Kaleb Lee by Kolby Botka (ebook reader library TXT) 📖

Written in December of 2008
Revised in January of 2010
Critics Choice Winner(Highest Award) of the 2009 Oswego Junior Highs Literary Festival

Kaleb Lee

Once in my life, I dreamed of having a little brother. Someone to play with, someone to enjoy life with, someone to watch movies with and someone to love. This is a story, my story, about my little brother, Kaleb Lee Botka

Section One

This all began when my mom walked through the door with a beautiful baby boy, Kaleb was his name. He was born with many medical problems. When he was only a month old, he had to receive a donor heart because his old one was, well, broken to say the least.
So as I was saying, my mom walked through the door with my beautiful new baby brother. The first thing that I noticed about him was his smile. What a gleaming smile for someone with so many problems. I guess that was one of the things I loved about him… his smile. His eyes were as blue as the ocean, but when I looked at him, I didn’t see the ocean, but a young, newborn pair of eyes ready to take on the life ahead of them. When he looked at me for the first time I started crying… I finally had the little brother I had been dreaming for.
The next few weeks went on as an adventure, more sort of an endeavor actually. My other 3 brothers, Keegan, Kameron & Konnor all went on as if he had never shown up, but Kaleb & I have become as close as a pea is to a peapod. We went on an quest when we had watched Lion King and we went on an unpleasant journey when we had to go to bed. We were best friends per say.
I knew something though, something that had a dark, mournful feeling. A feeling that if thought of would bring tears to our eyes. I knew that Kaleb was sick. He was a young, sick little boy who had such a slim chance of surviving, and that’s why I lived my life to the fullest when I was with him.
Section Two
Revised in November of 2009, Written in December of 2008
One of the darkest days of my life started with my alarm clock going off beside my bed. I awoke to a dark, gloomy morning in which there seemed no end. I dragged my sleep lagged body down the steps to see a normal breakfast on the table. I sat down to eat my breakfast when I saw that the time had already gone by an hour.
I jumped out of my chair and ran up the steps so fast that it felt like I was flying. I grabbed my book bag out of the room, ran to the stairs, fell down the stairs in the process, put on my shoes, and ran to the bus stop.
The day obviously proceeded on as normal. Same routine at school as always. I said “Hi” to my friend Kate, greeted my teacher Miss Shambaugh, who was actually on the people in my life who had given me the inspiration to write about one of my most life changing events of which I thought was a stupid idea at the time. Its amazing the vivid detail I remember of this day. It replays in my mind everyday like a skipping record. The words that changed my life won’t stop singing a melancholy melody in my head.
The school bell rang, and I thought to my self, “I am going to go home and have a nice big dinner and then spend some time with Kaleb.”
When I got off the bus, I began to walk to my house, which had a different dejected connotation. I didn’t notice that there was an extra car in the driveway, and I just walked right past it up my driveway into my dismal doorway.
There is a room that connects right to my foyer and when I saw my mother sitting next to my church pastor Pam, I thought, “Oh no, I hope nothing happened at church.” It was until I saw the wastebasket overflowing with tissues that I realized that my mom was crying. It wasn’t a usual sob, it was a loud, screaming cry. My dad came up and gave me a big hug and it wasn’t until then I realized my mother wasn’t holding Kaleb in her hands.
I thought the worst ‘Did he die?’, I quietly spoke to my self.
“Kolby,” said my father, “Kaleb… passed away while you were at school…” He began sobbing along with my mother. Here is the man I saw as my idol, a man that never cried, a man that had such a positive outlook at life, a man now who I saw as a mourning soul. This must be real… Can it be Real?
I ran to Kalebs room and it was empty. No little boy in the chair, no little boy watching Lion King, no little boy playing, no little boy enjoying life… no little boy at all. The room was empty and my emotions hit me like a speeding bullet, slicing me open to every emotion that can be felt at the same time. I fell to the floor and cried. “He’s gone…”
My dad finally walked in and gave me a big hug.
“How did he… die?” I asked my father sorrowfully.
“It was his heart. His heart just couldn’t handle the pressure of life anymore. It gave out and we tried to save him, but, every attempt we made just made it worse.”
Following that despondent exchange of words, I walked over to Kalebs’ chair and sat, hoping that his little soul would come back, that I could see his face one more time… he never came.
The worse part of this dilemma was the funeral. I just didn’t feel comfortable having to see my little brothers lifeless body in that room. Not being able to talk to him, not being able to play with him, not being able to even see his beautiful blue eyes, was by far the worse thing. That was what made me believe that he was gone. Not only that part, but the burial was by far on the list of emotional distress at the time.
Even though Kaleb may be gone, his love remains. I will never forget him. I will never forget his face, his spirit, his beautiful blue eyes, but most of all, his loving, carefree smile that he seemed to wear throughout his entire life.

In Loving Memory
Kaleb Lee Botka
November 12th, 2001 -- September 4th, 2003
“Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” (Unknown)

Publication Date: 01-25-2010

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