Rachel sat at the side of her bed, still holding her phone even after she had hung up. She could still hear the teacher's words in her head.
"Father's Day is almost here… who will David make his card for this year?"
Her heart beat heavily with an empty sadness.
Every year had been a struggle.
The first year, when David was just learning to draw, she told the school that his father was away for work, travelling all over. The teachers smiled and helped him draw an aeroplane on his card.
The second year, she said he was serving in the military overseas, a brave soldier who couldn't be home. David proudly showed a card with simple drawings of soldiers, not knowing the truth.
The third year, when he asked questions she couldn't avoid, she said his father lived in another city. The teachers kindly let him make a card for his "hero at home" who was Rachel herself.
