Authors Note: This chapter is a bit clunky. I started to just delete it but then went back to feeling this at least gave a bit of insight into some of the characters and the roles they play
One Tuesday Morning Early Gram went to the apartment to pick up Zoey for preschool. Zoey went to First Lutheran Church downtown on the corner of 1st and Elm Street. When she arrived at the apartment, she found Zoey, her backpack, a blanket on the front porch, and an Eviction notice on the door. The entire building was being torn down and renovated into high-rise estates and everyone had been given several months' notice, not that Zoey's parents would know anything or remember anything about that. Gram quickly bundled a cold Zoey up carried her as best she could to the car and carried her to the local police department. Back then it was a lot easier to file a report and fight for custody, especially in a small town where unfortunately everyone knows your business. Although sometimes that is a dreadful thing. In this instance, the judge, the mayor as well as the chief of police were members of First Lutheran. They all knew Gram, they knew of Zoey's unfortunate circumstances, and of her parents and their multiple issues. Gram explained how she found Zoey and wanted full custody and was not leaving until it was done so. The chief had Mr. Morris, a small-town lawyer, draw up the papers, and Zoey's parents gladly signed over the papers because it meant freedom for them and fewer worries. They said they loved her, but she just came at the wrong time in their life, and this was a better solution in the end. So effective March 23rd, 1992, Zoey was safe in the custody of her Gram and together they thought things would begin to look up. Unfortunately, it was just the beginning.
On a cool September morning, Zoey and Gram had just come walking down the road from the church, when they turned the corner to see fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, and the town Coroner in front of their home. They usually walked there together unless Gram's arthritis was acting up. This was a cool day so it was nice for walking and Gram thought the fresh air would do them both good. As they approached what they found to be a violent scene they found that Zoey's parents Audra and Dink had come to borrow or steal the true term Gram's car and run, because they had been involved in a drug deal gone wrong. When they arrived to get the car, their dealer was there and shot them both in the road before he was hit by a car driven by the local factory worker so tired from working a double shift, that he crossed the middle line in the road as he slept at the wheel.
Now Zoey was only left with Gram. No cousins, aunts, or uncles, and not very many friends. She and her family were once again, the talk or gossip of the town. Everyone who saw her laughed, joked, mocked, or backed away when she would walk by as if she were cursed or contagious. Many said everywhere she went trouble seemed to follow. Gram told her to ignore those people because she knew God had a special plan for Zoey and she had to have faith God had a plan to carry her along the way even in the tough times.
Now from an early age, Zoey was a dreamer. She dreamed about getting older. She dreamed about going to college at a big prominent college, meeting her charming prince and best friend just like Gram had done, and living happily ever after. Well as we said in the beginning, she was a dreamer, and it was a rocky road to get there.
In elementary school, Zoey was a good reader and was always as many called her a teacher's pet. Zoey did not care what they called her as long she did what was right, made good choices, and tried to help others when she could. In her first-grade class, there was a boy named Trey and a girl named Bryanna. They became close friends, and you could always find them together on the playground at lunch, and even on the church pew on Sundays. One afternoon on the playground like many other afternoons on the playground Zoey was being bullied by some older kids. These kids came from, well, parents who thought talking mean, talking about others, and gossiping was fun and the way to be. Some rich and somewhat Gram said many would call Trailer trash but as Christians, we do not look down on anyone because of their circumstance. One child began calling Zoey the poor orphan girl. One prim and proper young girl called her poor white trash in hand-me-down rags. These were the days she wished Trey and Bryanna's teachers had recess at the same time as her class. As this bullying was going on, Jay, who is the grandson of Mimi in Grams circle and someone from church, stepped up to defend Zoey. After the mean children left Jay told Zoey that from then on out, he could count on her like a big brother since she did not have one else. Jay said he would always keep her safe.
Gram would tell Zoey daily, that people are bullies. They are jealous of what you have. You are sure to "Button that lip young lady. You are smarter and stronger than any of that." If Zoey would respond at all, Gram would quote a verse from the bible from James 1:19 that states "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,' And then she would say if you start getting saucy with them you are not a lady and not the Christian young lady I know and Love and you are then acting just like they are. She would then quote "Proverbs 15:1 which states, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Gram was always quoting scriptures and showing Zoey how to incorporate them into her everyday life. Some days Zoey was ok with this.
Early on, Zoey told Gram about her day and the nice boy who was going to be her guardian and brother when the mean kids were around. The bullying continued daily until those kids moved onto junior high school and Jay was no longer there to keep her safe. Thankfully, redistricting in their town occurred and she only had to go one year without him. The next year, Jay moved on to the same senior high school as Zoey, and they all had Trey and Bryanna in more classes together as well. By then, Trey and Bryanna had stated they were adopting her as their sister as well because they all needed each other and since they were best friends it just made sense. School days continued and the years went on and Zoey seemed to carry her family's past as a weight on her shoulders because no one could let it go. When Zoey got into the 8th and 9th grades she would volunteer at the homeless shelter, help at church in the nursery, and with the senior adults. She tutored kids in the library after school and helped with the sports teams. Gram told her those things were supposed to be good application makers for college.
Now Gram was getting old and frail and no longer able to drive or go to a lot of places. However, she never missed a Sunday in church. Many of Gram's friends had passed and Gram said she was ready when it was time. One afternoon after church, Gram had Mrs. Stewart, a deacon in the church as well as a big in town, or so he used to be, lawyer, Mr. Morris, come and talk to them about becoming emancipated. Based on how grown-up Zoey was and how she could do everything on her own, Gram wanted to be sure that if something happened to her, Zoey would receive all the inheritance, her college money, the house, and the car even in its terrible and jolliness shape. She wanted to be sure no one took Zoey away from the things and places she had come to know as safe and loving. On February 2nd, 2005, Zoey became an emancipated citizen and was allowed to be in control of herself both in the community and at school.
That fall, Gram had pneumonia and was hospitalized. She told Doc Henry she was not dying in the hospital, so they discharged her so she and Zoey could go out to the beach house. Gram passed away on the same day 16 years apart from pop-pop. Gram died with a smile knowing she was being welcomed into heaven with Pop-pop, God, and Nathanial, her baby who passed away from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), when he was an infant, leaving her mother at 2 years old the only child. Zoey grieved and it took her some time to cope as she knew the time was coming she and Gram talked about how it would not be a time to cry tears of sadness and loss but a time to rejoice and know she was no longer in pain and is with her true love everlasting again watching over her every day.
Zoey continued her schooling even with the mean high school pranks and jokes including the one boy Kyle who asked her to prom only to not show up but sent dead roses and a note stating he could not believe she was dumb enough to think he would think of taking her. Luckily, she had her "brothers" Trey and Jay who were going with their high school sweethearts. Jay had his sweetheart Melissa, and Bryanna had Trey. They all went to the prom, having fun and enjoying the time together.
Graduation came and Zoey graduated with honors and had already been accepted into the Varsity College Collier University (CU) named after the town mayor who helped the town following the Great Depression. This were going to be a lot of changes ahead with Gram now gone, Trey going off to an Ivy League college, and Bryanna going to the Peace Corps in Africa. Zoey was looking forward to college and was thankful she was going to live close since this was the first time she was going to be all alone. Jay was already accepted at CU and Melissa found a new boyfriend and moved out to the coast to go to follow him off to college. She had enough courses from summer school and advanced placement to enter any college as a sophomore, so she had no problem leaving anyone in her wake. Zoey and Jay would both be at the same college, and this would have all been great had she and Jay not had a large falling out. That was the end of an exceptionally long friendship and a loss of what felt like her remaining family, and she was now all alone.
