After working on papers for a little while Sabrina got ready for bed. She pulled back the sheets and sighed, and climbed into the bed. She wished Isaac were home now more than ever.

It always hit her hard at night because there was an empty side to her bed. No warm body already in there waiting for her. No one to cuddle with when she got in the bed. How she longed for Isaac to wrap her in his long arms and stroke her face with his fingers.

She sighed again and drew herself into the fetal position and fell asleep.

The next morning she awoke and got the kids ready for their sitter. “Mark, honey, do you have your new crayons in your book bag?”

“Yeah, Mommy.”

“Good. Okay…”

The baby-sitter walked in like she always did. “I’m here, Mrs. Hanson.”

“Mark and I are in the kitchen.”

“Okay.” She came in holding her book bag. “Hey, Mark.”

“Hi.”

Tommy came down the stairs sleepily. “Mommy…when does daddy come back?”

“In two days.”

He smiled a little. “I hungry.”

“Well, your breakfast is waiting for you on the table.”

Tommy climbed into the chair and began to eat the muffin and drink the milk that Sabrina had prepared for him.

“Okay…Tommy has play group at noon. So make sure that he gets fed and Mark gets to school and then take him. All right?”

“All right.” She said almost absentmindedly.

“Okay baby mommy has to go now. I love you Mark.”

“Love you too….oh Mom I forgot, I need a paint shirt.” He said with wide eyes.

Sabrina sighed and put her stuff down and they went upstairs.

“Let’s see if your father has a shirt… ahh here is one.” She held a shirt to him. “Come on let’s put it in your bag.”

“Kay.”

She folded it nicely and put it in his bag. “Love you have a good day at school.”

“Okay, I will, love you.”

“You too.” She went downstairs and found Tommy.

“Bye dingy.”

“Bye, Mommy.” He barely said as he watched the cartoons on the tv screen play out their incredibly outrageous plot.