Forty nine

SARA POV

"Mom, why are you crying," I ask as I touch my mother's trembling back.

She is leaning against the counter in the kitchen like she usually does when she is sad. Her long black hair is covering her face from view, but I know she has tears on her cheeks.

She doesn't answer me, so I try again.

"Mom," I ask as I grab her green blouse?

Her sobs only get louder, and sadness fills me. Dad must have hurt her feelings again. He is such a jerk. He never keeps his promises, and he always breaks mom's heart. I wish he were a better husband. Mom deserves love.

"Can you hear me? I'm right here, mom. Please don't cry. It will be okay," I say, but she still doesn't respond.

As I start to grow desperate, the scene changes. The walls around me shift from cream to white, and the hardwood floors transform into tile. A man in bloody scrubs takes mom's spot in front of me. He stares at me with sad eyes, and my heart feels as if it is ripping as he goes to open his mouth.

"I'm sorr