#75 MOTHER The last time I saw my mother was 15 years ago, through a small plane window waving goodbye. This was the day my mother lost her custody battle with my dad after a long traumatic divorce. Shed promised me that she would call everyday , visit once a month and for holidays. This was a promise I held on to dearly for I was a only a 9 year old girl. I impatiently sat on all I the plane eager to see my dad. As the plane came to a jerking halt. I filled with excitement , all I could think about was being reunited with my dad and dog blu. Yet , another surprise …a tall thin woman with small lips and thin brown hair waited upon my arrival. She informed me that my dad asked her to pick me up from the airport because he was a little busy. Eye opening cars, loud music, crowded streets quickly approached me on the car ride home with this lady. LA was nothing like Colorado, they are two completely different places. We pull into a long driveway to a humungous house “This couldn’t be my dad’s house” I thought. Indeed it was . This lady and I entered my dads home. I immediately began canvassing the house . I searched outside, in the garage, upstairs, in the living room and still no sign of Blu. “Maybe she’s with my dad” I thought. So I sit and wait for my dad to arrive. The wait is short lived and my dad comes slowly into the house and I sprint towards him , giving him the biggest hug ever . I missed my dad a lot and the feeling is mutual. I instantly ask for Blus whereabouts and his face saddens . His eyes veer over to “the lady “ and back to me . I can feel somethings wrong . He begins to speak and I blurt out “she’s dead , she died … didn’t she ?”. My dad chuckles “no shes not dead “ he says. I fill with relief … “then where is she”. He explains to me how Blu is at the neighbors house mating . Gross right? I pull my dad into the kitchen and ask him who the woman is. He says he’d knew i asked called for the woman tho introduce herself “Sally, nice to finally meet you. Your dad talks about you so much!” My dad tells me that he is engaged to this woman and they are soon to be married !!! I freak out , my mind and heart are arguing and I’m just confused and saddened. My mom and my dad were supposed to be together forever. I run to one of the guest rooms and shut the door . I begin to cry , not knowing why , but knowing that this isn’t right. I plug my phone up to the charger and dial my moms number . She’s not answering , she hasn’t called and asked if I made it or if I was okay . WHERE IS MY MOM ? I roll over in bed and try to get sleep . About 20 minutes go by and my phone rings … an unknown number ? I answer hesitantly and a machine recoding begins “ You have a prepaid call from an inmate at the Colorado correctional facility” ..