When I got home from school, I saw my mom cooking in the kitchen. I didn't see Dad in the living room working on his computer like he always was.
I didn't think much about it, but I decided to ask mom anyway.

"Hey Mom, where's dad?," I asked, walking into the kitchen.

All of a sudden, mom burst into tears. Tears streamed down her face, and I rushed over to her and hugged her.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you crying?," I asked, scared and confused.

Her tear-filled eyes looked into mine, and she tried to wipe the abundance of tears streaking down her face like a waterfall. The tears wouldn't stop falling.

"He left," she said. Her voice was trembling because of her tears.

I looked at her with more confusion.

"What do you mean he left?," I asked mom. My voice was filled with worry.

"Dad left, Jessica. We had a huge fight, and he packed all of his things up and walked out of the door. He said he was never coming back," she said. Her cries turned into heavy sobbing.

I hugged her tightly and sobbed with her.

All of a sudden, a memory of my dad flashed in my mind.

I was in third grade, and some kids made fun of my Trach. When I came home I ran into my bedroom, closed my bedroom door, and started sobbing. I wished I was a normal girl without a Trach. I wanted to rip my Trach out of my neck.

Then, I heard knocking on my door.

"Can I come in?" Dad asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," I said weakly because of the tears that were streaking down my cheeks.

He opened the door, and he saw that I was sitting on my bed crying. He walked over to my bed and sat down beside me.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked me, putting his arm around my waist. I felt better in his embrace.

"I wish I was a normal girl without a Trach, daddy," I said, leaning into him. "I wish I didn't have a Trach."

He took my face in his hands, and he looked me straight in the eyes.

"Sweetheart, I love your Trach. Your Trach makes you unique. I know some other kids will stare at it or make fun of it, and that makes you wish you were normal. But you need to understand that that's a challenge you can overcome. You can overcome all of those bullies, Jessica. You can overcome anything you put your mind to. You are amazing. Your Trach is amazing. Don't you dare wish that you didn't have a Trach because I love this Trach of yours so much," Dad said.

A smile spread out on my face.

"I know what I have to do. You ready?" Dad asked.

"For what?" I asked confused.

"For the TICKLE MONSTER!"

Then, my dad tickled me all over my body, and I burst out in a fit of giggles.

My dad always knew how to make me feel better.

I snapped back to reality. Mom was still holding me crying.

Tears streamed down my face as I realized that I would never see him again. He would never hug me when I'm crying again. He would never make me laugh again. He will never say he loves me or my Trach again.

My dad walked out the door and disappeared out of my life forever.