Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Dad, look at this."

Timothy took the phone from Henry and glanced at the video account. A brand- new movie trailer had just been uploaded.

He asked hoarsely, "Is this your mother's account?"

"Looks like it is."

A shadow crossed Timothy's eyes. "Have you seen these before?"

Tears welled in Henry's eyes. "Yeah... I have. Every night, Mom would play me stories from this account. I... I just never realized..."

A wave of guilt crashed over him. He'd never truly understood what his mother had done for him.

Because she couldn't speak, she couldn't read him bedtime stories like other moms. So she found another way-she made these videos, just for him. All this time, he'd thought she just found random cartoons online. He'd even complained to her face that all she did was play videos on her phone, that it didn't mean anything.

He'd begged Sheila to stay and tell him stories, even pushed his own mother aside for it.

Later, when he learned Sheila was popular and could animate stories-when his classmates envied him-he thought, wouldn't it be great if Sheila could be his mom instead?

But his real mother had always been able to make cartoons.

She could write her own stories, too.

told him alone were now being shared with the whole

heart felt like it might

the arts-and-crafts contest, he'd cut out a picture of a lamb kneeling to its mother

never dared admit she was his mother in front

that have hurt

His voice hitched as he started to

I'm... I'm so

stabbed at him, sharper with every

admit what

that had happened when he'd been in the hospital for his

for the capital alone, even though she'd promised

his son, but the words stuck in

just Henry's fault. He was to blame,

him to notice the quiet ways his mother loved

yell at me. I... I let Mom down." Henry's

himself to add to his pain. Henry was

hug. "No more tears, okay? Let's go find your

the two sat in the backseat. Timothy watched every video on