Coffee

"I'll never be a morning person. Each morning felt more exhausting than the last. I would get you and your brother out of bed and dressed for school. I would scrap together some breakfast for you, then somehow we would manage to leave the house and get in the car. The thing I remember most was the car ride. The ride would start out terribly. You and your brother might be fighting, there was bad traffic, we were running late, it was always something. But carefully balanced next to the gear shifter was my mug of coffee. I would take a sip and feel that warm bitterness, I would feel just a little better. By the time we got to school I would be almost done with my mug. You kids would get out, then I would be left alone to finish my commute to work. Before I drove off I would grip my mug, drink the last remaining coffee, and briefly close my eyes. It was right then for the first time each morning I felt like I could do it all again tomorrow."

-Mom