A New Path by Lilly W. (reader novel txt) 📖

I’m fat enough already, at the weight of 125. Goodness I hated to think about it. I thought  about reading one of the books I got from the library. But it is to nice outside to read anything.

       I get up and start to walk across the beach. I slip off my flip-flops and hold them in my hand. As I walk I think about everything that has happened to me over the past three years.

        Mostly I think about when I found out about my mother’s death.

     

I was at home getting ready to go to my friend’s house, Mira. Well that was when we were friends. I was so excited to go, even though I go there just about every weekend. Especially now that it is summer.

        I sat on the couch to wait for mom to come, she said that she would pick me up to go to Mira’s. Like she always did. She worked at the animal shelter. She worked for free, she thought that the animals should get the money instead of her. And dad mostly brought in all the money anyway. He was a lawyer, he was passionate about the law and helping to enforce it.

          I was waiting for half an hour when I heard the ambulance drive by. The the fire truck came by to.  

           I called my mom. She did not pick up, at the time I thought that she probably left the phone in her car and was working later. I called dad next and after three rings he picked up.

          “Mianna, I’m busy. What is it?” I hated to talk to him when he is busy but I need to.

          “Mom didn’t come home” I simply say.

          “I’m sure she’s fine” His voice has taken on a gentle tone.

          “Are you sure?” At the time I would have believed anything that my parents.  

          “Just wait a minute, I have a call coming in. I will call you when I’m done with the call.” With that he hung up.

       When he didn’t call in an hour I lost my patience and called him again.

       “ You told me that you would call. Did you talk to mom? Can you te…..” He cut me off before I could get any further.  

       “Mianna, it’s not a good time” I could hear the tears in his voice. I stared at the phone, what just happened? Did he hang up on me?My phone rings and my heart picks up.

       “Dad?” I hope everything is ok.

       “ What? No, why are you so late?” My hopes drop to my flip flops when I hear Mira on the other end of the phone.  

       “Sorry, my mom’s not home yet.”

       “Oh, wait why did you want it to talk to your dad?”

       “ I thought that he could tell me if everything is ok, he told me he would call in an hour.”

        “Well, you don’t have to come, I could hang out with Matt.” Ugh, I hated Matt, Mira’s boyfriend. It wasn't a big relationship since we were only 14, but the way he looked at her told you that he wanted more.   

        “Ok, talk to you later” trying to hide the disappointment.

        “Bye” She mumbled and was gone.

         I sat on the couch for the rest of the afternoon and was about to drift off to sleep when the telephone startled me awake. I got up and walked to the home phone.

        “Hello?” A woman answered the phone.

        “Hi, is Tom Mavis there?”

        “My dad? No, he’s at work. Can I take a message?” My parents told me to say that if anyone called for them.

         “Umm…. I guess so. Tell your dad to call 1-800-962-3376. And that Mrs. Lee is sorry for his loose.Ok?”

         “Yes” I say as I write it down on the paper near the phone.

         “ Have a good day” She hung up.

         Sorry for his loss

         What was that supposed to mean? And who was Mrs.Lee? When I later find out what that means I wished I never asked the questions in the first place. I call my dad and he picks up on the first ring, something that has never happened before.  

        “I’m on my way home, talk to you soon.I have a lot to tell you.” And yet again he hung up on me. Great.  

        I decided that I should probably eat something. So I ate the only thing that I really wanted, ice cream. The food of life. I got the gallon of peanut butter ice cream and got a spoon. I don’t like bowles, and yes, I do have a reason. A minute or so later when I was settled on the couch with my gallon of ice cream. He came slowly through the door.

       “I though that you were going to Mira’s.” An emotion surfaced in his voice that I’ve never heard him use, that’s why I couldn’t determine what it was.

       “I didn’t have a ride, oh and by the way Mrs.Lee left a message for you. By the way how is she anyway?” He sat on the couch and put his face in his hands. There was something wrong. He shrugged.

       “ That’s not important. Where’s Tod?” The emotion was sadness.

       “ At Marks, why?” Why didn’t he know that, Tod is always at Marks, his friends house. And I heard Tod telling dad yesterday. Dad removes his hands and looks up. I almost drop my ice cream from what I see on his face.

        Tears

        “I need to talk to you two.”  Never in my life have I seen him cry, not even when he had to get stitches in his arm.

        “Ok, whatever I did I’m sorry.” I had to have done something, what else would have happened.

        “ You didn’t do anything. Call Tod and tell him to come now.” His face took on the serious trate he uses at work, or when we do something really bad.

       “O-ok” I stutter. I get off the couch and get my phone from the counter where I set it. The Ice cream. I go back to get it. When I make it into the living room Dad is in the same spot staring into the distance crying. I grad the ice cream and go to the kitchen, put it in the freezer and call Tod.

       “What?” Clearly he is agitated.

       “You need to come home now” I hate talking to him so much.

       “What? Why?”   

       “Dad needs to talk to us.”

       “What did you do?” Of course he would say that, actually I said that to.

       “ Shut-up! There is something wrong! You need to…….” He cut me off.

       “First off, don’t boss me around. Second, there is always something wrong. And third don’t yell at me.” That’s his way of talking command.

        “ Dad is crying, get home” I hang up. I understand why people hang up on my, it’s fun.

        He came home and me and dad were sitting on the couch when he walked in 10 minutes later.

        “I’m here. What?” He looks at dad and freezes. He apparently thought that I was lying. Dad got up looked at Tod.

        “Sit”

A New Ending

 That was the beginning of the end. From there he told us that Mom had ran into the ditch to avoid hitting an animal. She died on the way to the hospital. He also told us that Mrs.Lee was the judge. He also told us that the person that called was the nurse that was in the helicopter with her. The reason she called was to tell us her last words. By this time we were all an emotional wreck. He read from a paper:

        “I need my family to live on” My dad had to pause so I took it from him and continued. “ Tell them that I will see them when the time is right. Tell them they can live without me. Tom need’s to know that he made my life complete. Tod brought much happiness to me. And Mia is the most optimistic person that I have ever met”

        That was the end and I will never forget it. I will also never forget the funeral. It was a rainy day and a lot of people came, she was loved. That was the day I lost everything that I loved, Tod left, Dad’s mind was gone. I was alone, the only one that hasn’t gave myself to the drugs and drinks.

       I look down and see a sand dollar. One of the famous morro bay sand dollars. Since this place is happy and shelly. Sure, some people are. I reach down and pick it up. I run my thumb over the surface and touch the small barnacle on the surface. The cool thing about the sand dollars is that they look like a flower.

       I think the reason they call them sand dollars, is because they want people to think they are worth something. They sell them at the tourist shop on the beach. What a waste of money, especially when you can go to the beach and get them yourself.

       Sitting on a bench looking at the beach I think of all the times I came here with my mom. Looking at the surfers makes me want to surf to. When I was 9  I would come out every day and go surfing. Even though I haven't gone in three years I still know how.

       It’s like…...talking after you do it for so long, you can do it without thinking.

       I don’t have the money to go any way.

       Maybe I should get a job. Never mind just thinking about it makes me tired. But I could use the money………..

      But I hate people, because they hate me. I stand up and walk across the sand. I feel the sand between and put my shoes.  

      When I get to town I pass stores and restaurants. People spending money on the things they think they need.  

       I look down at my shoes and fall on my face. I get up and look around for the thing I fell on. To the side I see a big help needed sign on the concrete, it has a tear down the center. The sam’s sandwiches sigh is broken, great. I start to walk away.

        

Sign

 “Hey, you” I heard someone yell at me. Please not be talking to me.

      “ You in the green get back here.” Crap. That’s me with the loose green shirt and sweatpants. I turn around and see a tall man with an apron on inspecting the sign. I walk over to him. He stares down at me with bark brown eyes.

      “You ruined my sign.” He looks at his sign,