Shattering the Fairy Tale

Chapter 3

Blurs of green and blue filled the car windows as the country roads narrowed. Each tree positioned slightly closer to its neighbors with each passing mile. Leafy branches, forming makeshift bridges, extended far above the cars below. Over-grown fields of yellow dandelions and ditches filled with flowering weeds and tall brown cattails lined the roadway. With each passing town, the sun fell further from its seat high in the clouds. The sky soon filled with brilliant splashes of oranges, reds, blues, and purples.

Too consumed by her own thoughts, Laura drove silently from one town to the next, unaware of the beauty surrounding her. She thought of the people who had come to celebrate with her and Andrew. What would they think of her now? She knew they must all believe that she was a selfish, spoiled child. How could she ever face those people again? And poor Andrew, he had to tell everyone. What had he said? Disappointment and confusion must have filled the church as Andrew and her father delivered the heartbreaking news.

Her father... oh how wonderful he had been. He had always been a compassionate and gentle man; she had always felt closest to him. Although Charlotte was really the youngest, Laura knew that she would always be her father's little girl. Michael had been such a strong support in his daughter's life, always urging her to follow her own path, choose her own dream, and live her own life. While her mother had pushed and cajoled Laura into a life in the medical field, her father had maintained a neutral position. But it was ultimately her father that had solidified her future in medicine. Laura remembered holding her father's hand in the ER the day of his heart attack. She remembered watching the doctors in awe as they swiftly and collectively worked to save his life. She wanted to be like the doctor she met that day, the young female physician who had confidently yet compassionately cared for her father. She had made such an impact on Laura that she knew that is what she was destined to do. Laura also wanted to know that she would have the knowledge and the skill to help her father in the future if he ever needed her in that way again. Michael had always been her rock and her most steadfast cheerleader, she hope that someday, somehow she would be able to show him the same support.

A smile ghosted across Laura's lips as she recalled her first soccer game. She couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but she was all dressed in uniform and in position on the field. Center forward, her position, showed the strength and tenacity of the team, her father used to say. He would come down to the bench before every game and whisper to his daughter, "Laura, it's that initial kick-off that shows the other team whose boss. Now you go out there and show them that you are the Queen Bee around here!" Every game, no matter what the time, no matter what the weather, he would be there. He may not have been the loudest parent, but he was definitely the proudest. Michael would run to his daughter and congratulate her after every game, no matter what the outcome. Laura's team could have suffered the worse loss of the season, but it did not matter to Michael. "Good job, honey. You played a great game. I am so proud of you!" Whenever she would express regret over a loss or a particular play, Michael would always find a way to spin it for her. "They were bigger girls." "Honey, soccer is a team sport; it is not just your fault." "The ref really had it out for your team today." She wasn't sure how but he would always make her feel like a winner.

If it was not a soccer game, it was a dance recital, awards ceremony, or honor society dinner. No matter the occasion, Michael would always be the first to arrive and the last one to leave. No one ever doubted his love or devotion to his daughters. Laura often wondered about the whispers or the rumors she would only catch pieces of, but Michael always seemed so confident and assured. Laura thought her father was compensating for her mother's constant pressure, but maybe he was simply running from Elise. Regardless of the reasons, he was an amazing father, one that she thanked god for everyday.