I still reach my phone to call mom especially on my morning commute. Yesterday morning, it had gotten so cold and a thought just jumped to my mind to call and chat with her and tell her how unbelievably cold it had become.

Because it’s an international number, I would have to dial an access number first and then her number unless I called on WhatsApp on my sister’s phone then I could just hit a button. But usually, I called her on her mobile number. It’s a number my fingers could dial in the dark. Mom had that same number since mobile phones were introduced at home. She’s had that number for almost 20 years if not more.

So there I was in my driveway wanting to tell her about the crazy weather going from sunny and 60 one day to 20 something and freezing the next day. I miss those calls more that I could have imagined I ever would. I never imagined I would feel her absence so acutely. No one does.