I Do Not Cry
Location
When I was fifteen, my parents separated
My mom told me before she told my dad
I was not shocked
I never felt love between them
Divorce was not a hard concept for me
I had heard it all my life
It was hard because the economy was hard
It was hard because my mom couldn't find a job
It was hard because she had to fly to Singapore to find hopes of financial security
It was February 2010
It was after the tenth
But before the twenty-fifth—
My sister's tenth birthday
A friend took my mom to the airport because my dad would not
It was early in the morning
I remember trying not to cry in my sophomore chemistry class
I remember getting off the bus and crying all the way home
I remember crawling into her car to cry some more
I remember her finding me
I remember her holding me and crying with me
Her flight had been canceled
She would have to leave again the next day
I am 20 years old now
I do not cry anymore
The divorce was just finalized this past year
I want my mom to know
I do not blame her