1st grade meant having to stay at school for the whole day so my afternoons with Max came to an end. One day in the middle of the year my sister and I made the long trek up the driveway from the bus to our house as we did every weekday, laughing as we told each other about our days. However when I stepped inside, I knew that something wasn't right. I remember the way my mom looked as she told us that Max died earlier that day. Her eyes looked swollen, every wrinkle highlighted, weighed down by heavy dark circles as if each tear she cried erased a night of sleep. She talked slowly, having to stop every few words to take a deep breath to prevent herself from crying in front of her kids. My dad saw her struggling and began talking for her, explaining that Max lived a long and happy life, but he had lost his hearing within two weeks of going blind and it hurt him just to walk. As he was talking, I watched my mom quick turn around to face the window and in the reflection, I saw the first tear I've ever seen my mom cry. Max was buried underneath the lone Oak tree.
"The Dance" Garth Brooks
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