Unpacking My Heart

by Brigitta Scheib

Every morning before preschool, her hair in braids, silvery eyes wet and lip quivering, I would kiss inside her tiny hand just to get her out the door. Her favorite storybook said pressing this comforting kiss to her cheek would keep me close all day. Thirteen years later, driving over highways, smooth and rough, we arrive at an antiseptic dorm at a university. I unbox cargo and unpack her. There are no soothing pecks to anyone’s palm. When it’s time for me to leave, she flops on the twin bed, her platinum hair fanning around her, and waves, “Bye, Mom.”

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Brigitta Scheib lives in Harrisburg, PA with her husband, daughter and three orange cats. She enjoys writing different genres but prefers brevity-flash and micro stories.