My papa’s hands were so cold. Before, his hands were so warm. I remember them when he took my hand and swung it back and forth while walking and when he was helping me trace my letters with a pencil.

My momma’s hands were so still. Before, her hands would always move. I remember them when she rubbed my back while I fell asleep and when she gently braided my hair.

That was the only thing I remember when my parents fell onto the scratchy concrete and I tried to help them up. They always helped me when fell, tugging me up off of the ground and a kiss to make it all better. But I was too weak to help them up.

I cried in frustration as I tugged at their hands with all of my strength, but my weak legs gave out. “No, please stop,” I sobbed through the thick tears that fell from my eyelashes and on my cheeks. “This isn’t a good game, I don’t like it, I don’t… please.”

I didn’t hear the many footsteps behind me or the words they were saying. All I cared about was Momma and Papa, who were laying on the ground and needed help. I tugged again at their hands, trying to stand up and pull their weight with me.

I panicked when a pair of arms wrapped around my arms and hoisted me up. “No!” I screamed. “_No, no no help them! PLEASE!” _There were words that surrounded me, but I didn’t hear any of them. I couldn’t do anything as I was pulled and carried away.

I was leaving my parents. They needed help, I could help, please, don’t make me leave…

The last time I saw my Momma and Papa, they were not okay. There were strange people with strange clothes and light up cars that surrounded them.

---

I never saw my parents again. Many people told me that they will always be with me. Sometimes, I think they are with me. Most of the times, they’re not.

There is a place where I feel like I could talk to them. I took me a long time to be able to accept that this is the closest I could come to coming back to them after I left.

But here, in this place, I felt like they were right next to me, like I never left them. Today, I showed my papa that I could now make letters without his help by tracing his name on the stone. I then showed my momma the braid I had to do by myself - for now there was no one to do it for me - by laying my hair on the dirt next to the dirt they lay in.

I never wanted to leave them, but I was also sad that they left me, too. I began to cry. “I am sorry I left you, momma and papa. I never wanted to leave, I promise.”

I sniffled, wiped my tears, and realized it was getting late. “But I have to go now. I’ll be back, I swear. I’ll tell you all about my day tomorrow, okay? I promise, I won’t be gone for long.”