The Weight I Kept, The Family I Lost Chapter 02

The Weight I Kept, The Family I Lost Chapter 02

Mid-sentence, she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Dad’s face went pale too.

I remember that day. It was my twelfth birthday.

Dad had promised to take me to the restaurant I’d wanted to try forever. Mom said since I was the birthday girl, I could have anything I wanted.

But the moment we walked into the mall, Sophie grabbed Mom’s leg and demanded to go to the indoor playground.

Mom looked at me, conflicted.

“She’s just little. We’ll only stay for a bit.”

“You’re the big girl. You can wait a little while.”

I nodded.

We stayed for two hours.

By the time Sophie finished playing and we rushed to the restaurant, our reservation was gone.

Dad said we could eat somewhere else.

But Sophie started crying for a toy.

She yanked free of Mom’s hand and ran into the crowd.

Minutes later, she was gone.

Mom and Dad completely lost it.

They called mall security, made announcements over the PA system, checked store cameras one by one.

Mom cried so hard she could barely stand. Dad slapped himself across the face twice.

No one remembered that I hadn’t eaten all day.

By evening, my vision was going dark.

As we passed a bakery, I grabbed a free sample roll.

The moment it touched my lips, Mom smacked it out of my hand.

“Your sister is missing, and you can still eat?”

People turned to stare.

I covered my face and whispered, “But I’m hungry.”

Mom had been crying all afternoon. She was completely unraveled.

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard.

“She’s six years old! She’s out there alone and terrified! Why don’t you care at all?”

I said I’d helped look for her.

I’d run after them all afternoon. The soles of my shoes had worn through. My heels were bleeding.

Mom didn’t seem to hear.

“Are you upset because we’ve been paying more attention to her and didn’t celebrate your birthday?”

“Will skipping one meal kill you? Why are you so selfish?”

I stared at her, stunned.

She regretted it the second she said it and reached out to hug me.

But just then, the mall PA crackled to life.

Sophie had been found.

Mom immediately shoved past me and ran toward the service desk like a madwoman.

Dad followed.

Neither looked back.

I stood alone at the bakery entrance and picked up the roll from the ground.

It was covered in dust.

I didn’t eat it.

But I never forgot what Mom said.

It was just a little hunger. It wouldn’t kill me. Sophie was more important.

Dr. Levine asked quietly, “Is that when you stopped eating?”

I shook my head.

“At first, I just wanted to test something.”

The first missed meal, no one noticed.

The second missed meal, Mom praised me for being mature and gave my drumstick to Sophie.

On the third day, I passed out at school.

Dad dropped everything and rushed to the hospital. Mom held me and cried all night.

When I woke up, I felt like I’d won for the first time.

I looked at Mom and said softly, “Mom, I get it now. Skipping a few meals won’t kill me.”

Mom collapsed to the floor, crying without making a sound.

Dr. Levine’s brow furrowed.

“Where was Sophie found that day?”

Dad answered hoarsely, “In the stairwell behind the playground.”

“She said she got lost.”

I laughed.

“But you don’t know—I went back and watched the security footage.”

“She was never lost.”

In the video, Sophie hid behind the railing on the second floor the entire time.

She watched Mom and Dad panic, screaming her name.

She watched Mom slap the bread out of my hand.

And just as I got hit, she leaned against the railing and smiled.