tears in the morning

Eating together with a harmonious family in a peaceful atmosphere. Those who do not feel happy in moments like this are those who never pay attention to their surroundings and only care about themselves. Because even me can enjoy it at this moment.

My mother's warm dishes in the morning. My father scolding me in the dining room to have breakfast together. And my little sister who just finished bathing and immediately jumped on my back for no clear reason.

Everyone would immediately think the same thing when in my position.

"Ah... So peaceful."

"What's peaceful you talking about?" My father asked while fiddling with his phone.

I was slightly surprised to notice that my father was not wearing his usual grey suit in the morning. It was unusual for my father to wear casual clothes in the morning unless it was his day off.

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself."

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, someone next to me called out, "big brother!", while offering a spoonful of cooked corn kernels.

"Eh? What? What is this food?"

"This is my way of showing love for you."

"That's not what I asked... Never mind."

In the end, I let Maria feed me at that moment.

I was slightly surprised because it tasted quite good on my tongue. The perfect balance of salty and sweet flavors, and the delicious corn taste from the start, made my eyes widen a bit more than usual out of surprise.

"Mom... What is this?"

My mother, still in the kitchen waiting for something, smiled.

"Delicious, right? This is a dish that grandma used to make for me when i am was still a child. I don't even know what it's called."

"Heh... The salt and sugar blend so well."

"Hehe... You can tell? That's right, the salt creates the salty taste and the sugar creates the sweet taste. By balancing these two flavors, this dish is created. This seasoning is quite practical, you know! Because not only corn can be processed like this."

"Hmm... Very versatile."

"Isn't it? But if the seasoning is slightly off, it will ruin the overall taste. And this is too simple, you must like normal food, right? Sorry, today I wanted to try this dish."

"No... Honestly, I don't mind, and it tastes good."

Maria also nodded in agreement.

However, unlike what I expected, my mother's expression seemed sad.

My father, focused on his phone, immediately put it down and stood up from his chair to approach my mother in the kitchen.

I didn't know what the two of them were whispering about in the kitchen right now. But one thing I was sure of, I was sure that my mother was crying.

But I didn't know why she was crying. Humans don't cry without a reason.

From the current situation, it was impossible for my father to be the reason my mother was crying. Instead, he was helping to calm my mother who was sad.

I looked at Maria, but she shook her head, indicating that she also didn't know what was happening. That meant my mother was crying because of something other than what was happening at home.

My mother wouldn't cry so much just because of a broken item or losing her personal belongings. It must be because of someone's actions, or someone she was crying for.

Slowly, I began to understand the general outline of what was happening. The problem was within my mother's family. Because only my mother was crying, while my father seemed calm and was trying to comfort my mother.

I took my father's phone because I knew the answer was on his phone. Because my father, who didn't seem to be getting ready for work, was busy with his phone. That wasn't his usual friendly and loving attitude towards his family.

I know my father and mother well, and I couldn't doubt that the father and mother in my mind were different from the real ones. That's why I was sure something strange was happening when my father held his phone and looked serious while eating breakfast.

I looked at my father's phone screen. Slowly, there was a message notification from someone. And when I opened it, I immediately understood what was happening.

Maria, who also looked over out of curiosity, almost shouted.

"She's dea...!"

But before she could finish her sentence, I covered her mouth tightly while hugging her. She started to weaken and even returned the hug, but slowly her warm gaze and happy smile faded slightly as she looked towards my mother.

After that, Maria laid her head on my chest and murmured, "so, grandma... has left us."

"Maria..."

"I'm sorry... Can we have this loving embrace for a little longer, big brother?"

"It's okay... I don't mind even if my clothes get wet. If that can make you feel better."

"I'm sorry... I look pitiful right now, sniff..."

"No... You are still cute..."

"Ehehe... Thanks... My beloved big brother..."

"Yeah... My cute little sister..."

"you are very kind today..."

"Just for today..."

"Ehehe... I'm kidding, you're kind every day... Hiks..."

I didn't expect my little sister to cry like my mother. But I wasn't surprised to learn that my little sister was feeling sad. Because my little sister was very close to my grandmother since she was little.

Every year we visited our grandparents' house during the summer holidays as a routine. It had become our family's annual tradition.

We were never worried about going hungry at grandma's house. Because we knew grandma would always prepare a variety of dishes every time we visited her just so we could taste all her cooking.

But now, the kind-hearted and cooking-loving grandma was no longer in this world. I... No, not just me, I, my father, mother, and Maria would never see grandma's dishes again. And we would never see the warm face and welcoming smile that greeted us every year when we visited.

The front of my shirt was wet, it was from Maria's tears. The sounds of two girls crying could be heard in my house at that moment, it was my mother and my little sister.

Meanwhile, my father just looked at me with a sad expression. I was sure the sadness was there because he felt sorry seeing my mother cry. Especially when he realized Maria was also crying when he turned to me hugging Maria who was crying. But slowly he smiled at me while continuing to hug my mother.

"You don't need to worry about me either," I thought after seeing his smile.

I knew he wanted me to think he was okay. He wanted to appear calm, no... Honestly, he had to be calm. Because the only one who had the right to comfort my mother at that moment was him. If my father wasn't calm and started crying now, I would be the one in trouble.

But I knew my father was a strong person... No, he had to be strong. He was a man not because he was strong... But he was a man because he had to be strong. It was a man's responsibility to hold back when seeing someone else unable to hold themselves back. Especially if that someone was their own family.

I admire you, father, because you still think of me. But you don't need to worry about me. Because I don't even know what feelings are in my heart right now.