“You bet I can!”
Every day that Mrs. Ishikawa had a meeting, Mo handed her a new story as she walked out the door. Her father always drove her mother to her meetings, leaving Mo in the care of her aunt Koko, and by the time they returned, Mo would already have a new story for her mother to take to the next meeting. Soon the meetings became very frequent and Mo found it challenging to keep up with the quota she had set for herself.
“I’m so sorry, Mommy,” Mo said. “I didn’t finish my story about the neighbors’ dog for you.”
“That’s all right, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Mommy’s feeling a little tired—I probably won’t do much reading today anyway. Why don’t you finish it and I’ll read it at my next meeting?”
Mo was so devoted to supplying her mother with stories, she hadn’t noticed that Mrs. Ishikawa’s energy level had lowered significantly since she started having all those meetings.
“Mommy, why are you so tired all the time?” Mo asked one day. “Do your meetings make you sleepy?”
“Why yes, they do,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “Adult stuff is important, but it can be very boring. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it. But don’t worry, Mo-Bear. Mommy will be her usual self once her meetings end.”
Her mother’s energy level wasn’t the only thing changing. Mo also noticed Mrs. Ishikawa was much frailer and paler than she used to be. The more meetings she went to, the smaller and weaker she became.
“Mommy, why are you so skinny?”
“Um… well, sometimes I forget to eat lunch at my meetings,” Mrs. Ishikawa said.
“What happened to your eyebrows and eyelashes? Did they fall out?”
“Oh… maybe I’m shedding like the neighbors’ dog? You know, summer’s just around the corner.”
“Mommy, people don’t shed. What’s really going on?”
“Sweetheart, come have a seat with me and I’ll explain,” her mother said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, but I’ve been waiting for the right time. You see, the meetings I’ve been going to every day are at the hospital with doctors.”
“Why are you going to the hospital, Mommy?”
“Because… because…,” Mrs. Ishikawa said with difficulty. “Well, because the doctors think Mommy might have superpowers! They’ve been running tests to find out.”
“Superpowers?” Mo laughed. “You’re teasing me!”
“How else would you explain all my changes?” her mother asked playfully. “Your mommy is the Incredible Sleepy, Shrinking, and Shedding Woman, but we have to keep it a secret so none of your friends get jealous.”
“Is that why Daddy has become so quiet? Because he’s keeping your superpowers a secret?”
“That’s exactly why he’s been so quiet,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “But not to worry, Daddy will be back to normal once I’m done with all my superhero tests.”
“What can you do with your superpowers?” Mo asked, still unsure of the story her mother was telling her.
“That’s what the doctors are trying to figure out. It’s taking them a long time because they don’t have very much imagination. Boy, I wish I knew someone who could help them out with that.”
Mo lit up with bright eyes, and a big smile grew.
“But, Mommy, I’ve got a great imagination!” she said. “If I wrote stories about the Incredible Sleepy, Shrinking, and Shedding Woman, maybe it would help the doctors out!”
“Mo-Bear, that is the best idea I’ve ever heard!” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “I start another round of meetings soon—this time I’m staying in the hospital for a couple nights for more superpower tests. How about you write some stories for me and we can read them together when I get home?”
“You’ve got it!” Mo said.
While her mother was away at the hospital, Mo religiously worked on her stories about the Incredible Sleepy, Shrinking, and Shedding Woman. She wrote how her mother used her superpowers to sleep through the loudest noises on the planet, how she shrunk to the size of a mouse to retrieve things that fell under couches and behind dressers, and how she shed her hair into food to get free meals at restaurants.
Mo couldn’t wait to share her new stories with her mother, knowing they would make her laugh harder than all the other ones had. Her aunt Koko didn’t appreciate her creativity like Mrs. Ishikawa did, so Mo was very eager for her parents to come back. After almost a week, her dad finally returned home, but Mrs. Ishikawa wasn’t with him.
“Daddy, is Mommy done with her superhero tests?”
“No,” Mr. Ishikawa said. “No more tests.”
Mr. Ishikawa had trouble looking his daughter in the eye and Mo worried he was mad at her for something.
“When is Mommy coming home?” Mo asked.
“Mommy isn’t coming home,” he said.
“Why not? Where is she?”
Mr. Ishikawa paused like he always did when he mentally translated his words into English. However, this time he knew exactly what to say, he just didn’t want to say it.