Ive always known my mum, for as long as I can remember. She was there for me every single day. There was never anyone elseDad had left before I was even born. It was just the two of us.
Last night, as evening crept in, I promised myself Id be brave and wait for her to come back. I told myself over and over: Be strong, Jamie. Shell be back soon.
An hour drifted by. Then another. Still, no sign of Mum. At just five years old, I couldnt keep my tears from falling. I wandered into her bedroomjust in case she mightve come home while I wasnt looking. But the room was empty, and her old brown shoes, the ones she always wore out, were gone too.
A deep cold sort of fear settled in me, and I cried again, until I finally fell asleep.
When I woke up, sunlight was spilling through my little bedroom window, bright and warm. Still, there was no sign of Mum. I got up and went looking again, calling her name. I thought about knocking at our neighbours door, but Mum always warned me not to: Old Uncle Clive lived there, and he was troublealways drinking, always shouting, always itching for a fight. The very thought of him made me shake.
So, instead, I braved the outside. I thought maybe Id find her on the street. But the people passing by didnt pay me any attention. I called for her until my throat went dry, but no one stopped. I grew tired, so I slumped down onto a bench. There sat an elderly lady, her grey hair neat under a lilac hat. My tears ran fast down my cheeks. She glanced at me and asked what was wrong.
Go on home, love, she told me, thinking perhaps Id just been a naughty boy, and with a small smile, she handed me an apple. But I wasnt ready to give up. I kept wandering the streets, searching every corner. No one seemed interestedgrownups rushed by, too busy with their own lives.
Eventually, I was too tired to keep moving. I curled up on a bench in the park and fell asleep again. Evening came, the cold settling in. My belly ached with hunger. Someone must have noticed me at last and called the police. Before I knew what was happening, I was sat in the back of a police car, taken to a police station. A kindly woman came to fetch me, saying she would be looking after me for a while.
But I want my mum, I sobbed, hopingjust maybeshed be waiting in the next room. She wasnt.
Another woman came in, carrying fresh clothes. She helped me change, talking gently, and then led me away by the hand. Soon, I found myself in a big old house, surrounded by other children. I pressed my back to the wall and stood that way for what felt like hours, dizzy with shock. Deep inside, I began to understand that my mum was gonereally gonefar away, and probably never coming back.
P.S. That night when Mum left, she was struck by a car and died.
