Lavender was thirteen years old, and she lay in her bed, not quite asleep yet, but drifting in and out of dreamland. Her room was bathed in the soft glow of her nightlight, which cast a comforting ambiance over her eggshell-colored walls.
In the room next door, her little sister, Jasmine, slumbered peacefully, her tiny chest rising and falling with each delicate breath. Lavender had always been fond of her baby sister, even though she was no longer a baby herself.
But that night was different. Lavender was roused from her half-dreaming state by the hushed voices of her parents, Leonard and Joy, emanating from the living room downstairs. They were talking in low, worried tones about something she couldn't quite make out.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she quietly slipped out of her bed, careful not to wake Jasmine, and tip-toed down the hallway. As she descended the wooden stairs, she found a spot on one of the steps where she could hear her parents' conversation more clearly.
Leonard's voice quivered with emotion as he asked, "Are you sure?"
Joy's voice, usually warm and soothing, was filled with despair as she replied, "Yes, Leonard. They're saying I have ten months."
Lavender strained her ears, trying to make sense of the words they were saying. They were talking about something called "lung cancer," a term she knew but couldn't quite comprehend.
But one thing was clear, it was making her mama cry.
Joy's voice cracked with anguish. "I can't believe this is happening, Leonard. I don't want to die. I can't leave you and our babies behind."
Tears welled up in Leonard's eyes, his voice choked with grief. "I don't want to lose you either, Joy. We'll fight this together. We have to." Lavender felt a knot tighten in her chest. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but she could sense the fear and sadness in her parents' voices. She couldn't bear to see her mama cry, especially when Jasmine was still so young, and Lavender didn't want her to forget their mama.
Just as Lavender was grappling with these overwhelming emotions, her parents' voices seemed to grow louder, and they suddenly stopped speaking. It was as if they had sensed her presence nearby.
"Lavender?" Joy's voice called out, shaky and uncertain. "Is that you? Come downstairs, baby." Lavender's heart pounded in her chest as she realized she'd been discovered. Without saying a word, she jumped up from the stairs and ran out of the house, the screen door creaking loudly behind her, startling baby Jasmine awake.
Outside, the night air was cool against her skin as she stood on the porch, her thirteen-year-old frame shivering from both the chill and the fear of not knowing how long her mama would be in her world.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched tightly onto the bear that her boyfriend Alexander had won for her on their first date at the carnival, wishing more than anything that her family could stay the way she was used to...whole.
As she stood there, the stars above twinkling in the vast night sky, Lavender made a silent promise to herself. She didn't fully understand what her parents were going through, but she was determined to be strong for her mama, for Jasmine, and for herself.
The weight of the world felt heavy on her young shoulders, but she was ready to face whatever challenges would come her way.
