The Miracle ( Prologue)
Marlene Anderson has down syndrome and she was always afraid to go to school. Everywhere she turned she was being mocked, made fun of, and criticized. She thought there was no possible way she would ever be in a relationship, or even have friends. She always hoped for a relationship or friends. But what she didn’t know her wish would come true faster than she thought.
Marlene’s doctors said she would not be very smart at all. But she was very intelligent. She had an above average score of a 12th grader, but she was only in 10th grade. She hated Paige Johnson, Ashley Jones, and Sydney Williams. They have bullied her for years. The only time people are ever nice to her is in gymnastics and volleyball because if they lose her they won’t have a chance of winning.
The first day of school every year is the worst. Everyone stares at her especially the popular guy Jacob Walker. Except he has always looked at her, like not in a weird way. When he did she can feel her face go red.
But one day she got the courage to go talk to him. So, she walked over to him and said, ¨Hi, my name is-.¨
Before she could finish her sentence, he said a little to excited, ¨Yea, I know your Marlene Anderson.¨
She was so excited because he knew her name.
He grabs her hand and asks, ¨Do you want to hang out soon?¨
She nods.
He asks her, ¨When should we meet?¨
She responds, ¨ What about tomorrow, at 4:30 pm?¨
He nods and says, ¨That sounds great I’ll meet you at the park on Albion road.¨
She nods and says, ¨Okay I’ll see you then.¨
He winks at her and walks away. What she didn’t know is that Ashley, Paige, and Sydney were listening.
They came up to her and Paige said, ¨You don’t stand a chance loser, I mean look at you how can someone like you.¨
Paige got everyone’s attention. ¨Everyone! Guess what? Marlene thinks she has a chance with Jacob Walker!¨ She yelled.
Everyone started to laugh. Marlene’s eyes began to water, as she knew she was going to burst out in tears any moment. So, she ran. She could hear them giggle as she fled. All of a sudden, her eyes started to become blurry. Before she managed to reach the bathroom, she fainted. But before she hit the ground, he appeared out of nowhere and grabs her so she doesn’t get hurt.
After 20 minutes she finally woke up and there he was standing by her side. She was so surprised.
She asked, “What are you doing here?¨
He smiles and says, “I caught you before you fell.”
She is so happy and confused. She asked him, “Why did you catch me? I know for a fact no one else would.¨
He sighed and said, “I’m sure someone else would have. Everyone out there isn’t cruel like those girls are, and I caught you because I like you.”
She starts laughing and says, “No one likes me, even those girls said I never had a chance with you.”
He looked at her and said, “If I didn’t like you would I do this?¨ He bends down and kisses her on the lips.
He asks, “Does that answer your question?¨
She smiles and nods. She thought to herself high school is going to be a lot easier now that he’s with me. The popular boy with the loser, wow.
He starts to walk away but then she said, “Wait, please stay here with me.”
He turns around and walks towards her.
He kisses her on the forehead and says, “Of course I’ll stay with you.”
He sits down on the chair next to her holding her hand. Every time she would have a sharp pain everywhere in her body, he would squeeze her hand and say, “It’s going to be alright.¨
The last day she was in the hospital she asked him, “Are you ever going to leave me, because if you are, please just leave. I can’t get hurt again?”
Jacob looked at her beautiful brown eyes and said, “I will never leave you, you are mine, my princess.”
He sighs.
He says, “I am never going to leave you, I will never let anyone hurt you again as long as you’re with me.”
He bends down and hugs her. She starts to cry.
He asks her, “What is wrong? Did I do something wrong.”
She shakes her head and said, “Nothing, I am just so happy I have someone like you with me.”
He sighs and says, “I’m glad you feel that way, and I’m also lucky to have you by my side too.¨
The doctor comes in and says, “Okay, you can come and sign her out and make sure you pay the bill for her time in the hospital.”
Her parents looked at the bill and say, “We can’t afford this.”
Jacob looks at his wallet and then at Marlene and said, “I’ll pay for it.”
The doctor looked at him and said, “You can’t pay for it, you’re not responsible for her.”
He gave the money to her parents and said, “Well now they can.”
Her parents exchanged looks and said to Jacob, “Thank you so much.”
He looked at Marlene and said, “Of course, anything for Marlene.”
So, they signed her out and they walked out of the hospital. He walked her to her parent’s car and walked away when she got in, but she yelled out to him, “Wait come back.”
He walks back over to her and said, “What do you need.”
She replies, “I want you to come with me.”
He sighs and says, “I can’t, I have to bring my car back home, but you can come in my car if it’s okay with your parents.”
She looks at her parents and asks, “Mom and dad is it okay if I go with Jacob? I promise I will call before I go to bed.”
Her parents nod and say to Jacob, “You better be careful with our daughter.¨
Jacob nods and says, “Don’t worry your daughter is in good hands with me.”
They got in his car and they left to go to his house.
When they got to Jacob’s house, he carried Marlene to the couch in his house.
He looked at her and said, “I’ll wait as long as I have to.”
Marlene nods in satisfaction and said, “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”
He sat down beside her and said: “Of course and you’re welcome.”
She yawns, he looks at her and carries her to the guest bedroom. He lays her down and starts to walk away.
But she said, “Wait can you come lay with me please?”
He turns around and says, “Sure.”
When he gets on the bed she comes and lays her head on his chest and goes to sleep. He looks at her and said when she fell asleep, ¨I’m sorry I never back down on a dare.”
She gets up and says, “You mean this was all a dare.”
He stutters and says, “I never liked you at first, but I like you now.¨
She rolls her eyes and says, “You’re lucky I have nowhere to go, you are taking me home as soon as possible in the morning. Now get out, you can sleep by yourself.” As soon as he walked out of the room she cried herself to sleep.
The next morning, she walked into his room to wake him up. But she saw his face was red and looked like he was crying. She thought to herself what if what he said last night was true? She walked to his bed and laid in his arms. A few minutes later Jacob wakes up to her in his arms asleep.
He kisses her on the forehead and says, “I promise I’ll never hurt you again.”
She squeezes him tighter and says “Good, you are never leaving me.” They both giggle.
Jacob sighed and said, “I hate to break the moment here, but we should get ready for school.”
She nods and said, “Yeah we probably should.”
When they got to school they held hands in the hallway. He got everyone’s attention and said, “If anyone hurts my girlfriend, I’ll make you regret it. That goes for Paige, Sydney, and Ashley. Does everyone understand?”
Everyone said in a unison, “Yes, we understand?”
Marlene looks at him and hugs him.
She whispers “Thank you for everything.”
He kisses her on the lips and says “Of course anything for my princess.”
She blushes and says, “It’s a good thing you and I have every class together.”
He smiles and says, “Yea, it is a good thing.”
They walked to class and she enjoyed going to school again. She finally feels what it is like to be popular. But there is one problem. There is one place he cannot protect her at, the bathroom. That is the place Ashley, Paige and Sydney bully her.
But one day in the hallway, the mean girls tripped her when she was walking to him. She stood up, and her mouth and her forehead were bleeding. But that didn’t stop her. She walked up to her.
Then she said “You know what I am sick of you treating me like this and just because Jacob didn’t choose your ugly face. Doesn’t mean you need to be a jerk.”
Before she could finish, they pushed her and made her fall on her ankle and wrist. But luckily, he recorded it, so he could show the principal. Then he ran towards her and picked her up.
Paige walked closer to him and said, “I know you want me, Jacob Walker.”
She walked behind him and put her hands around his waist. Marlene gets out of his arms, pulls her hands off him, and grabs her by the hair.
Then she said, “If you put your nasty hands on him or do that again to me you’ll regret it.”
He picks her up and says, “I’m taking you to the doctor, you’re going to be okay.”
She shook her head and said, “No, no, no I can’t miss school please.”
He sighs and says, “Fine, but I’m carrying you and your stuff everywhere, then after school, you have to go see a doctor.”
She rolls her eyes and says, “Fine, but we have to go before we’re late to class.”
After School Jacob drove Marlene to see a doctor. The doctor examined her and said, “You fractured your wrist and ankle.”
The doctor put a cast on her wrist and ankle.
She asked, “Will I be able to play sports still?”
The doctor looked at her and said, “I’m sorry you can’t, it will make it worse.”
She looked so disappointed.
She said, “But I have a volleyball tournament in 2 days. Plus, a gymnastics competition between the final two, Savannah and I in 2 weeks.”
The doctor nods.
He says, “Many people go through this. I guess you can do your gymnastics competition because it will be almost healed by then. But no volleyball.”
She was a lot happier now.
She said, “Thank you so much.”
The doctor laughed and replied, “Your welcome.”
They walked out of the hospital and went to her house.
Her parents saw her injured leg and wrist and said, “My baby, what happened to you?”
She explains everything that happened at school.
The parents looked at him and said, “How can you let this happen to our daughter, we trusted you to take care of her.”
He says, “I’m sorry, I can’t come with her when she goes to the bathroom.”
Her parents were furious and said, “You know what get out of our house now!”
He was about to walk out of the door, but she stopped him.
Marlene walks up to her parents and says, “He had more faith in me than anyone. He loves me with all his heart, either he stays or I am leaving with him.”
Her parents were in complete shock.
She continued again, “I have always dreamed of being in a relationship with someone. I never had a friend before either.”
She grabs his hand and walks out of her house.
He looks at her and says, “I have more faith in you than anyone else?”
She nods and says, “Yea, you do.”
She hugs him and says, “I love you and I’m ready Jacob.”
Jacob looks at her surprised and says, “I love you too baby girl and you sure you’re ready.¨
She nods and says, “Yea I am ready.” Since that day she has always been confident about herself.
2 weeks later it was the last day of school and Marlene’s gymnastics competition. She stood by the door listening to their conversation, and they started talking trash about her.
She opened the door and said ¨I’m sorry you feel that way about me,¨
Then she walked towards the judge and said, ¨I will be on my own today.¨
The judge nodded.
After everyone finished performing the judge was going to tell the results.
The judge smiled and said, ¨I will go from third place to first place, the team who is in third is the Final five, second is twin city twisters, then first is actually a solo her name is Marlene Anderson.¨
Everyone started cheering. She was so happy, she won by herself.
She walks to her old teammates and said, ¨Guess you should have kept your mouth shut, you guys no longer have a team anymore because you never placed, how sad,¨ then walked away.
She never had to worry about people talking trash about her again.
One year later, Marlene and Jacob are seniors. This is the year they have been waiting for, Prom. Since middle school, she never thought she would go to prom, but now she has a date. She is definitely going this year. They were announcing the prom king and queen.
The principal says, “The prom king this year is Jacob Walker and this year’s prom queen is Marlene Anderson.”
She was so surprised. They went on stage to get their crowns.
He said, “Before we start the dance, I have something I want to say to my girlfriend.”
His heart starts to beat fast. Then goes down on his knee and pulls out a beautiful diamond ring.
He continues “Marlene, I love you so much, I always had faith in you. What I’m trying to say is will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”
Marlene hesitates and says, “Of course, I will marry you.”
Everyone cheers.
She goes up to the microphone and says “You here that Paige he is mine.”
Paige stomps onto the stage without her knowing and pushes her off. Jacob couldn’t take it anymore and pushed Paige off the stage. Then grabs his fiancé Marlene. When he picked her up, he saw blood, he ran as fast as possible.
He rushed her to the hospital and the doctors said: “They are fine.”
Jacob nods and said “Okay, when can she come home?”
The doctor replies “Tomorrow you can come and sign her out.”
Then the doctor walks out. Jacob knew what he had to do to protect Marlene. He called the police and reported Paige for harassing and physically bullying her. He squeezed her hand and said, “You have nothing to worry about my Queen and Princess.”
The first few months was hard finding a house and planning the wedding. But now it is all going to be worth it. Today is the wedding, and they have a special announcement. So, after their wedding, they have a slideshow of their memories together. But the last one said “in a few months we are welcoming a new walker,” and has a baby picture. Marlene and Jacob are having a baby. Everyone cheers and was excited for the baby to arrive. The only thing they are hoping for is that the baby will be healthy.
6 months later, they were going to have the baby very soon. One afternoon Marlene was making lunch. All a sudden she was having really bad contractions, then her water broke.
She yelled “Jacob, the baby is coming.”
They rush to the hospital, then 8 hours later a new walker came into the world. They decided to name their baby girl Karishma because her name means miracle.
Jacob kisses Marlene’s forehead and said “Our prayers have been answered, our baby is healthy.¨
The doctor looked at them and said ¨You still have 2 more left”. She sighs and says to Jacob “We will have to get 2 more of everything.”
He nods and they both laugh.
25 minutes later, Marlene was completely exhausted and sweaty. She cries and says ¨I can’t do it, I’m so tired.¨
Jacob replies ¨I know babe, but 5 more minutes for a lifetime of happiness.¨
He kisses her on her forehead. She nods. A few minutes later her babies were born, another girl and a boy. She named them Malia and Mateo. They were all healthy.
