Chapter 1A Chapter by theHobbitIn this chapter Ann's father forgets to pick her up from school and you experience an average day in Ann's life...before things change
Chapter 1
This is the story of a person. They're deeply flawed and are held together by strings but still a good person, they laugh at jokes and cry and sad moments but every action that they make is human and theirs. This story begins in small town tucked away in forest filled with maples on a brisk November afternoon.
The cold wind tugs at my coat, I wrap the scratchy wool sweater closer around my small frame. The weight of my bag makes me hunch over, this is the third time this week that Dad has forgotten to pick me up. My breathing is raspy and the warm air fogs up my glasses that continuously slide off the bridge of my nose. Finally I reach Elm street my shoulders sag in relief. The houses don't look like much, but, the looming trees that hunch over the road make it look like you are entering a hidden world and in some ways you are. I stop at the house marked 103, the house where Dad and I have lived since Mom left last year...when she forgot to take me with her.
“Dad!”I shout as I body slam the door so it opens just enough for me to slide through, “You didn't fix the door hinges!” the door screeches in protest as I slam it shut, sigh, and wait for my Dad's reply I know that he wont answer. I kick off my shoes and throw my bag on a nearby chair. I stumble in the kitchen throwing open cabinets to make some snacks for Dad and I. When I finally see some goldfish in the back of the pantry I quickly grab a bowl and pour some of the food into it. I shuffle down a cramped hallway that leads to my Dad's study. I knock on the door, as always it's closed. Hesitantly I turn the doorknob and lightly push open the door, what I see is what is always there. My father with his back facing the door and his computer wheezing from continuous use as his fingers fly over the keyboard. The soda cans scattered along the floor are the only proof that he left the room long enough to venture to the kitchen. “Welcome home Ann, how was school?” I pretend to contemplate his question as I throw the empty soda cans in a nearby trash can. “You forgot to pick me up again” as hard as I try, hurt still creeps into my voice. At this he turns away from his computer screen, now I see the dark circles that border his steel-gray eyes as his eyebrows furrow. “Doesn't the school bus drop you off?” he should sleep instead of having this conversation, I sigh brushing away any past irritation. Of course the school bus doesn't drop me off. He thought it would be a good idea for him to handle my school transportation, a chance for us to hangout more since he is always working. “How many hours of sleep have you had?” now he decides to ignore my question which means it most likely less than 4 hours. “Is that goldfish for me?” he asks motioning towards the small plastic bowl in my hand, “Yeah, you need to eat something today, I'm going to start my homework now but I'll start dinner around...uh,” I glimpse at a clock hanging crookedly on the wall, planning how long my homework would take. My nose scrunched up as I continue, “maybe around 6 ish?” Dad nods as if he was contemplating the idea of dinner instead of worrying about an upcoming report due on Monday. I shrug and hand him the goldfish, if he can't 'make it' to dinner at least I know he will eat these processed calories. After making a cup of Earl Grey tea in the kitchen I go back down the hallway except instead of going to Dad's study I turn to the left side of the hallway and push open the door to my room. As always when I step into my room I can feel myself relax. The walls are light green, minty almost, a few paintings of mine scatter the walls, I jump on my bed. One day if I just stay here the blankets will wrap me up and the world will melt away. Sadly there is homework that needs to be done and a father to take care of, I groan, roll over, and sit up. I open my ancient laptop and start writing a project report for science class. Of course my lab partner is expecting me to do all the work. After I tore through all my assignments that required the use of the Internet or a computer I scuttle to the living room to grab my backpack I look at the time on the electronic clock that rests on a bookshelf that lines the far wall of the living room. The neon green light flashed the time 6:00... wait no that isn't right. I run back to my room to drop off my backpack then I peek my head into Dad's study. “Hey Chief, what do you want for dinner...” I stop mid-sentence, dad has fallen asleep in his office chair. Finally I think to myself as I slide over to his desk, save his assignments, and power off the computer. Then I turn to him and sigh, “What am I going to do with you” I whisper, slowly, I push his office chair (thankfully it has wheels) and him out of the office and further down the hall to his room. Hesitantly I open his door and push him through the entryway. I fumble around the room slapping the walls searching for the light switch. Eventually I found the switch as warm light flooded the room I pushed my dad over to the side of his bed and rolled him on his mattress, then I threw some blankets over him. As I turned to leave I looked over my shoulder, he seemed 10 years younger when he was sleeping, when he wasn't worrying. “Goodnight Dad” I turn off the light and close the door, one more day is over now I just need to worry about tomorrow.
When I get back to my room I throw on some pajamas, brush my teeth, and crawl into bed as I close my eyes the dreams start again.
© 2017 theHobbitAuthor's Note
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2 Reviews Added on February 28, 2016 Last Updated on January 23, 2017 Tags: #realistic fiction, #independance, #home and school struggles Author |