Finding Happiness

Chapter 2

I remember all the memories of being a happy family growing up. We would have a cookout every Sunday with family and our neighbors. Go to family events. Even go to the beach with The Prevettes and stay in Barefoot Landing at Myrtle Beach, S.C. I thought everything was great, not paying attention to how much fighting went on and how little my dad stayed around us. I just always thought he would work but I learned later that he just stayed away.

The first time I stepped foot into that tiny house that my mom rented is burned into my memory and I don't think I'd ever forget it.

Madyson was about eleven years old at the time, I was six, and Haylee was five. I could see how upset Madyson was but I didn't know the things she did and had never experienced anything like she had, but I'd later find that out when I got older.

I still picture sitting in the corner bored and tired and just wanting to go home and Haylee was in her own little world. That's when the yelling started.

My older sister was crying and yelling and my mom was yelling even louder. That's when she ran at Madyson with her hand up and I knew something was wrong. She never made physical contact but she scared my sister and I didn't like the feeling it gave me either. I'd never seen such a terrifying look in my moms eyes like I had just witnessed.

Eventually we went home and that's when things went quicker and my mom was gone by the next week.

That year for Christmas I got a new Polly Pocket Cruise ship and an mp3 player from "Santa" and I still remember watching VH1 JumpStart. That was the music video channel at the time and I loved it.

We went to my grandmothers like we always have and I remember sitting with my cousin Logan listening to her music on her new iPod. She started playing a song and I thought it was terrible and little did I know my dad had put it on my mp3 player and I had no clue that one day I'd fall in love with the song and sing it with my friends.

March came around and it was time for my birthday again. I wanted to have a "Raining Cats and Dogs" cake (I still can't figure out why on earth I'd want that for my 7th birthday cake but I did..). I invited Mary, Taryn, Miles, and Faith (a girl I became friends with that year) to Mr. Gatti's (it was a place kinda like Chucke Cheese). My grandfather, or Bucky as we all call him, had a kindey stone and couldn't make it but I still went and saw him in the hospital before my party.

That year everyone had Heely's and I wanted a pair too and I was so excited when I opened the box and found them. But we learned that they were too small so my dad took me, Logan, Nate, and Madyson to the Mall in Winston and got me the right size. As we were walking, or rolling, away from the building we noticed the moon looked different. And that's when my dad told us that it was a Lunar Eclipse. I still to this day think it was cool to have a Lunar Eclipse on my birthday.

The school year ended and I remember going to the beach with my dads family and I remember his girlfriend at the time was there too with her two sons. We all had a blast. But soon my dad stopped seeing her and then my second grade year started.

I loved school. I also loved having my grandmother work there and my mom would sub for my teachers a lot. I was in Mrs. Dailys class that year and little did I know, I'd have my soon to be best friend in that class as well.

Her name was Scholar and I remember seeing her for the first time. My mom pointed to her and said she worked with her aunt. One thing I remember about her was the fact she had the longest and most curly hair I'd ever seen.

We met and soon became inseparable.

We always talk about how we would draw fairies and wear Hannah Montanna shirts and think it was the coolest thing ever. We also had two other friends, Olivia and Hannah. Olivia was the second girl I'd ever known of that had the same name as me. Us four were pretty close that year. But we soon learned a new school was being built and  three out of the four of us would be moving.

Later that year, about September, Madyson was twelve, I was seven, and haylee was six. I remember walking into church and sitting down in our usual pew and listening to the preacher. After the service was over my dad introduced us to a lady. She had black, huge curly hair and dark eyes and I thought she was pretty. Her name is Lisa.