Where’s mom?

She’s gone to heaven.

Sure about that?

She was a believer.

I think she doubts. Just like all of us. Maybe she went to the grocery store. There’s a special on chicken thighs. Boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. You ever heard of such a thing?

No. She’s gone to heaven.

What time did she leave?

I’m not sure of the official time. Could have been at 2:23 in the morning. I wasn’t here. I’m not sure.

Then how can you be precise about 2:23?

I just have a feeling. I found the body you know. Her body. Laying there in bed. There was a beer can on the night stand half full.

Sure that wasn’t your’s?

Yeah. I always finish mine. I never leave anything half full. I complete things. Tasks. Meals. Cans of beer. I think she downed a bunch of pills.

I’ll bet she’s at the car wash. The car is gone. I’ll bet she’s at the car wash. Or, maybe K-Mart. She likes blue light specials.

She’s gone to heaven I told you. You got a wild imagination. She is dead. Gone. I saw her with my own two eyes. Dead as a door nail.

She could’ve been asleep. People do sleep you know.

She wasn’t asleep.

Did you put your hand over her mouth?

You know when somebody’s dead. You just know it. You know when they’ve left you.

Jane’s. I’ll bet she’s at Aunt Jane’s house. Call over there. Find out. Go on. Call.

She never liked you. Used to talk behind your back.

Oh yeah? Well, she hates you too. Hates. Being in the here and now. Right now.

Where do you get these wild ideas? You think you know everything. You got a lot to learn boy. Mom’s gone. She went to heaven. Nothing you can do about that.

OK pop. She’s going to walk through that door any minute now and you are going to look like a fool.

How much you wanna bet?

Father and son waited up all night. Like believers waiting for Christ to come back. She never came.