Unprecedented

My eyes snapped open when I heard the sound of rooster call. I jumped out of bed and opened the windows to smell the fresh open country air. The sun had just risen up, and the glare lid up my entire room.

“Good Morning, sun! You look absolutely ‘shiny’ today!” I laughed at my own lame joke.

I made my bed, got changed into my working jeans and a white crop top, brushed my hair and teeth and ran downstairs for breakfast. I helped my mom with the dishes and headed out to the barn to feed the animals. Then Sally came neighing and galloping towards me.

Sally is a brown horse I’ve had since I was a little girl. My mom found her standing at the side of the country roads, tied to a pole, without it’s owner. She has asked around for it’s owner for a few weeks but nobody claimed her, so mom took her in.

As I was cleaning out her stall. Shawn, my 8 year old brother popped his head into the stall. “Addy, mom is calling for you.”

“Okay, could you tell her I’ll be there in a sec. I’m cleaning Sally’s stall.” I asked as I swept the floor. He held out his hand, “Sure, that would be 8 bucks please.” I rolled my eyes. He was always thinking of ways he could earn a buck.

I looked him dead in the eye. “No.”

“Why not!” He said.

I stopped sweeping and turned to him. “Because you’ve been stealing my money from my under my bed for the past week. Do you really think I haven’t been checking my money box? Why can’t you do something for free for once around here?”

I scooped up the dirt off the floor into a bucket.

“Because,” he leaned against the door frame of the stall, “I gotta earn enough money so I can go to the fair that’s coming in town next month.”

I placed Sally back into the stall and lashed it. “You know, if you would stop spending all your money on those ginger cookies you buy at the mini shop. You could have enough money for the fair,” I took a apple and tossed it to Sally, who caught it mid air and starting crunching.

“Instead of stealing MY money.” I stroked head. “Besides, if you keep stealing my money I wouldn’t have enough to buy the new saddle for Sally.”

He shook his head.

“Too late. You probably have about..” He strayed off suddenly becoming afraid of saying anymore.

I stepped closer to him. “Shawn. How much money is in my box?”

“Umm.. About 4 dollar?” He kept stepping further and further away from the stall.

“SHAWN!” I exploded and he ran like a hungry bear was coming after him.

I let out and frustrated groan and walked out of the stall and headed home.

I entered the kitchen hot and bothered.

“Mom! Shawn is stealing my money again,” I flopped myself on the chair in the kitchen like a rag doll. “And this time I don’t even have enough money to buy that saddle I wanted to buy for Sally. I work hard on earning that amount of money.”

Mom, who had been underneath the kitchen sink, came out and dushed her hands. “Okay Addison, calm down. I’ll deal with Shawn later. But now I really need you to go get me some water by the stream. The pipes are clogged again.” She hands me two water buckets.

“You said that the last, mom. ” I grumbled out the kitchen.

I saddled up Sally and headed out, passing lands of green and healthy pastures, cows chewing their grass, piglets playing in the fields and red and blue robins flying from tree to tree.

Today is a beautiful day.

I got to the stream and filled my buckets with water and made my way back home. Then out of the blue, someone calls my name.

“Addison! Hey, wait up!”

I slowed down and turned sally around to see Gabriela Smith along with my two best friends Carl and Owen, walking up to me.

“Hey guys, What’s up?”

“We went Apple picking at Ms. cousin’s house. Were making apple pies later, wanna come?” Carl smiled.

I shook my head. “Sorry guys I can’t right now I gotta get this to mom first. Maybe I’ll join you guys tonight.” I started up with Sally again.

“Okay, see ya then!” Owen waved goodbye.

A few hours later I sat back in my chair patting my stomach contentedly.

“Wow, mom you did it again dinner was awesome. I have no idea how I’m gonna eat those pies at Carl’s house.”

“Aw, thanks, kiddo.” Mom smiled clearing away the table. Then she turned to Shawn.

“And don’t you even think I haven’t seen you threw your beans back into the stew pot mister! You just wait till tomorrow.” Shawn turned white as a paper when he tried to babble out an explanation. I smiled trying to stifle a bubble of laughter that was threatening to explode I slipped out of my seat.

“Mom I have to go.”

She looked confused. “Go where-”

“At Carl’s Remember?” I said in a hurry.

“Oh. Right, um before you leave, I need to speak with you and Shawn for a moment.” She wrung her hands. “Um, okay.” I sat back down.

“Now I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that, your grandmother is sick and there’s no one left to see to her to that means I’ll have to go look after her in Boston. The good news is we’re moving to Boston.” Mom said excitedly.

Both Shawn and I dropped our jaws in shock. It was silent for a few minutes until Shawn spoke up. “So.. When exactly are we moving?”

“In about 2 weeks, I suppose.” She said. Then she looked at me. “Honey. I know this is hard for you since you really love it here. But maybe you’ll love it in Boston even more. Besides life would be much easier there instead.” She said.

I was too speechless to speak.

This is bad. This is really bad.

We can’t move to Boston. I mean, sure I love Boston, I’ve been there a few times. But I don’t want to live there.

I shook my head. “No. I would not love it there! Why can’t grandma come here instead? Is she really that sick?”

There was a moment of silence again when a few until mom sighs. “Sweetie, I don’t think grandma would like it here. You know how she is about farm life. I know you don’t want to move but we have to, besides, your brother lives in Boston now, and it’s about time we all lived together again.”

I folded my arms and looked away.

“So this means we can’t go to the fair?” Shawn said clearly not noticing the tension in the air.

Are you for real Shawn? Our farm is in danger and you’re worried about a stupid fair!?

I ignored Shawn’s selfish, unimportant question. “So, if we’re moving to Boston who’s gonna look after the farm?”

“We’re going to sell the farm, honey.” She said sadly.

“WHAT!? WHY?”

“Because there would no one to look after it until grandma gets better.” Mom got up and went to the sink to finish the dishes and Shawn, still not noticing that this was a bad time persistent.

“Can we at least wait till the fair is over to move?”

“Shawn, go to your room.”

“Okay, Mom.” He hopped out of the chair and left the room. I got up too. “I’m going to Carl’s now. I’ll be back soon.” I abruptly and walked out before she had time to answer. I walked around the back, Saddled Sally and I was off.

I arrived at Carl’s house. I turned to Sally and gave her an apple. “I’ll be back soon, okay. Be good, now” I patted her head and walked up to the front door. I knocked on the door and within a few minutes, the door opened. “Hey Ad, I was starting to think you weren’t gonna show up anymore. Come on in.” Carl stepped aside. There was a light stream of chatter as we walked into the kitchen.

“Look who just came.” Gabriela Smiled dusting her floured hands. Everyone had already started on making their own apple pies.

“Hey guys, sorry I’m late.” I made my way to the sink to wash up. I took my position next to Carl at the counter. Everyone was talking and laughing and I was quietly making my own pie. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I’m moving away. I was lost in thought until Carl nudged me. “You seem quiet..”

I laughed. “Really? I’m sorry, I hadn’t noticed.”

“So..” He nudged me again. I raise my eyebrow in confusion. “So, What?”

“What’s going on in that mind of yours? You seem a bit sad about something.”

“It’s nothing, Carl. I just-” I filled my pie with cherry sauce.

He paused from his pie making for a minute. “I know there’s something going through your mind right now. So spill.”

I sighed. He was right. There was a lot going through my mind. I was moving away and I had to tell them. It made no sense keeping it a secret anymore.

“I’m moving to Boston.”

Carl gasped so loud that everyone stopped making their pies and looked at us.

“What’s all the big gasping around?” Gabriella asked.

I told her that I was moving to boson.

There’s no turning back now. No one spoke for an entire hour, it was so quiet you could hear the bugs buzzing on the bulb.

“So when are you moving?” Owen asked putting the last finishing touches on her pie.

“In two weeks.” I quickly wiped a tear from my eye.

“Wow.” Carl responded in shock.

I knew this was hard for him because we’ve known each other since we were babies days, not to mention we lived just a few miles away from me. We met Owen and Melanie at preschool.

I rest a hand on his shoulder. “I know.. I’m gonna miss you all a lot.”

Gabriella asks, “Why are you moving?”

“My grandmother in bad condition and there’s no one to help her out so that’s why.” I sighed. It became silent again for a few minutes until Gabriella spoke up. “Well, why waste time being sad? Let’s have some fun!”

This immediately put us all in a good mood again. The pie-making was so fun. I got two apple pies to carry home with me.

I ate so much pie my stomach hurts.

I got home around 10:23 and feeling tired out, I went straight up to my bathroom and got ready for bed. As I was about to turn the lights out I heard the knock on the door. I knew it was a mom.

“It’s open.” I said.

She fully opened the door and came into my room and sat on my bed. “I just came to say goodnight. I know you’re still heartbroken about moving. But remember when you said you wanted to live in Boston with your father?”

I kicked the cover off my legs. “When I was 5 mom! I’m 15 now. Did you actually think I would still want that.”

She sighed. “Addison, give Boston a chance. I’m not saying you’ll love it, the way you love it here. But it’s not going to be all that bad. Please give it a chance.” I thought about it for a moment. Maybe she was right.

“Okay, mom, I’ll try.” I smiled then she ruffled my hair.

“That’s my girl.”

She kissed my forehead then said goodnight, turned off the light and left my room.

I got under my cover. I sighed and turned to face my window. The moon was bright and clear, and the feeling of the wind moving through the room made me easily for me to fall asleep peacefully.