Mama's Helper

My Mama is a strong woman. She has gone through so much in her life that she has examples and warnings for just about every situation that anyone goes through. She just doesn't like to share all of her experiences. She says that some people just have to learn through the experience, and not from someone else's.

She always tries to help out us kids. All five of us. I have two step sisters (and one nephew) and one step brother. She loves them as much as she loves my brother and me, even if they don't live with us. She has fought for them, even when their Mama didn't see the need to.

Mama hardly ever asks for help, but here recently she did. While we were having dinner one night she explained that she would be working long hours and would like it if we could help with some of the housework for a few weeks. Of course we all said we would, but when it came down to it, she would come home and still have a lot of the work to do. We can't do the job as well as Mama, guess that's why she's the Mama.

Mama had to go through a few boxes that were left after my Papa passed away in November. She kept putting it off saying that she didn't want his ending to be final. Maybe she thought if the boxes were still there, so would Papa.

She sent us into the family room to watch television, telling me that she just needed some time to go through some things. That was strange as she never sends us to watch television. She would rather us read books, or play games. I needed something so I went to her bedroom door.

She was sitting on her bed with a box on her left and crying. That scared me, cause she never cries. I know she had a hard time with my Papa's death, she was holding his hand when he went and even passed out when the guys with the bag came in the house to get him. So I stayed where I was and watched her. I did not know what to do. She tilted her head to the right and kind of whispered "what?" and I watched the right corner of her bed sink in. All I really remember hearing her say was that she needed help, and she could not do this all on her own.

Mama sat on her bed and talked to someone for a while and then she tilted her chin up, and took a deep breath just like she always tells us to do when we need to regroup. She wiped her tears away, smiled and said "Thank you, I needed you" and put the box away.

I ran away from the door. I didn't want her to know I saw anything. I think she sees and hears things that she does not want us to know about, and gets a lot of help from the other side.

I just wish she would tell me from who.