The Winter Blues: The Shades of Winter

The shades of winter hung low. For Petra, every corner was filled with dark, foreboding shadows, locking her mindset into the winter blues. She was raising two children on her own, her husband having headed out west to try to find work, the previous summer. 

How to stay upbeat for her children when she only wanted to cry, was not easy. Winter was the worst time for her, as she had also been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. Kim was six and Riley, four years old. They could be trying at times, adding to Petra's overwhelming depression, but her waitress job at the restaurant kept a roof over their heads.

"Kim, put on your coat and boots and help Riley with his. Your Mom has to go to work."

"Mom, I don't want to go to school!"

"I know, but all children go to school nowadays," she said gently. "Imagine a whole day of learning new things and playing."

"I am afraid," said Riley. "I want to stay with you."

"Sweetie, I would love to have you and your sister with me all day," she said, giving them each a warm hug. 

"Maybe someday!"

"We need more sunshine," Petra said, as she dropped them off. "When I pick you up, we are going to go skating at the rink."

"Yeah!" said Kim. Riley headed for his classroom, wearing a smile.

Petra was busy at work and got off work late. When she went to pick up the children, they were not there.

"Their father picked them up," said Kim's teacher.

"Their father is out west," replied Petra. "Are you absolutely certain this man was their father?"

"He said he was," she replied. "They did seem a bit reluctant to go with him, but he told them that they were going to meet you at the skating rink."

Several days later, there was still no sign of them.

The next day, the police showed her a video of a man boarding a train with her two children.

"My God, that man is not their father!" Petra advised them, tearfully. "I recognize him. I have talked to him a number of times at the restaurant."

She had confided in him about her desperation related to having to raise two children without their father, and about her depression associated with the winter blues.

"Was he a private investigator working for my husband?" she wondered.