Sticking Together

There was time when he never had to worry about food or money or where he would sleep that night. There was a time when he could just be a kid. When had he stepped into the role of father and mother for his younger brother and sister? Was it the day they came and took his beloved father? Or maybe it was when mother stopped laughing. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was now the man of the house and he was terrified. Mother wouldn't even get out of bed. He heard of children who were taken from their homes for less. If word of their situation got out, they would be taken for sure. He knew that they never kept families together. Always ripped apart. He would never, ever let his family be separated. Never.