The Hum

The night my Dad died, he was playing tennis. It was totally unexpected. My mom got a call that something had happened and she ran out of the house to find him.

My sister and I waited at home.

When my mom returned home, she came through the front door and walked right past us. We followed her to the dining room. She turned, leaned against the wall, put her arms up into a shrug and, through tears, said, “He’s gone.”

I was twelve.