The Better Life // Ryan Ross

Moving Day

     "Hey, Grandma!" I said as I walked into the door.

     "Hola, princessa!" she said getting up from the couch she was sitting on to hug me.

     "You seem really happy. Can I ask why?" I asked embracing our hug.

     "The reason why I'm happy is because I know you will be in safe loving hands without me."

     "How do you know?"

     "Because, they have experience with children, have enough money to take care of you, and treat you like their own." she replied as we broke apart with a smile on her face. That made me realize how lucky I really was. A family, thats not my real family, wants me to be theirs and treat me like their own without a care in the world. It also made me realize that I would be leaving my savior, my grandmother. I loved her and im really going to miss her.

     "Im gonna miss you Grandma." I said reconnecting our hug.

     "Me too but, you'll be better with them there instead instead of with us. Now the bathtub is filled with water and bubbles waiting for a certain someone to go splashing." I quickly released from our embrace and headed off to the bathroom and took my warm bath with extra bubbles quickly and changed into a pile of pj's that were on the toilet seat. After I was fully changed into my pj's I swiftly walked to my room and turned on the tv watching Scooby-Doo for hours untill I fell asleep.

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     Todays the day im moving with my new families house, my new father Pete, my new brother Bronx, and hopefully my nice, loving, and caring, mother Megan. I was in my room with my grandmother packing the last of my things before we heard scratching coming from the other side of my door. "Should I let Lolu in, Grandma?" I asked her knowing that the black furball loves to be anywhere that we are.

     "Why not? We also need to start packing her things too so she could go with you." replied my grandma.

     "Oh yea!" I said running towards the door to let the sassy shnoodle in."Lolu, we have a mission! We need to pack all our things so we could go to our new home and you can't cause any trouble. Are you in?" I asked Lolu in a commanders voice.

     "Woof!" she replied jumping on my bed then taking her spot on my pillow while my grandma and I gathered all of my, and now Lolu's stuff.

     We had a box filled with Lolu's toys, coats, food, and her other doggie things while I had about 3 boxes, a large one filled with clothes, another with my coloring stuff, and and a medium sized one with photo books of my grandparents and I all smiling in every single picture with other memorable, important, things. "I think I'm ready to go Grandma." I said sitting on my bed while she examined my empty closet.

     "I think so too." she said as she walked over and sat down next to me.

     "What time is Mr.Wentz coming?"

     "He should be comi-"

     "Oh, Jamie! She's in her room with her grandmother. Would you like me to get her?" said my grandfather exclaimed very loudly to make Pete's presence known. I ran out of my room with Lolu following right behind me barking.

     "Mr.Wentz!" I said hugging him. For the past 3 months,  about every week or so, we would have future daddy and daughter day, usually it was something fun just to make me happy but honestly, just being with a good father figure, for me, the whole day without feeling terrified was the best.

     "Jamie! Are you ready to go?" he asked me.I turned my head to look at my grandma to look for a sign of acceptance in her face, and she gave it.

     "I guess so. . ."

     "What about you Lolu?" he asked bending down and scratching her belly to show trust. "Okay then, can we go to your room and get your stuff into my van then?" he asked me getting up off the wood floor.

     "Uh huh." I replied taking his hand and walking towards my room with my grandfather and grandmother following to help move Lolu's and mines stuff into Pete's van. Pete carried the very large box filled with my clothes while my grandpa carried the other large box and my grandmother carried the 'memory box', I tried to carry Lolu's box but, it was too heavy for me.

     "It's okay, Jamie, I'll come back up and carry it to the car, all you need to do is open the door." I did my 'eye, eye captain' thing and ran to the door which was the apartment door then moving to the side to let them pass with Lolu following, I quickly picked Lolu up so that she wouldn't run away. We walked down the stairs carefully. When we got close to Pete's van, he put the box he was holding down and opened the back and picked up the box again placing it inside followed by my grandparents doing the same. Pete then opened the right back side door for me to get in. I handed my grandmother Lolu and hopped inside putting on my seatbelt. "Okay, Jamie, I'll be right back im just gonna go get Lolu's stuff, that'll give you some time to say bye to your grandma. " Pete told me.

     "Okay." I replied. He smiled at me and turned walking away with my grandfather back to the apartment. When they were nowhere in sight, my grandmother placed Lolu on my lap and kissed my forehead then hugging me tightly. "What's wrong grandma?" I asked her hugging her back.

     "I'm just going to miss you and Lolu, thats all but, I know that your in better hand with Mr.Wentz and Mrs.Camper. All I need is for you to make me a promise. Can you do that?" she asked me looking me straight in the eyes.

     "Of course, what is it grandma?"

     "Never forget me, and I will never forget you, ever." she told me tears running down her cheeks.

     "Never. I will never forget you grandma, never." I told her hugging her again tightly.

     "I love you, Jamie." she told me with her voice cracking.

     "I love you too, Grandma." When we broke apart she closed my door and smiled at me, and right on que, Pete came out carrying Lolu's stuff as if it were nothing. He placed it in the back of the the van and closed it. He opened the drivers side of the van and turned on the radio for me to hear then closed the door again and started talking to my grandmother. "Huh, I wonder what they could be talking about, Lolu." I said scratching her behind her right ear.

--------------Pete's POV--------------

     "Hey, Mrs . Argueta, I wish you luck and hope that you can make it out through this harsh world. You did a wonderful job raising little Jamie, I promise you that I will do whatever I can to help her. Im really happy that im going to be able to call her my daughter." I told Jamie's grandmother.

     "Thank you, Pete, but just the fact that Jamie's going to be in a loving, caring family is enough to make me happy and grateful for life. I know you will do a great job taking care of Jamie. Thank you so much for doing this." she told me. Her words ment a lot to me, "I know you will do a great job taking care of Jamie." These words made me even more determined than ever to make sure Jamie was safe, happy, loved, and had a perfect family, especially father. I couldn't help myself, I had to hug the woman who gave me strength and courage to take care of this poor, defenseless, little girl.

     "She will be loved." I wispered into her ear.

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     Okay, I know I haven't updated in about 2 maybe 3 weeks and im sorry but I had writers block and had so much homework. I also understand that this chapter is really short and sucks, and I apologize for that but I just really wanted to update. Thank you readers, it means a lot and I didn't think that I would get 32 reads in like the first month that I started writing, I thought I would of had like 5 or 10, but horray! Another thing, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! I hope you guys have a great whatever and eat many oatmeal cookies with warm milk. Thank you all!