THE MORNING THE CARD DISAPPEARED
Richard started avoiding being off work. He took extra shifts whenever he could. Day by day he became more distant. When he was home, he would sleep the whole day. Even the kids began to notice that he wasn’t himself anymore. He was breaking inside. Sometimes we would talk, mostly just to help take his mind away from thinking too much about Mamutsi. Over time we became more than just family — we became friends. There was nothing he felt he needed to hide from me. One afternoon, while I was helping him shave his hair, he spoke out of nowhere. “She never thought you would respect me this much,” he said. “Well, my mother taught me to always respect people,” I replied. “And respect goes a long way.” He nodded. “Yeah… she taught you well,” he said. “I mean Mamutsi didn’t know how d
- Writer
