Ch. 1: What Comes from Tragedy

Chapter One: What Comes from Tragedy

Ever since I was little I've known tragedy. I've known it since before I was even born. I knew it before I was a thought in my parents’ life. I saw it in spirit as my mom and dad grieved for my brother Charlie, and in person as they wept for the grandparents I will never know. Tragedy is a part of everyday life, everyone experiences tragedy, but I know it. And it makes me who I am and who I will someday become. Believe it or not, I will be a better person because I know tragedy.

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“Adeline Margaret, get your butt downstairs right now! I’m not going to say it again! You’ll be late for school!” My mother’s voice echoed up the stairs but I didn't hear it.

I was sitting on my bed reading a book like I do every morning. I wasn't with the real world, but instead lost in the fantasy world of a book.

“Addie?” Dad poked his head into the bedroom.

I slowly closed the book and rejoined the real world. “Hm?” I looked at my dad and then at the clock. “I’m coming.” I grumbled as I slid off my bed. This was my least favorite part of the day. Going to school. Why couldn't I just sit at home and read all day? Instead of having to sit in a classroom with a bunch of children while we learned useless things.

“Dad?”

“Yeah hon?”

“Can you and mom please home-school me? I’m much too advanced for the third grade!” I dramatically sighed.

Dad chuckled. “This is only the second week of school. How do you know you’re too advanced for it?”

“I read at a faster rate than the other children! Plus I can already write in cursive! PLUS the teacher always goes too slowly and I just read ahead anyway. It’s pointless for me to be there.”

“Kiddo, there’s a lot more to school than reading you know? You have math and science and even social studies.”

“Yeah, but I don’t need that for what I’m going to do in life. Leave that to the other children.”

Dad stared at me quizzically and then finally asked, “Why do you keep saying children like that?”

“Because that’s what they are. Little nasty children who know nothing about the real world.”

“Addie, you’re eight years old? Where do you come up with these things?” Dad laughed and started walking down the stairs. 

I shrugged my shoulders even though his back was to me and followed him down the steps.

“Also, I hope you don’t think all children are nasty. What happens when your little brother gets here? Will you think he’s nasty too?” Dad asked jokingly.

I saw mom turn towards me and smile, her big belly ballooning out from under her pajama shirt. “Nah, I’m sure I can teach him the necessary skills it takes in order to be wonderful like me.” I smiled at my parents and took a seat at the table in front of the bowl of cereal mom had just set down.

“Well I’m sure he’ll enjoy that.” Mom said smiling as she waddled back to the kitchen.

I knew she was worried that I wouldn’t be accepting of the baby, but I really didn’t care. It was neither a plus nor a minus that we would be adding another body into this household. Well, ok, I guess there was one positive thing; Mom and Dad had used some of the money that Grandma and Grandpa gave them – the Grandma and Grandpa that are dead. Not the ones that I see on the weekends! – to redo the entire house before the baby got here. Which is good because I got a new room. And new books! And a new spot just for me to sit and read! So that was a plus.

“Adeline?” Mom’s voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up from my cereal that was quickly becoming soggy. She was sitting across the table from me just staring.

“What?”

“I asked if you weren’t hungry since you have just been staring at your cereal.” She looked at me with concern and then shot a quick glance in Dad’s direction. I could see him shrug out of the corner of my eye.

“No, I guess I’m not. I’m just going to wait for the bus.” I stood up and gave both of my parents a kiss before I walked out of the house. “Bye. Love you.” I called as I pulled the door shut behind me.

I tend to get lost in my thoughts. It happens multiple times a day and I think it gets me into a lot of trouble. Especially with my teachers. They hate it when you stop paying attention. But I think it worries my parents more than it upsets them, even though it’s really nothing to worry about. I just don’t think they understand how boring normal life is. It’s much more exciting in my mind!

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“Miss Gray? Would you please rejoin the class?” Mrs. Crumplebottom glared at me.

See what I mean? My thoughts are getting me in trouble! “Sorry.” I mumble and sit up straighter to look like I’m actually paying attention. I seriously hate school. Like I told dad, it’s pointless for me to be here. At least in this class. It’s like for slow kids or something.

“Addie!” My best friend Avery whispered my name. I turned to look at her. “You better stop doodling or Mrs. Crumplebottom will make you stay late after school again!”

I smiled at her as a way of saying thanks and then put down my pencil. I hadn’t even realized I was drawing random scribbles all over my math worksheet. I guess my hands hate math too! I laughed at my own childish joke and this time really listened to what Mrs. Crumplebottom was trying to teach us.

The class never seemed to end.

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Mom picked me up from school that day and started right in on the normal small talk between a mother and her daughter. “How was school?”

“Fine.”

“Did you learn anything?”

“No.”

Mom laughed, “You always say thaaaaa! Oooh!”

I snapped my head in her direction wondering why she yelled. “Mom? Are you ok?”

Her face was all scrunched up and her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel harder. Soon we were pulled over on the side of the road. When the car was in park she seemed completely fine again.

“Oh boy.” She let out a sigh mixed with a small laugh.

“What? What’s wrong?” I was starting to panic. Why did we stop? Why did she look like she was in pain?

Then I understood. Because I am smart for my age. My little brother was on his way.

“Sweetie,” she handed me her cell phone. “Will you call your father and tell him to meet us at the clinic?”

I nodded and took the phone from her hand and proceeded to punch in my dad’s number.

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Luckily the birthing center where mom wanted to have my brother was walking distance from where we stopped the car – one of the perks of living in a small town – so we didn’t need to call an ambulance or anything like that.

Dad arrived shortly after we got there and went into the room with Mom. Which I was happy about because I didn’t want to have to be the one to hold mom’s hand! I’ve seen enough movies to know that the moms having babies get really mad at the dad and squeeze their hand, sometimes it even breaks! I hope dad’s hand is ok…

“Addie? Would you like to come meet your baby brother?” Nelly, mom’s midwife poked her head out of the doorway and motioned for me to come in the room.

“Are you sure it’s safe now? Mom’s not going to be screaming or anything right?” I asked as I stood up from my chair.

Nelly laughed and shook her head, “No your mom is pretty tired, I don’t think she’ll be doing any yelling.”

When I walked into the room I spotted mom and dad in the far corner by the window. Mom was in the rocking chair holding my brother in a blue blanket and my dad was on the sofa next to her. They both looked up and smiled at me.

“Come here Addie.” Dad patted the cushion next to him so I walked over and sat down. “Do you want to hold your brother?”

“Um, not yet. I don’t even know his name!”

Mom and Dad both laughed and then Mom got up and carefully placed the baby in my arms as she said, “Addie, we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Alexander Gray.”

Dad helped me cradle Nathan and I said, “Alexander! That was Grandpa Ainsley’s name!”

Dad nodded his head and Mom smiled at me with sad eyes. “That’s right, Nathan is named after my father.”

“Cool!” I said as I wrapped my arms tighter around my little brother. “He’s so small! And warm!” I was fascinated by this small human I was holding. I felt something else too, like we had a special connection. It was going to be us against the world. I was sure of it.

I smiled at Nathan, gave him one more squeeze and then handed him to Dad.

I don’t know how long we sat there on that couch but I didn’t care, it felt so right. Dad, Mom, Nathan and I. Our perfect little family.