Dear Dad

December 18th

December 18th,

            We had today off from school due to snow.  Anabella told me that they didn’t see snow often here, but since I’ve moved there’s been more snow than ever.  I told her that’s funny seeing as Andy said Florida’s colder without me. 

            I walked over to Anabella’s house.  I knocked on the door and she answered.  I went inside, the house was quiet.  “Where is everyone?”  I asked. 

‘Dad’s at work and mom went to the spa.  It’s just us.’  She signed.  She led me up to her bedroom.  It was like visiting a country that you’ve never been to before.  It was strange and foreign.  It was light pink with light wood flooring.  There was one wall that was completely lined with windows that lit up the whole room.  It was mesmerizing.  You could see her whole backyard from the windows.  Her backyard looked like it came out of a home and garden magazine.  Outside the snow was falling gently on to each of the trees and the pond in the far left corner had frozen over.  There were sheer white curtains at each end of the wall of windows.  There were matching white sheer curtains around her bed and her bedspread was a white lace pattern.  There was a small desk that was painted off white with a light pink wooden chair in front of it.  The only thing on it was a little pink vase with a single daisy in it.  She had a walk-in closet that was bigger than my room.  There was not much other furniture in her room, but there was a bookcase.  In the bookcase, there were no books.  All the bookcases in the rest of her house were filled with more books than anyone could read in their life.  But, in this bookcase there were binders.

            I walked over to the bookcase and took out one of the binders.  It was labeled “The Peace in Me” in black marker.  “What’s this?”  I asked opening the purple binder.  ‘They’re books or other papers I’ve written.’  She signed.  I closed it and put it back on the shelf.  She walked over to the self and took out a few of the binders and handed them to me.  ‘Here, you can read these.  They’re the only ones I actually like.’  I placed them on her desk to take home later.  We talked for hours.  Well, I talked Anabella signed.  I don’t even remember half the things we talked about.  I’m not sure exactly how the conversation came up but I remember we were talking about reading when we were little when it slipped out.  “I would read anything about magic or dragons or stuff like that.”  I told her.

‘I was into books about animals or princesses or fairies. You know, little girl things.’  She signed.

“I didn’t read a lot though.”

‘I find that hard to believe.  You’re so smart and such a good writer, you had to have read a lot.’

“I’m not really too fond of reading.  I like books, just not reading them.”

‘Why not?’

“It’s just hard for me.”

‘What do you mean?  Reading isn’t that hard.  It’s just words on pages that tell stories.’

“Readings always been hard for me,” I paused for a moment and decided to trust her with the secret I had never told anyone, “When I was in first grade, I use to have trouble reading.  I would mix up words and letters and just decide that I didn’t want to read because it was too hard.  Come to find out, I’m dyslexic.”  Anabella looked up at me and shook her head no in disbelief. I nodded my head yes back at her.  ‘No, you can’t be.’  She signed.

“Yes, I am.”  I said to her shocked face.  She hugged me and I let out a small laugh.  “I’ve never told anyone that before.”  I confessed to her.

‘I understand why.’

“I feel like if people knew they would treat me differently and I want to be treated like I’m just another average high schooler with no problems in the world.”  She smiled at me.

‘I don’t see you any different because of it.  You’re the same Rhyder that I love, you just see things a little differently, maybe even a little better.’  I put my arm around her and she leaned into me.  She understood and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.