Dinner's Cold Again

We waited again and then finally my mom put our plates down on the table. We started in our dinners as she gazed hopefully out the door. Then the phone rang and we knew before she even answered-dad wouldn't be home for dinner again. Another late night meant that mom would get upset and we'd have another dinner in silence. I picked at my peas as I thought about my dad and how much I missed him. I looked up to him and wanted to be like him someday, but I missed him. At that moment, I knew that I wouldn't make my family eat dinner without me someday. We finished dinner and as we did the dishes, it seemed like all we could hear was the ticking of the clock. Another night of going to bed without seeing dad.