Chapter 45 ~Angel Gabriel~

MAMA’S FACE POPS INTO MY HEAD EVERY night, like a late-night TV show, just as I’m about to drift off. I see her smile, all soft and gentle like a moonbeam, and her eyes, full of love, like a mug of steaming hot chocolate. But then, the memories come flooding back, and bam! It’s time for another guilt-marathon.

That day started like any other. Mama – bless her soul – was facing down two monsters, Alzheimer's and cancer. Her skin was as pale as a ghost, and her once-lively hair clung to her head like soldiers in a war. But her eyes, man. They still had that spark, like she knew something the rest of us didn’t.

“Can you come with me to the store?” Mama asked in a voice as delicate as a butterfly’s wing. There I was, hooked on my game, fingers moving over the controller like a piano virtuoso on energy drinks. My buddies egged me on through the headset, and I was this close to the taste of sweet, sweet victory.

“Mama, can you hang on a sec? I'm in the middle of something,” I s