up with her. It happens to everyone.”

                His chubby fingers grasp the mother’s resting knee, “did someone break your heart, mommy?”

                “Of course,” she smirks, “your father broke my heart too.”

                “Daddy? How?”

                “When he left you and I. Don’t you remember the service? You wore the suit that made you look like a grown man?”

                The boy’s brows furrow into a confused expression, “that broke your heart? I thought it just broke your eyes since they were leaking.”

                She responds with laughter, “Darling, my eyes weren’t broken, I was crying. You did too. When someone leaves you, be it through death or simply breaking up, it hurts. No one is invincible.”

                “But grandma didn’t cry.”

                “She was being strong.” The wind blew lightly, making their hair brush into their faces. The mother tucks her loosened locks behind her ears and runs her hand through her son’s tangled mess. “She had to be strong for our family. Everyone was sad and we needed a rock. Grandma took on that role. Understand?” She softly curls her pink lips into a smile.

                “Mhm,” he beams, “I’ll be right back!”

                The boy runs off towards the girl on the bench, stumbling momentarily due to the muddy patches of grass. Breathlessly he reaches the girl and stands with the tips of his shoes brushing against her, “Hi!”

                The dark-blue orbs regain life, staring curiously at the boy before her whose shirt is stained with dirt and grass. “Hm?” She questions blandly.

                The boy puffs up his chest and clenches his fists, “I will be your rock.”