Why My Family?

Chapter Three

One Year Later
    
I drive into the driveway, park, get out and go to the mailbox. In it was the electric bill, water bill, my check, Adam's check, and a letter for Adam from the government. I opened and read over it. Then I sank to the ground crying. Yesterday was Adam's 18 birthday and he was already being drafted to Japan. This is where Adam found me ten minutes later.
    
"Alissa! What's wrong? I know it's not Dad. I just left the hospital. He is improving a lot." Adam said holding out his hand and helped me up.
    
"No. It is not Dad. It's you. I'm going to be all alone. You have to leave." I said crying harder.
    
"What do you mean? In not leaving you to fend for yourself." Adam said leading me to the house.
    
"You are though. You don't have a choice. You've been drafted. Your being shipped to Japan next week." I said handing him the letter as we sat on the couch. I watched as he read over it and saw the tears that began to pool in his eyes.
    
"I'm so sorry, Ali. You know that I wouldn't go if I had a choice. I swear it." Adam said and then changed the subject. "How much are our bills?" He asked.
     
"Our water bill is 22.39 and the electric is 109.59. I got paid 160.59 and you got enough to pay the bills with 328.81. To put into the emergency savings account." I answered wiping my eyes glad for the change of subject.
    
"That's good. We've still got plenty of food to last the rest of the month. And since I won't be here that's a good thing." Adam said.
    
"Wait. What do you mean? The letter said next week." I said confused.
    
"True. But I have to report tomorrow though. That's what it said in the last paragraph. Didn't you read it?" Adam asked me.
    
"No. I couldn't see it through my tears." I answered honestly.
    
"I promise I will come home. I will write. I will call. I promise. Alissa take care of yourself. And take care of Dad too. When he wakes up tell him everything. Tell him that I love him. I love you to. I think I should go now. I see how tore up you are over this. Please take care of yourself. I love you." Adam said leaning over and giving me a tight but brief hug. Then, he turned and walked out the door. Leaving my alone in the house that held so many sad memories.
    
I ran up the stairs, grabbed my phone and called Bella. It was answered in the third ring by the Sheriff. "I'm sorry but Bella is grounded. Please call back next week." He said in a bright tone.
    
"Please. Sheriff its Alissa. I need to talk to Bella. Now." I said my voice breaking.
    
"I guess I can make an exception. Just this time though. A father's got to do what he got to do. Oh no. I am so sorry. Bella get down here!!" He shouted.
    
"Hello?" Bella answered.
    
"Bella. I'm all alone. Dad's still in the coma. Mom's gone and Adam just got drafted. I'm all alone!" I wailed into the phone.
    
"Ali, I'll be there in ten minutes. Stay right where you are." Bella said hanging up before I could say a thing. Then, I collapsed into a puddle of tears.
    
I heard Bella's car pull up and then heard the front door open as she let herself in with the key I had given her. I heard her footsteps pounding up the stairs and then she was there next to me. "Oh Ali. I'm so sorry. It's going to be okay. But I don't think you should be alone tonight. I'm taking you home with me." Bella said pulling me to my feet then she all but dragged me to the car.
    
By the time I had stopped crying we were at her house. "Ali. You know that everything is going to be fine, right? Because it is going to be I promise. I know that Adam will come back no matter what. He will defy all odds. You know that. And you dad is going to be fine. He just needs some time to adjust to all the changes that have occurred in his life." Bella said placing a reassuring hand on my arm.
    
"What about the changes in my life!? What about me? I have to cope alone. Adam was always at work. I still have to cope alone. Mom was always the one I went to when I needed someone in the family to talk to. Especially when we were in disagreements. You weren't there for me in those times. Adam wouldn't have understood and you can't go to your workaholic Dad with one of your personal problems." I said the tears once again coming into my eyes.
    
"Ali. I'm here now. I know I wasn't in the past but I'm here now. I will always be here when you need me. You are my best friend and I would do anything for you. That is my promise because I love you. I will not allow you to be alone when you need somebody." Bella said so sincere that I had to believe her. She leaned across the console and gave me a quick hug.
    
"Hey! What is going on!? Oh. It's just you Ali." The Sheriff said and I slowly climbed out of the car and he took one look at me and immediately began to say he was sorry.
     
"What are you sorry for? Dad is fine. Adam on the other hand, he just got drafted. He promised to come back. But Mom always promised to be there when I needed her. I know she didn't mean to die but she did. Dad was the one who kept the family in good spirits. So now I'm always in a bad mood and wondering what if? That is how I spend my free time. I wonder what if I hadn't taken Adam's hoodie. I wonder if that is why they lost control of the car. Maybe Mom was telling dad that Adam and I had been arguing all day. What if he was distracted trying to figure out what our punishment would be?" I said the words that had been roaming my thoughts for the last year or so.
    
"Alissa. You are not responsible for the accident. That is what it was. An accident. It could have happened to anyone." The Sheriff said trying to make me feel better.
    
"Yeah. But it didn't happen to anyone. It happened to my family. Have you ever lost someone this way?" I asked not even caring that my words were kind of harsh.
   
"Well no." The Sheriff said quietly.
   
"Then, you don't know how it feels to me. Do you know the reason I never said this to anybody? It's because I knew that people would try to convince me that it wasn't true. But it is I know it is. It's a pain that I will have to live with. And maybe later on I can believe that the accident wasn't my fault but for now I really believe that it was my fault." I said wiping my tears from my eyes. "I just have to learn to live with it. Especially now that I have no family I can turn to." I added my voice sounding stronger even to me.
   
"We can be your family. We won't try to replace yours. But we can be there for you. Any time you need us." Bella said making an unmistakable promise. "Now. Have you had dinner? Mom's making homemade pizza and chocolate pie. Let's hope you are hungry. Mom always fixes enough to feed an army." Bella said with a smile and changing the subject.
    
"Yeah. I can vouch for that. I personally could eat that pie everyday for the rest of my life." The Sheriff said with a smile.
    
"Well. I'm starved. I haven't eaten since breakfast. So you might have to fight me for that pie. Chocolate pie is my weakness." I said with a promise and we all began running to the house to see who could get the food first.
     
"Mrs. Rafael. This is hands down the best food I have ever eaten. Mom was a very good cook. And Dad couldn't cook to save his life." I said smiling at the happy memories.
    
"Thanks. But I think that you are exaggerating. Your mother could cook just as well as me. Especially in the days of our youth." She said with a smile.
    
"You knew my mom when you were younger?" I asked surprised.
    
"Yeah. We were the best of friends. Just like you and Bella. People at one time picked on me. But you mother stopped that as soon as she met me. She was the perfect friend. I was shocked when the accident happened. I always thought she would be there for me." Bella's mom said tears welling up in her pretty brown eyes.
    
"I know what you mean. I always thought that she would be there when I graduated, on my first day of college, and when I got engaged. I always imagined my wedding with her sitting in the front row crying. I always seen her there when I had my firstborn." I said wistfully.
  
"Oh honey I'm so sorry." She said as I shook my head holding back my tears.