Never Show Fear

 

Should he tell his mom he heard her on the phone last night?

 Should he tell her he knew someone far away threatened his life?

 Should he run to her, grab her, hug her; tell her everything is alright?

 Even at the age of nine, Mark knew the answers.

 His family always kept their eyes dry above their stiff upper lips.

 Never show fear.

 So he held back, restrained himself; quaking and shaking under his blanket until daylight.

 The next day Mark was on a plane to Florida to join his father who had just started a new job.

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This is about a day I will remember as the first Reality butt kick I received as a child. My idyllic life to that point changed dramatically. The next four years in Florida only reinforced that Life was not just TV cartoons and comic books.