old stuff

this is a piece from a good while back, but until I've new goodies to put out, this will do...

Tears of Tomorrow

She stumbled in quietly and asked for a private corner.
All she wanted were some crackers and tea with sugar on the side.
It was a slow night, so I watched her with care.

At first, I thought she was sleeping, her head slumped over, with heavy sighs falling from her chest...
But suddenly her body jerked up, as if awakening from a nightmare, tears streaking down her face like unforgiving rain, soaking through every layer.

The pain in her eyes was undeniable- one could only guess the amount of heartache she had been through. I felt so helpless just standing there, but i didn't know what to do.

Lethargically, I floated through the remainder of my shift, everything a soft blur except her sad, melancholy face.
With attempted sincerity, I questioned how her day was going.
She responded in tears and exasperated turmoil.
I withdrew to the kitchen to bring her fresh tea-On the way out, i shed a few tears myself.

Arriving at her secluded corner, all that remained were several old, decaying pictures of a mother and her children. Beside them lay a simple note:

"I'm sorry I didn't give you more. You deserve it regardless-

that
will never change."

Impulsively, I swept up the pictures as I would any well-earned tip, choking back tears, soaking in the sight of her family.
It was all I had ever wanted, but love was not something my mother knew how to give.
Tears spilled down my cheeks and dribbled over my chin, trickling down under my collar... my shift was over. It was time to go home.

***

I had not seen my mother for over five years. Why she choose to reappear now I may never know. She walked into my life just as abruptly as she once walked out, leaving me only with this one hollow memory...the unforgotten tears of tomorrow