Chapter Nine
The Winter That Changed Everything
After Dad passed away, Mom kept Calvin and me home from school for the rest of the month.
The house felt different. The farm felt different. Even the silence sounded different.
Every morning, Mom made a cup of coffee and carried it to the back porch. She sat beside Dad's empty chair.
I never asked why.
I understood.
As the weeks turned into months, grief settled over our home.
That first winter after Dad died was one of the hardest winters I remember. Looking back, I realize it wasn't only the weather that made it feel cold. It was his absence.
The farm became more than Mom could manage alone.
Then the trucks started coming.
One by one, people arrived to buy our animals. Watching them leave felt like losing another piece of Dad. I finally went to my room, buried my face in a pillow, and cried.
Today, I understand Mom wasn't giving up.
She was surviving.
As 1994 began, I watched my mother drift farther away. She hadn't just lost her husband. It seemed as though she had lost herself.
As a teenager, part of me understood that she was hurting. Another part wanted my mother back.
I still needed her.
One afternoon, Mom and I went to visit my sister.
I had no idea that I was about to meet someone who would change the direction of my life.
His name was Richard.