The Missing Pieces Of An All American Girl

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"I cannot believe it!" Xavier said as he stepped into my grandparents' cabin. My cousins and I had turned on the television to quiet Munirah and were sprawled out on the living room floor in front of the warm fireplace as we scrolled through cell phones in silence. "What?" Markus, Marie, and I asked in unison. Uncle Xavier wiped his face with his hands and took a seat on the sofa. He took a deep breath and said, "Kids we bought you here on this amazing trip to enjoy the peace and scenery the park has to offer. Give me your phones and find something to do! Munirah can watch Sesame Street, but you guys need to get outside and get into nature!" Marie gave her father her phone and glared at him as if he was the worst person in the world. "What if something happened to us and we wanted to call you or something?" she asked. She wanted her father to feel bad about confiscating our cell phones, but it wasn't working. "There would be no phone service on either of the trails, so it looks like you all better sort it out if you do end up in that type of situation dear," he said in a mimicking tone with a smile. Marcus and I couldn't help but laugh as Marie glared at him angrily and said, "I cannot stand you!" She then directed her attention to Marcus and I yelling that nothing was funny. Marie stormed to the patio to get her shoes before I could stop laughing. "Oh, and by the way Marcus, bring me your Xbox and your game discs too," Xavier added with a smile. "Okay, now you said we had to give you our cell phones! Video games are not cell phones!" he said in defense. I stopped laughing as my heart dropped into my stomach. "Wait, what?" I asked stupidly. "Come on you two, get upstairs and gather the games and don't make me have to come up there and help you," he threatened. I could hear Marie laughing from the patio as if she had just heard the funniest thing in her life. I rolled my eyes as I followed Marcus up the stairs to gather our games.

That day, I saw some of the most beautiful sceneries I had ever seen. The weather was cool and the sky was a dark blanket of stormy grey. The sun was nowhere in sight, but I could feel the steamy humidity in the air as I inhaled its moisture. I heard waterfalls long before I could see them. Some were made of manmade dams trickling of flowing green water into lakes full of fish and other aquatic animals. Some of these waterfalls had bridges for tourists to admire them as they passed by. Other had caves of damp darkness underneath them. Most of the time these waterfalls flowed into other waterfalls that were created by nature. Marie and Marcus hiked to the taller waterfalls with excitement while I stayed behind to take my time hiking. I was terrified of heights and trembled as I tried to keep up with my cousins. Hiking downward into the slippery rocks of Desoto Falls was especially difficult. I tried to increase my speed, but my fear of falling heightened as I struggled to keep my footing on the rocks. "Take your time," my uncle said with a smile as he held my hand and guided me to the waterfall. I was embarrassed to ask for help, but he had noticed that I was struggling. The sounds of the waterfall grew so loud that I had to yell so that my uncle could hear me over its currents. Water gushed fiercely from the top of the mountain into deep fogs of clouds and water droplets. The water eventually landed into a lake of greenish color where the currents eventually slowed to a heavy flow. Desoto Falls was the tallest waterfall in the state of Alabama and looked like something you could only see on television. Eventually the water made its way to a stream over one hundred feet below. "Beautiful isn't it!" Uncle Xavier exclaimed as he snapped pictures of the waterfall. "Yes, it is," I said breathlessly as I tried to get closer to the waterfall without slipping. I skeptically let go of my uncle's hand and slowly stepped closer to the red rails surrounding the waterfall. My cousins were already standing at the railings and I was determined to stand there with them without support from my uncle. My legs wobbled; I could feel sweat forming on the palm of my hands as I straightened me hands from a fist to give myself balance. My chest tightened and breathing became more and more difficult with every breath I took. When I slipped backwards and landed on my butt, my uncle rushed to myside and tried to help me to my feet. "Inhale and exhale," I thought to myself as I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. "I'm okay, I don't need help," I called to him over the rushing waters. He hesitantly stepped away from me and kept his distance. "I got this," I said through gritted teeth as I stood on my feet. My family yelled my name and clapped their hands to cheer me on as I struggled to conquer my fear. I was so afraid that my lips quivered from my desire to cry; my legs wobbled and nearly failed me again. I made slow unsteadily steps until I was close enough to quickly grabbed the railings surrounding the waterfall. My sense of fear didn't completely go away, but it diminished as I a sense of happiness surged through my body. I had worked through my fear of heights and was standing on top of a mountain over a thousand feet above sea level. By facing one fear, I felt as if I had just conquered the world. That moment made me feel as if I was ready to take control over my life and whatever it had in store for me. I felt like I had the strength to become a stronger person and stand up for what I believe in. I realized that I was indeed unstoppable and capable of doing whatever I dreamed of if I put forth the time and effort. "Now that you've recovered, can we please eat our snacks now?" Marie snapped as she took out fruits and sandwiches from her backpack. Uncle Xavier gave her a long and hard stare. Marie always earned his glare because she nearly always had an attitude towards me. That glare is reserved especially for her, I thought with a chuckle to myself. The moment I tried to let go of the railing, I became nauseated and nearly fell until Marcus steadied me. "Woah! Slow and steady wins the race," he said as I balanced myself on my feet.

"You all smell like wet dogs," Aminah said looking up from tossing a big bowl of salad as she made a stink face. "Don't come into the kitchen, go get cleaned for dinner!" Jidah yelled as she swat my hands away from the freshly grilled chicken sitting on the counter. "That goes for all of you, and don't wake up the baby," she added as she covered the platter of chicken with sheets of paper towel. "The cubs are back aren't they?" Jad said as he stacked a pile of logs neatly in a corner. "I've got them grandpa," Marcus volunteered as he took the logs from Jad's hands. He then went outdoors to get the rest of the logs from the wheelbarrow. I never knew why, but Jad had always called us cubs. Aminah said that he probably called us cubs because he didn't remember our names, but Jidah said that it was a term of endearment he liked to use for the children. Truth being told, I loved it when he called me a cub because it gave my heart such a warm feeling when he did so.