Chapter Forty Five: Bargaining, Third Stage of Grief

In the bargaining stage of grief, in those moments of intense emotion, we may find ourselves creating a lot of “what if'' and “if only” statements in our minds. We try to foolishly imagine a different outcome, if we only did much better to strengthen the relationship.

"Hmm. I miss taking the subway. I miss my friends and my boy friends. I miss my old school and the library. I miss having toasted bagels with cream cheese at lunch break." Zamantha had voiced out loud with a deep sigh. She was having dinner with her mother and Zara that evening, five days after they moved to Illinois.

So far, she is still waiting for Zara to finish taking care of her transfer papers to her new school. That was why she had spent all of her time whining about life like that. She looked down at Azlan eating his own bowl of dog food on the floor and caressed the golden retriever's soft fur with her own feet. Zamantha only shifted back her attention to Mrs. Zenaida and Zara when her mother tapped her arm.

"B