Bring out the best in me

Prologue

                                                                                         2011

It was a beautiful evening in Palm Springs, the sun was just about to settle turning the sky into a deep orange and yellow mixed in with pink, since it was only late February it was still warm out for the evening. Me, my Mommy, Daddy, and my big brother Jacob come to visit my grandparents for the weekend. We drove up to their house to spend the weekend before they went away on their trip to Italy for three weeks. It was also my birthday in two weeks' time, so they wanted to see me.

When we arrived at the house and it was already 5:30, we couldn't go any earlier because Jacob and I had School and Daddy had work. My Mom was getting everything ready all morning so when we got home, we could just get washed and dressed and then get going, we all got home at the same time. My Dad is a School Teacher in my brother's High School. He has been working there for the last 4 years.

"Oh, good you're all here"

My Grandma comes rushing out to welcome us with her cooking apron on giving us all a hug

"Charlie they're here."

Grandma said, calling out to my grandad. My grandparents' house is just like ours but a bit smaller, they have been living in this house for over 30 years, my Granddad got it for my Grandma when they got married. My Mommy and my aunt Emma have grown up in this house, they both moved out around the same age, and he is only four years between them.

"Mom where is Dad?" my Mom asks Grandma while looking around for my Granddad.

"He's out the back. Jacob, he's waiting for you." Jacob ran out to the back while Daddy followed him, giving my Grandma a kiss on the cheek on the way out. "Nice to see you Elizabeth."

My Mommy picked me up from my walker that helped me hold myself up when I walked because I can't work my legs like everyone else. "So, Allison, your birthday is coming up the big 9 Any ideas what you want to do for it.?" I shrug my shoulders and made a face.

"Grandma, I told you, can you please call me Allie?" Allie was my nickname sometimes, I find it hard to say my own name, so when everyone would ask for my name, I would tell them it was Allie. I was doing so much everyone started to just call me Allie instead of Allison.

"Ok sweetheart, I'm sorry. So, about your birthday?"

"I don't know"

I told my Grandma while I was looking at the cookie bag and watching her setting out the ingredients with the bowl and a wooden spoon along with it. "She only said last week she wanted Andrew and I to take her out for the day, just the three of us."

"Oh, that would be nice." My Grandma says with a bright smile on her face. "So, are you going to help me make some cookies or what?"

"Mom she's not allowed a lot of chocolate." My Grandma made a funny face at me pretending she couldn't hear Mommy, I tried to hold my laugh in, so Mommy wouldn't hear me. Grandma and I made the cookies in 10 minutes and then waited for them to cook for the next 40 minutes.

I made my Daddy put on my favorite movie Thumbelina, while I was eating my cookie. He sat down beside me and wrapped his arm around me getting ready to watch Thumbelina with me. Jacob and Granddad came into the living room back from the backyard. "What are you watching?" my Granddad asks me. "Thumbelina again?" Jacob asks while he fell back onto the two-seater under the window.

"Andrew, can you bring Allie up to me?"

my Mommy called from upstairs. She and Grandma had been up there since we were done cooking the cookies. "Let's go, Allie," Daddy said while lifting me up into his arms. "Say goodnight to Grandad and Jacob"

Daddy told me. "Why do I have to go to bed?" Daddy laughed at me. "Because it's already 9:30" he replied already. halfway up the stairs. "Ok goodnight," I say as I let my head fall on my Daddy's shoulder. "Goodnight Allie," they both said at the same time.

Mommy bathed me, brushed my teeth, and dried my hair, and now she's lying down with me while I'm trying to go to sleep, but that's not happening. I was in a big, huge white soft bed that felt like a cloud. There was only one spare room, so with Jacob being the oldest I had must sleep in Mommy and Daddy's bed. Grandma was standing at the door watching me and Mommy in bed. "Why don't you give us some Grandma and Allie time?" Grandma told Mommy as she walked over to me on the other side of the bed.

"Ok, good luck trying to get her to sleep. Goodnight honey" Mommy said as she pressed a light kiss to my forehead.

When Mommy left the room, Grandma and I looked at each other and then started to laugh. "I can hear you!" we heard Mommy says from outside. Grandma wrapped her arms around me while cuddling up against her chest.

"So, since I won't be seeing you for your birthday. I was thinking about giving you your birthday present now." I give her the biggest smile you could ever give to anyone as I hopped up onto my two knees. I'd done it so fast that I lost my balance making me fall sideward onto the pillow.

Grandma giggled helping me back up. "Yes please," I said, hugging her.

Grandma smiled. "Ok let me go and get it," she told me, getting off the bed to leave the room.

She came back with a small, beautiful white cover book that I had never seen before; I was getting butterflies with excitement just looking at the book. Ever since I was five years old, I found a love for reading. From Disney princess books to reading books from some of my favorite movies, such as Mary Poppins to The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. My Daddy sometimes calls me Matilda because I read so much for a young girl. "So, this is a special book just for you, and I want to give it to you for your birthday." she put it in my lap so I could look at It, it was only about five pages long, but I'd already loved it. "Can we read it?" I ask her in hope. Grandma took the book off me and started opening the first page. "If we read this you have to go sleep when we're finished, ok," she tells me, glazing her eyes down at me. "I promise," I tell her, holding out my pinkie finger, she wrapped her pinkie around mine then kissed it. Once I'd made myself comfortable by lying my back against Grandma's chest, she started to read.

When she got there, she saw lots of kids playing and having fun with each other, some were playing on the sand and others were in the ocean. The little girl stands there looking at all the kids having fun. There was a little boy who saw her looking over wondering why she wasn't playing, so he waved over to her to get her to join in, but it didn't work. The little girl stands still as if the sand was swallowing her feet. The little boy walked over to her, but he didn't say anything, he just took her hand into his, then he brought her over so she could join in the fun. At the end of the day, the little girl had a great day at the beach with the little boy, her new friends, and her family. She had nothing to worry about.

THE END

"Wow that was a nice book, Grandma," I said looking at her.

"Well, I hope you liked it." she says, then I smiled nodding my head "I love it, thank you." She got up off the bed and started putting the bed covers over me, then putting the book on the bedside table. "Goodnight Allie, I love you so much," she said rubbing my hair away from my face. "Goodnight Grandma, I love you," I tell her. Once she left the room, as soon she had gone, I slowly drift  into a nice sleep.