The boys played at the McDonald's playland. A family spread their Happy Meals across the table next to mine. They keep pulling up chairs - there seem to be so many of them.
"Where is the ketchup?" the little boy asks.
"Mommy went to get some," his dad responds.
Mommy went to get some.
Why did that sentence make my throat tighten and my eyes sting?
These drive by emotions don't catch me off guard quite so often, but suddenly I was nearly a mess. Over someone else's mommy's ketchup.
I still can't make sense of it.
But I think it has something to do with the husband and wife working as a team.
Something to do with him holding down the fort and passing out napkins while she covered one more detail.
Something to do with him knowing where she was.
Something to do with the fact that young parents call each other Mommy and Daddy.
Something to do with a family on a lunch date, instead of a mom in survival mode.
Something to do with a family intact.
I don't know. But I cried over ketchup.
4 comments:
A little more likely to stain that spilled milk, but just as valid a reason. ;)
Tricia, I choked up over this. When I read, "Where is the ketchup?" I heard, "Something is missing. Something isn't right." For them, what's missing is the ketchup. Mommy will be back with it in a minute and everything will be all right again.
For your family, what's missing is the Daddy. Mommy can't pop over to the condiment table and bring him back and make everything all right again. What you cried about is so much bigger than ketchup!
You will be all right but it won't be "in a minute" and it won't be "again." It will be all right with vastly different dynamics. But it will be all right.
I hope I didn't just make it harder for you.
I cry over ketchup, too.
Yes, I think it has to do with all those things. To hear the word "Mommy" multiple times a day, but no longer hear it in that man-voice you loved, hurts on so many levels.
Post a Comment