When he died, my mother was never herself again. She would try to be strong for us, but you could tell something was not right. She didn't like living without my father. Their story of how they met was strange. She worked at the wax museum as a tour guide and he was a security guard. Everyday after work, he would walk her home, even if his shift wasn't finished. He always wanted her safe. One night, I went to get cookies and milk for my little sister and I found my mum crying in the kitchen. She was startled when i walked in and I asked her if she was okay. She said to me "Sit down Kristy". And I did. Then she told me this:

"I am sorry I cannot be strong for you and your sister. I am trying and know that I will be okay. But I want you to imagine life as you know it now. Now I know your father has died, but life is good. You have me and your sister, wonderful friends, a good school. You are going to be okay. We will all get through this, death is a natural process of life. But baby, he was my soulmate. I thought my life was good. then he came along and I don't even know how I managed to survive before. But we'll be okay. i know we'll be okay."

And we were. But she loved him, she really did love my dad. My Mum was something special. She didn't have much but she gave alot. Even the way we lived reflected on her morale. Our house was powered by solar energy, we recycled water and had a compost heap. She volunteered at the soup kitchen for the homeless weekly. And it broke my heart seeing her fall apart. But I knew she would get through it. And she did.