I blinked.

This was some sort of mistake.

I pinched myself.

I'm dreaming, I thought.

No.

This can't happen.

I closed my eyes for an hour, or a minute, I didn't know, it felt like a lifetime. I finally opened my eyes. It was still there.

The letters M.I.A. 

M.I.A

M.I.A

Those letters would haunt me for the rest of my life.

M.I.A...

M.I.A...

M.I.A...

M.I.A...

M.I.A...

* * *

A Missing In Action form.

I couldn’t believe it.

I was in so much shock.

My dad had gone missing.

For all they knew he could be dead.

I tried not to think about that.

I was stunned.

Speechless.

Auntie Jean came into my room and asked me if I was alright.

I was probably pale in the face.

But I didn’t care.

I didn’t care about anything anymore.

All I wanted was my dad.

Or my mum.

Both.

My dad couldn’t be missing.

I checked the name label just in case they’d got it wrong.

No. ‘Dave Robertson.’ My dad’s name.

A big fat tear rolled down my cheek. Auntie Jean read the form. ‘No. No, No, No. Oh Winnie, I-’

I cut her off. ‘I am fed up with being felt sorry for. Go away. Please!’ I yelled.

Auntie Jean was alarmed and plodded out of the room. I didn’t feel guilty. I didn’t care about her or anything. I felt like my whole world had fallen apart. ‘Dad’ I whispered. ‘Come back, please dad please.'