Fear for Aliceext_4182848July 24 2017, 18:36:23 UTC
When I was in 3rd grade I came home and my dad had written the note, “I quit” on the whiteboard kept on the fridge. I think in my head I knew what he meant but I asked my mom anyway. She said, “The family.” I wrote about it in my diary saying, “I thought my family would always be together, I guess not.” I was terrified of what it would mean to have our family split up. This was such an impactful moment for me and I planned on putting it in my story. I haven’t made it to this scene so here is where I think this will happen later in the story. Alice’s Gram is suffering from Alzheimer’s and has gone missing. Her dad has a lot of pressure at work and he can’t take the time to help with his missing mother as he would like. The normal, everyday parenting, adult world is getting to him.
When Alice got home from school that day, she dropped her bag by the front door. She made her way through the living room into the kitchen. The “Grand Room” her mom always called it. It was sort of a joke. In their mobile home, the living room and kitchen were basically one big room, separated by a counter with stools. “Grand Room” sounded like something that should be in a castle or a mansion, certainly not a mobile home.
Alice grabbed the door to the fridge, opening it to look for something to snack on. Her eyes glanced up to the note on the whiteboard attached to the freezer door. It was pretty typical for her dad to leave the kids a note with chores to do when they got home.
Her eyes froze on the words and she started to feel a slight thundering in her ears. She read the note again. Two words. That was it.
“I quit.”
It wasn’t signed but she knew Dad’s handwriting. Alice could feel her fingers start to tingle and the thunder in her ears get louder. She knew what he meant. She knew it meant them - the family. Alice’s stomach started to knot as she closed the door slowly. She didn’t want the twins or her brother to read it but she wanted answers.
Alice turned as the door opened and she saw her mom walk in from work. Worse than her siblings, how would mom react? Last time mom was sad she stayed in bed for a week. Alice couldn’t bear the thought of losing Gram, her dad, and her mom. She wished her mom could just get angry like other moms.
As Alice saw her mom walking across the living room, she could feel the tears pushing at the corner of her eyes. What does this mean? Alice thought, knowing and not knowing all at once.
“Mom,” she started, but the thunder pounded hard in her ears and a storm of tears took over. “Dad is gone.”
Re: Fear for Aliceext_4183041July 24 2017, 21:16:54 UTC
I am glad you are writing about it. How hard that must have been for you. I like that Alice is kind of taking the situation in hand to help her mother with the blow of it all. Would love to read the whole story. Well done.
When Alice got home from school that day, she dropped her bag by the front door. She made her way through the living room into the kitchen. The “Grand Room” her mom always called it. It was sort of a joke. In their mobile home, the living room and kitchen were basically one big room, separated by a counter with stools. “Grand Room” sounded like something that should be in a castle or a mansion, certainly not a mobile home.
Alice grabbed the door to the fridge, opening it to look for something to snack on. Her eyes glanced up to the note on the whiteboard attached to the freezer door. It was pretty typical for her dad to leave the kids a note with chores to do when they got home.
Her eyes froze on the words and she started to feel a slight thundering in her ears. She read the note again. Two words. That was it.
“I quit.”
It wasn’t signed but she knew Dad’s handwriting. Alice could feel her fingers start to tingle and the thunder in her ears get louder. She knew what he meant. She knew it meant them - the family. Alice’s stomach started to knot as she closed the door slowly. She didn’t want the twins or her brother to read it but she wanted answers.
Alice turned as the door opened and she saw her mom walk in from work. Worse than her siblings, how would mom react? Last time mom was sad she stayed in bed for a week. Alice couldn’t bear the thought of losing Gram, her dad, and her mom. She wished her mom could just get angry like other moms.
As Alice saw her mom walking across the living room, she could feel the tears pushing at the corner of her eyes. What does this mean? Alice thought, knowing and not knowing all at once.
“Mom,” she started, but the thunder pounded hard in her ears and a storm of tears took over. “Dad is gone.”
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