Fated to Break | ✓

t h i r t e e n

Rowan

Twelve Years Ago

       "Rowan, come brush your teeth! It's time for bed!" Dad yells in his outdoor voice from down the hall of my bedroom. We don't yell inside, that's what Mom taught me since I was really little.

Since Dad yelled first that means I can yell back to answer him, "I will in five-no six more minutes! I'm almost done with my homework!"

Mom told me that if I finished my whole packet she'd give me a cookie in my lunch tomorrow and read me two bedtime stories. She's the best storyteller. I know how to read but I like it better when she does it.

I write my last answer and stuff my pencil into my pencil box. It was really hard and I wrote something random for the last answer. I'll ask Mom for help when she gets home. I jump off my chair and walk to my door to tell Dad, "I'm done with homework now, Dad!"

I hear a loud noise from downstairs, a really big one. It kind of sounds like the sound the chair made when I threw my football at it on accident. It fell over and chipped the paint on the wall. I got in trouble for throwing it in the house. I walk downstairs, ready to tell Dad that I won't tell mom that he was playing with the ball in the house.

"R-Rowan! Come downstairs! We have to go, now!" Dad's voice is shaking. Maybe he broke something and is scared. I get scared too when I make mistakes.

I giggle, "I'm right here Dad, you don't need to yell." I turn to the living room and see dad running around getting his keys and jacket.

"Are we going to aunties?" I had to go to aunties one night because Mom and Dad needed a date night. It's kinda gross but auntie said that's what people that love each other do.

"N-No we aren't going to auntie's. Get your shoes," His face looks pale, like he's sick. Maybe he doesn't feel good and needs to get a check up.

I fast walk to him because we aren't allowed to run inside, then I grab my shoes from off the floor by the front door. Dad swings the door open, reaching his hand out for me to hold it. I do and when we leave the house he's running to the truck so fast I almost trip. Dad has really long legs and he's tall, that's why he can run fast. Mom told me that when I got sad that he won against me in a race.

On our way to wherever we're going Dad is driving too fast and swerving, I'm a little scared. "Dad, where are we going? Are you feeling sick?" I hope he doesn't throw up in the truck.

"No, I'm okay. I-It's mommy. Mommy is at the hospital, she had an accident Rowan," Dad's voice is still shaky like he's gonna cry and his hands are holding the steering wheel really tight.

"Okay," I had an accident once. I broke my arm playing at the park and I cried a lot. Mom cried too because she said she was worried. That's why dad is like this, it's because he's worried about mom.

But I feel better now so mom will feel better too and Dad won't have to worry anymore.

When we get to the hospital we run through doors with a big word above it in red, the word is long so I don't have time to sound it out. Dad starts to yell at the people in blue and asking them where Mom is. Dad gives them Mom's real name and they tell him a whole bunch of stuff I don't know what it means. Then I see a little girl across the room with a big cut on her arm but she isn't crying. Wow. She's tough. I wanna be that tough. After Dad's done talking to the nice ladies he drags me to some chairs in a big room with a lot of other chairs. I sit down but Dad starts to walk back and forth and back and forth but he starts to make me dizzy.