Coincidence & Consequence

Chapter 6

Amelia Rose loved Saturdays. Her mother went to Bingo, her father to golf, and each of her siblings to different locations. Her parents did not care where each kid went unless they got home later than 7. This gave Amelia Rose the house all to herself, which was pretty unique. But today, she was ready for an adventure! She grabbed a backpack and threw her phone, purse, and her book into one of the folds. She knew exactly where she wanted to go.

A mile or two away was a hill. It was big enough to have a nice view at the top, but small enough that the hike would take less than half an hour. Amelia Rose walked up the thin trail, observing the trees around her. The cloudy summer day made the trees glow an emerald green color, with bluebells swaying in the soft breeze. She had a little hobby of planting, so she always enjoyed looking at the types of natural flowers and such in the forests.

Soon enough, Amelia Rose approached the clearing at the top of the hill. She dusted off a flat rock to sit on, and she laid down her bag. Taking a deep breath, she looked out at the town in front of her and the mountains in the distance. Moments like these were so peaceful. Everything will be okay, she thought to herself, breathing in the sweet scent of summer.

Now, Amelia Rose is the kind of person who enjoys reflection and meditation. She is also the type of person who does not like to be bothered when reflecting. So when she felt droplets of water begin to fall out of the sky and on to her, she was not very happy.

"Darn it!" Amelia quickly gathered her belongings and hid under a tree that shielded her from the rain. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Online friend, she thought, this is not the time! But it wasn't Chris.

Lisa: Amelia Rose, honey, you need to come to the hospital! It's your father...

Lisa: He had a stroke and he needs treatment right away-

Christine knew she couldn't keep the lie up for long. She was such a hypocrite! Telling a random online person this whole speech about making friends, but she didn't have any. Christine had been telling her parents that she was hanging out with her friends every time she wanted to go out. But the truth was she didn't want to hurt anyone. She remembered her first and last friend. She didn't want a repeat of that... For months now, her parents had been asking to meet her friends, but she put it off over and over again. How much more patience would they have?

Christine had nothing to do, so she went to the nearby park and sat on the grass. Pulling out her phone, she sent a quick text to her online friend.

Chris: Hi! What's going on with you?

A.R.: At the hospital

Christine winced, hoping her friend was okay!

Chris: Are you alright?!

A.R.: My father had a stroke. He is getting treatment and he should be fine. It's probably because of his smoking. But I still feel pretty bad. I wish I were closer with my family.

Christine thought about that. What if her father suddenly got a stroke and had to spend days in the hospital? She would feel terrible too!

Chris: I'm so sorry!

A.R.: It's okay. He will be better soon, and I will try to make an effort to become closer with my family. I have my parents and six other siblings, so it might be a challenge...

Chris: Lucky, I only have my helicopter parents. I'm an only child.

A.R.: Wow! Do you have a room to yourself?

Chris: Yeah?

A.R.: Lucky, I share a room with four other girls!

Chris: Oh that sounds kinda difficult- but I wish I had someone to talk with at home.

A.R.: I guess people aren't thankful for what they have until it's gone.

Christine put down her phone and thought about that. About how lucky she was to have parents who loved her.