One Step at a Time

Chapter one: Not much worth living for

"Ava, can you come in here a second." Shouted my social worker from the kitchen. "I'm getting ready I'll be there in a little bit." "Well try to be fast I understand you're upset, and need some time, but I don't want us to be late." "Yes ma'am." I replied cautiously.

As I was getting dressed for my parents funeral, I remembered that day. The day they died. I was at school, it was my seventeenth birthday. I was eating lunch with my friends, when my teacher Mr. Roberts walked up to me. "Ms. Timmons, may I speak with you a moment?" He asked. I stood up and followed him into the hallway. "Is everything okay Mr. Roberts? Am I in trouble?" I replied where we stood in the corner. "Ava, I have just received notice that your parents were in an accident. The police believe it was accidental, the truck came out of no where." "What do you mean?" I asked him puzzled. "Your parents were in a car accident. The results render fatal. I'm sorry for your loss Ms. Timmons."

That's when I bursted into tears, and ran out the front door of the building, all the way home. My thoughts were interrupted when Mrs. Marx shouted for me to come down stairs.

I went down stairs in my black dress, and heels. I stood in the corner hiding my face from my brother Jacob. He knew I had been crying. Jacob being only three he didn't understand where mommy and daddy had gone, and always asked when they would be home.

Life seems to get worse in the car ride. I don't like being in cars much anymore, because of what happened a few short days ago. All I can do is cry, and cry. That's all life is about anymore. When we pull into Kiefer and sons funeral home, I get out of the car, and help Jacob out of his car seat.

We get inside to where we have reserved a small room with a table, to put snacks and drinks on, for the three of us. I lift Jacob up onto the counter, so I can grab the chex mix out of the cabinet. I put it into three small bowls, handed one to Jacob, and one to Mrs. Marx, then kept one to myself.

As I began to realize what life was going to come to be since my parents are gone, I decided to go for a walk by myself. I left the room and went outside, to take a walk down the road to the gas station.

As I was walking I decided to see if I knew anyone in the neighborhood, so I turned right down the side street. A boy about my age came over to me, and introduced himself as Kaleb.

"Hey, it's Ava right?" "Yeah, do I know you?" "I'm Kaleb I'm in your second hour class. You haven't been in class for a while, is everything okay?" "No, actually. My parents were killed in a car accident five days ago, on my seventeenth birthday. I've been really upset." "I'm sorry. That must be hard." "It is. I'm supposed to be at the funeral, but I can't bring myself to be in that room with all those people crying and telling me there sorry for my loss." "I understand. Would you like to come inside? We can talk, or watch a movie to get your mind off of it." "I suppose that would be nice."

"Mom we've got company." Kaleb Nectali shouted walking across the room. I followed closely behind trying not to get lost in such an elegant house. We walk into the kitchen.

Kaleb looked a lot like his mother in some aspects. Both of them had dark skin. Darker than mine that is. The both had curly hair, although Kaleb kept his short, unlike his mother who had beautiful long black hair. Mine is short compared to hers. They're both so calm acting like everything around them is normal, however it is so elegant, one may not know what to do with their self if they pay attention.

I sat down across the table from Kaleb and his mother, as I begin to get nervous I twirled my short auburn hair.

"Would you like something to drink?" Asked Marcie Nectali. "No thank you, you have a beautiful home here, Mrs. Nectali." "Thank you, and please call me Marcie."

We talk for hours about life as we know it. It helps me think there's hope for a better outcome in the future. With my parents gone, I feel nothing but sadness. All I want is to climb in to a corner and never come out.

"So Ava have you thought about what your going to do when your older? Like as a career." Marcie questioned me gesturing with her hands as she spoke.

"I would like to work in Intelligence in our local police department." "So you would like to stay in the Los Angeles area?" "Yes ma'am. I like the atmosphere here, it works for me." "That's nice, I don't prefer the L.A. area, over most places in the United States." "Have you been out of the state before Ms. Timmons?" "No ma'am."

We sat in silence for a moment. The room looked like it was spinning, as I zoned out thinking about the past.