“Mom, I Can’t Do This.” Then She Disappeared.
Six months ago, my daughter Bea packed a bag while I cooked breakfast.
I heard her footsteps on the stairs and assumed she was taking the baby out for a quick walk.
But she didn’t.
She carried her two-week-old daughter into the living room and lowered her into the bassinet like she was placing down something fragile she couldn’t hold anymore.
She tucked the blanket around her.
Kissed her forehead.
Then she looked at me with eyes that didn’t look like my daughter’s eyes.
“I’m going to clear my head, Mom,” she said.
“Okay, sweetheart,” I replied automatically, stirring oatmeal. “Don’t stay out too long. It’s cold.”
But she never came back.
