It was early morning, and the sun had just begun to warm the yard. The birds chirped softly, but BB, the tiny baby monkey, wasn’t smiling today. Her eyes were already glistening with tears.
She had seen the signs.
Mom tied her hair up, put on her old work shirt, and picked up her cleaning basket. That could only mean one thing—
Mom was about to leave.
As soon as Mom turned to say goodbye, BB’s lips began to quiver. Her soft little arms reached up, desperate and pleading.
“Eeeh… eeeeh…”
Her voice cracked in a whisper of heartbreak.
Mom knelt down and cupped BB’s face. “Just a few hours, baby. I’ll be right back.”
But BB didn’t understand time. She only knew that Mom was leaving—and it hurt.
She clung tightly to Mom’s leg, burying her face, trying to hold her there. Her little tail wrapped around Mom’s ankle like a knot of fear. Her whole body trembled.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared up with a face full of sorrow, her heart too small to handle such a big goodbye.
Mom gently pried her away, placing BB in her cozy blanket with her favorite toy. She kissed her head and whispered, “I love you.”
And then… she walked away.
BB stared at the gate long after it closed. Her sniffles slowed, but her eyes never left the path.
Because for BB, Mom wasn’t just a caretaker—
She was everything.
And though Mom would return with arms wide open, BB would still count every second… waiting, longing, loving.
