Sara
Chapter 1: Sara
My name is Sara Black. I was born on December 8, 1960. I was born deaf and I also have a learning disability. I have great parents who are patient with me. My mom does not get along with my Aunt Sally. My Aunt Sally is my dad’s sister. My Aunt Sally always thought my dad could have done better than my mom. I did not care for my aunt. She is always rude to me. My dad travels a lot for his job and I do not get to see him much. I started public school and met Kate Brooks, who became my best friend. I also love her like a sister.
Kate was also my neighbor, and we spent a lot of time together. I love riding my bike, but I'm cautious about it. I can stay outside for hours. I had a hard time in public school, so my parents took me to a school for the deaf, which was a boarding school. I came home during the weekends. Kate was my only friend, as I have trouble making friends and my feelings get hurt easily. I know a lot of people badmouth me, and I understand because I'm not the easiest person to get along with. I try to correct myself. Kate is the only one who understands me and has the patience to put up with me.
I made some great friends in boarding school. One of them was Annie Ross, who was blind due to an accident at age three. Her parents were very protective, understandably. Annie lived in Florida and would go home on weekends. Another friend was Stacy Smith, who was deaf and had cerebral palsy. Stacy had a twin sister named Mindy. Their parents were divorced, so Stacy lived with her mom and Mindy with her dad. They haven't seen each other since they were two years old. Mindy loves her stepmom like her mother.
Mindy's mother remarried, and Mindy loved her stepdad like a father. Mindy also has two half-siblings, Paul and Kyle. I had a crush on Paul. I remember Paul drinking Mountain Dew, so I started drinking it too. When he switched to Dr. Pepper, I followed suit. Paul was the first boy I ever loved, although I didn't think he felt the same way. We were just in 1st grade, so we were too young to be girlfriend and boyfriend. There was another girl named Jenny Hillar who sat next to me in class. I thought she was my friend, but when she didn't invite me to her birthday party, I got upset and stopped talking to her.
I had a teacher named Mrs. Read. She was not kind to me, and I was relieved when I could switch to a different class. My dad often travels to England for work, so my mom and I were planning to visit him during the holidays. I enjoy England, but I wasn't excited about visiting my family there as they have been rude to us.
I have a cousin named Alex Dashwood. His mother was my Aunt Sally. I got along with Alex, even though I didn't care for my Aunt Sally. I particularly disliked how my Uncle Victor treated her. My Aunt Sally was a very foolish woman. What angered me about her was that she bad-mouthed my mom and called her a foolish woman who only married my dad for his money. My mom loves my dad. I was lost in thought when I noticed a boy looking at me. I felt upset, but I tried to remain calm.
"I don't mean to be rude, but why are you staring at me?" I asked, attempting to stay composed.
"I apologize for staring at you," the boy said.
"That's alright. I struggle in school. I thought you were staring because you found me strange," I responded.
"I don't find you strange. I think you're lovely," the boy said.
We chatted for hours, even on the plane. The boy expressed a desire to marry me in the future. I grew tired and dozed off. Upon waking up, the boy had disappeared. As an adult, I regretted not inquiring about his name.
When I started high school, I made a commitment to improve my grades and to work on controlling my temper. I made some progress with my temper, but I still have a long way to go. My academic performance improved in high school, and I had aspirations to go to college, despite some teachers suggesting that I should get a job instead. Thankfully, my parents were supportive of my college plans. I had a great time in high school, and I felt that the other students were kinder to me.
In 1980, I graduated from high school, two years later than I was supposed to. My parents didn't enroll me in school until I was seven years old, and since my birthday is in December, I turned eight shortly after starting. After finishing school, I went out to eat with my friends. Meanwhile, Kate went to England to visit James Peterson, whom I never really liked. I felt that John or Alex would have been much better for Kate. I found James to be quite rude and didn't think highly of him. I even tried to warn Kate about him, but she didn't listen. Upon returning, Kate was upset and told me that James had been ignoring her and treated her poorly during her visit.
Kate met James when they were children. Her father got a job in England, where she also met James. When she returned to Mississippi, they agreed to write to each other. However, James never wrote to Kate himself; instead, it was his cousin John who was writing to her. It turns out that John had been in love with Kate for a long time. At first, Kate was angry when she learned the truth, but she eventually forgave John. Afterward, John and Kate became engaged, and I was happy for them. I hope to meet someone like John someday.
Years Later
Kate is married to Alex, but she does not love him. She loves John. I knew that Andrew was John’s son because I did not see Alex in Andrew; Andrew looks like John. I knew that Alex suspected that Andrew was not his son, but he still loved Andrew as his own son. Kate and Alex did have a daughter they named after me. I love Sara very much. I do not know why, but Sara reminds me of myself when I was a kid. Sara is very shy and has trouble making friends.
John was single and rejected Jill. He was not dating. Jill gave up and married James. They did not have children.
