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"Good girl," she praised, rubbing my cheek with her thumb

"Grandma? Where’s Daddy? He’s late He’s never late" He was always home to see h, but he’d always smelled like that It wouldn’t be Daddy if he didn’t

"Molly, so happened to Daddy today," she told me with a shaky voice

"Is he poorly? Should we ets home? Tea makes everyone feel better, doesn’t it, Grand to feel a strange, funny swirling inat me

She shook her head as her lip wobbled "No, sweetie Tea won’t be needed today You see, God decided to take your daddy to heaven this els"

I tippedI knew that God lived way up above us in the sky I could never see hih, no matter how hard I tried

"Why would God take Daddy away frohty? Is that why God didn’t want rand brown hair "No Molly-pops, never, ever think that God just felt sad that your daddy missed your ether again He knew you were brave and strong enough to live without theht about that as I sucked on my thumb I always suck my thumb when I’m scared or nervous

Grandma smoothed the hair back from my face "I want you to know that nobody on this whole planet loved each other as much as your mammy and daddy When Mammy died, Daddy didn’t knohat to do He loved you so much, but he also aret Thatcher?" I interrupted We’d learned about her at school Not many people liked her in my town They called her nasty names She aret Thatcher When Mrs Thatcher closed the er had any work and ittime to make money and buy us a better house, but he’d only ever worked in theelse" Her eyes squeezed shut "Today Daddy died, sweetie He’s gone to heaven and he’s not coan to trehi spread in my chest and I felt like I couldn’t breathe I reached for my Grandma’s hand, and my voice went all croaky "There’s no one but us now, is there, Grandma? You’re all I have left What if he takes you too? I don’t want to be on my own I’m scared, Grandma" A loud scream ripped from my throat "I don’t want to be on my own!"

"Molly--" Grandma whispered as she cuddledin front of the fireplace

My daddy was gone

My daddy was in heaven