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Definitely Daphne

Definitely Daphne — page 5
window Gotta love when nature adds its own special effects Mom lights a few candles and clicks the dimmer on the light remote Dad clears his throat and lets out one long-winded breath If I didn’t know any better I would think they were about to summon a ghost And cue camera zoom Mom starts talking Annabelle we wanted to tell you the real reason we’ve moved to Linden The camera is zoomed in so close to my face I’m sure the viewing audience can see every freckle The skin under my eyes sinks lower and lower as seconds turn to minutes and Mom draws out her speech The audio fades in and out and all I hear are words like leave and assignment and alone The sounds and their words mix together I try to shake the scene out of my head Tell myself to quit making a movie out of every moment in my life and get back to focus But then it hits me What did you say Mom You’re getting what My throat tightens TDY TDY TDY Temporary duty yonder Fancy Air Force words for Mom’s leaving this time without us The letters repeat over and over until the final image closes out Wait there’s more Mom says Ladies and gentlemen we have a sequel Dad adds in his piece Since this will be Mom’s last assignment before retiring next year we’re going to stay in Linden and live civilian life She’ll commute to Fort Dix for work until it’s time for her TDY And with the transfer I landed a new Cisco client based in New York which means I have to travel into the city a few times a week so Slow down I say What about homeschooling Dad Mom and Dad lock hands and look at each other then back at me I know what’s coming I am going to middle school Real school with teachers and seventh graders and eyeballs and gym