"We'll be alright"

“If I die, will you and Mum promise not to grieve for too long?”

What?!

Shira felt some ringing in her ears as if she had been slapped. She couldn't have heard him well.

“Chuck, what are you saying? You're not gonna die.” She said immediately she found her voice but noticed that he had already drifted into a peaceful sleep, his chest rising and falling gently in tune with his breathing.

“Oh, Chuck, You're not going to die, you can't die,” Shira said in a quiet voice, stroking his temple gently, a complete contrast to the heartache and turmoil she was feeling inside. Then she thought sadly that that was probably what occupied the mind of the little boy now and then. Chuck had always been mature for his age. He had taken the news of their father’s death far better than most twelve year-olds would and had always been supportive, and now he had to bear this weight as well.

She felt broken, crushed. Tears welled up in her eyes and she let them fall down her face. Before she knew it, her bo