Suddenly, the alarm went off again, making her jump. “Oh, come on!” she shouted, and in the confusion, she knocked over her cup of coffee.
The hot liquid splashed on her arm and stung her skin. “Damn it!” she yelled, grabbing a towel to clean up the mess.
With no time to lose, she ran to Missy’s room. She sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook her daughter awake. “Missy, sweetheart, it’s time to get up,” she said softly. Missy groaned, turned over, and pulled the blanket over her head.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary got the still half-asleep Missy up and took her to the bathroom. While helping Missy wash her face and brush her teeth, she looked in the mirror. Her hair was messy, her pajamas wrinkled, and a big coffee stain covered her shirt.
She took Missy down the hall toward the bedroom. She nudged the door with her foot and saw George lying in bed, softly snoring.
“George, I’m running late. Missy is going to be late for school. Can you help me, please?” Her voice was almost pleading.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
George grunted and turned to his side, burying his face in the pillow. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled.
Mary sighed and hurried downstairs with Missy trailing behind her. She put Missy at the table, grabbed a box of cereal, poured it into a bowl, and added milk.
“I don’t want this!” Missy whined, pushing the bowl away.
Mary took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “What do you want, sweetheart?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary looked at the time. She was running out of options. “George!” she shouted up the stairs. “I need your help! Dress Missy!”
Silence. George didn’t make a sound.
Gritting her teeth, Mary grabbed the pancake batter and started braiding Missy’s hair while the batter sizzled in the pan.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
George finally came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. His gaze landed on the stove. “Oh! Pancakes!” he said with a smile, sitting at the table. Without hesitation, he grabbed a fork and started eating.
Mary looked at him, her hands busy packing Missy’s lunch. Her shoulders ached from rushing around all morning, but she stayed quiet.
“Did you forget to get the morning paper?” George asked between bites.
Something inside Mary broke. The words hit her like a slap. “Your paper?” she shouted. “Why don’t you get it yourself? I’ve been running around like crazy this morning getting Missy ready for school! I asked for your help! You didn’t even try.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
George blinked, looking confused. “But I work and you’re the housewife…”
Mary interrupted him. “You’re on vacation!” she shouted. “You know what? I’ve had enough. I’m taking the day off. You’re going to take Missy to school and pick her up. You’re taking care of her all day. I need a break.”
George scratched his head, frowning. “I thought she still went to daycare.”
“Aaagh!” Mary yelled, storming out of the kitchen. She ran up to the bathroom, slammed the door, and locked it behind her.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary stayed in the bathroom, listening to the faint sounds of George and Missy leaving. The front door clicked shut and, for a moment, there was silence.
She let out a long sigh. Slowly, she turned on the shower and let the hot water wash over her. It felt good, calming her frayed nerves.
Then she got dressed in comfortable clothes, grabbed a small bag, and put some essentials in it: her wallet, a book, and a snack.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She left the house and locked the door. She got in the car, started the engine, and drove toward the ocean, craving a peaceful escape.
Mary stretched out on the warm sand, feeling the sun on her skin. The sound of the waves soothed her, dissipating the morning’s stress. She swam in the cool water, floated on her back, and felt a rare sense of peace. For once, she left her phone buried in her bag.
After a while, she sat up and grabbed her phone, thinking it was time to check in. When she turned on the screen, her heart skipped a beat. There were more than ten missed calls from the school. Something was wrong.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary’s hands trembled as she dialed the school number. When someone finally answered, she barely managed to keep her voice steady.
“Hello? Did you call? Is something wrong?” Mary asked, her voice shaking.
“Yes, Mrs. Johnson,” answered an elderly woman on the other end. “Missy has disappeared. She left during recess and hasn’t come back.”
Mary’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean? How is it possible she hasn’t come back?” she almost shouted, fear mounting.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“We tried to contact you and your husband, but we couldn’t.”
Mary felt the world spinning. “How did you let this happen?” she yelled.
“Please, Mrs. Johnson, calm down,” the woman said gently. “We are doing everything we can to find her.”
“How can you say that?!” Mary screamed. “You don’t know what’s happened to her!” Her voice broke as she spoke. Without waiting for an answer, she hung up, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She dialed George’s number, packing clothes into the bag. When he answered, she didn’t waste a second.
“Where are you?” she yelled into the phone, panic in her voice.
“I’m with the police,” George replied. “I’m giving them information about Missy.”
Mary froze for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. For once, George was stepping up, doing something for their daughter.
“But they told me the school couldn’t reach you,” Mary said.
“Yeah… I was at the bar with a mate, but I saw the missed calls and called them back right away,” George answered, sounding guilty.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Okay,” she managed to say, her voice steadier now. “I’m coming.” She hung up, grabbed the keys, and ran to the car.
She got in the car, her hands trembling as she fiddled with the keys. The engine roared, and she sped out of the parking lot. Her heart pounded in her chest as she weaved through traffic, ignoring honks and angry shouts from other drivers.
She gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Tears blurred her vision, but she blinked and focused on the road.
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Finally, she stopped in front of the school. She barely closed the car door before rushing inside. Teachers and staff gathered around her, faces full of concern.
“Missy hasn’t returned to class after recess,” one of them explained. “We’ve searched everywhere.”
Mary didn’t wait to hear more. She ran through the hallways shouting Missy’s name. She checked every bathroom, looked under desks in classrooms, peeked behind doors
, and her desperation grew with every step.
“Missy! Where are you?” She started feeling dizzy and breathing heavily. Her mind screamed: “It’s my fault! I should never have left her with George!”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary sat on the school stairs, burying her face in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her body shook with silent sobs. She felt helpless. Missy was still missing, and she didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, her phone rang. She jumped and quickly wiped her eyes. It was George. Her hands trembled as she answered.
“What… what does the police say?” she stammered, voice breaking.
“I found her,” George said, his voice steady.
⸻
Let me know if you want me to help with anything else!
Here is the English translation:
⸻
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary froze. “You… you found her?” she whispered, barely believing it.
“Yes, we’re at the park. Come here right now,” George replied.
Mary jumped up and ran toward the park, her heart pounding. When she saw George and Missy sitting on a bench, she felt immense relief. She ran to them, knelt down, and hugged Missy. Tears streamed down her face, soaking Missy’s hair.
“Honey, what happened?” Mary asked, holding Missy tight.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Missy looked up, eyes wide. “Dad said we’d go for a walk later. I got tired at school, so I came to the park,” she said, her voice breaking.
Mary turned to George, shooting him an angry glance. He looked down at the ground, guilt written all over his face.
“Honey, you can’t just leave school like that,” Mary said, her voice trembling. “We were so scared. We didn’t know where you were.”
Missy frowned. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again,” she said. “I just wanted to go for a walk with Dad.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary sighed, feeling the weight of her daughter’s words. She squeezed Missy’s hand. “Alright, let’s go home,” she whispered.
On the way back, the car was quiet. Missy had fallen asleep in the back seat, her head resting against the window. Mary gripped the steering wheel, her mind racing.
She wanted to yell at George, tell him how careless he had been, how he had ignored their daughter for so long. But before she could say anything, George broke the silence.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
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Mary looked at him with hard eyes. “Sorry isn’t enough,” she snapped. “Our daughter could have been hurt today. Do you understand?”
George nodded, looking at his hands. “I know,” he admitted. “I haven’t been the best father.”
Mary shook her head, anger bubbling up again. “Did you have to lose her to realize that? Really?”
George took a deep breath and put his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to her. Confused, Mary looked down. It was a cruise ticket.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“What’s this?” she asked, still angry but now curious.
“You deserve a break,” George said firmly. “When you left this morning, I saw the burnt eggs, the cereal, the pancakes. You made three breakfasts in one morning. And that’s just a small part of what you do every day. I’m sorry I didn’t see it before or appreciate you.”
Mary looked at the ticket and then back at George. “And who’s going to take care of Missy?” she asked.
“I am,” he answered, looking her in the eyes. “I’m her father. It’s time I start acting like it.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Mary pulled into the garage and parked. She turned to George, and her eyes softened. Slowly, she leaned toward him and hugged him, letting the tears flow.
“I’ll do better,” George promised, hugging her tightly. Mary nodded, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Finally, she understood.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
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