The photograph

Dear Parents, it was staring at me.

It would look at me like an innocent child.

It made me think that everything was made up and nothing had changed.

I saw it with happiness, love and compassion.

Only to know that it would never happen again.

It was lying to me.

I knew that every time I opened that section in that photograph book, I would vomit.

Vomit the happiness and lies that were being told.

The four of us.

One happy family.

My sister and I had no idea what was happening.

Until the day that that we were told that our parents were getting a divorce.

We asked our parents if we were causing the trouble.

No sweethearts, it has nothing to do with both of you.

You just can’t add chocolate chips to a cookie that is already baked.

We cried.

We cried until we understood.

Until we understood that you can’t add the chocolate chips to a cookie that was already baked.

I destroyed it.

I destroyed it because I was a child who didn’t want to see a photograph that didn't have chocolate chips.