The Giver

The Giver

Authors Note: This story is going to be a about a girl telling you about her life and a time in her life she will never forget, and in the end, “she finds the light at the end of the tunnel,” which means she’ll find something positive out of the situation she gets into.
Day 1: I’m sitting in the hospital in probably the world’s most uncomfortable chairs, sitting and just watching him, holding back the chance of letting a tear come from my eyes, and slip down my face. The “him” is my dad. My dad saved a 5 year old girl who was stuck and struggling to get out, while a fire was going on. He got 3rd degree burns over his body; the chemicals from the building went to my dad’s brain and caused brain cancer. Now he’s in the hospital sleeping, with me questioning if he’ll ever wake up, if I’ll ever talk to him again. He is a hero, who never once thought of himself before others, just looking at him you would know that. My dad is no fire fighter, he’s a mailman, and he did it out of the well being of his heart. He risked his life for others and expected nothing in return. Everyone has a hero and a role-model in their life and for many and me, mines my father.
Can you believe people do this every day? Save other s people’s lives, and don’t even look for something as simple as a thanks you in return? Imagine if the whole world could be like my dad, we’d actually live in a world where people care about each other and don’t do everything for money, imagine that. At the least you could call me a daddy’s girl; he’s the only family I have. When I was seven years old my mom got in a car crash and died. My name is Natalie Moore, I’m 15 now, I have a brother that is 21 but he has been in rehab for two years for drug addiction. Now if my dad dies, I will have nothing, I’ll have to be put up for adoption.
Just watching my dad is painful, when will he wake up? His heart rate is still going normal. The nurse suddenly walks in while I’m carefully examining my dad. The nurse whispered softly to me, “He will be waking up soon, but he doesn’t have much longer….I’m sorry.”I didn’t know how to respond to what she just said; it feels like a train just hit me. I whisper under my breath, “Isn’t there anything you can do?” The nurse responds, “His case is too serious, I’m sorry.”Tears start dripping down my face and my eye makeup starts to look like I’m a raccoon, I mummer to the nurse,” But...but what will happen to me?”She starts saying we called the adoption.” And I stop her and yell, “No”, I CAN LIVE BY MYSELF!”
The nurse responded, “You will be able to stay with your dad, his last few days, but he can only suffer for so long with the pain of the burns and the cancer spreading throughout his body.”I look at my dad and walk to him, and grab his big hands and cry. I slowly look back at the nurse and say, “So they’re going to take me to the adoption agency, huh.”The nurse bows her head down without making eye contact, and lightly says back, “Yes, I’m sorry.”
The nurse walks out of the room, and my dad slowly wakes up. He whispers “…Rebecca…” that’s my mother’s name. I respond, “No dad it’s me remember me, your daughter?” He nods his head no. I put my hands on my face and start crying. My own dad doesn’t remember me or anything anymore. I feel empty, as if I don’t have any purpose in life anymore. I say to my dad, “I know you don’t remember me, and I know you probably don’t know what I’m saying but I’m your daughter and I will sit here next to you everyday of your life.” My dad looks at me, smiles, and then squeezes my hand. I wonder if he knew what I was saying. Suddenly his eyes start to close, I start screaming “dad...Dad! Talk to me!” This machine keeps beating, his heart is stopping! I scream for a nurse and press the red button for immediate assistance. A nurse runs in with these paddles, and puts them on my dad’s chest to trying to revise him. A sudden awkward silence came. I heard a nurse whisper, “we lost him”.
My heart drops, he’s gone forever, his eyes will never open again.
For minutes I just sat there looking at my dad, and thinking of everything we’ve been through together. Every little memory that got us to how close we are today. My dad will always be my hero no matter what.
All of a sudden the manager of the adoption center walked in, and sat right beside me. She started saying, “Hi I’m Martha, I’m so sorry for your loss, I’d like to inform you that after your dad’s funeral, you’re going to have to come home and live with me.” I tried to brush off what she just said and try to stay calm and when I responded I said, “Fine but my dad’s not going to have a funeral nobody would come, plus he couldn’t afford it. I want him cremated and to take him home with me and eventually sprinkle his ashes everywhere he loved to be, so a part of him can be there together.” Martha said back, “that won’t be a problem, I have to take you home with me, so say your last goodbyes to your father and we will come back tomorrow for his ashes.” I thought to myself, it has only been a few hours since he died, and she already expects me to leave, oh no, not going to happen.
She starts leaving the room and looks back and says, “You have 15 minutes; I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” I wasn’t in the mood for fighting so I replied with a simple, “ok”. For the last time I sit there and hold my dad’s hand and just stare at him. I’ll always remember how he was always there for me no matter what. Even with my brother he has made bad choices his whole life, my dad still loved him and went to visit him in rehab. I whisper to my dad, “I love you”. Then I kissed his hand and slowly walked away, while taking a few glances back at him.
I walked out into the lobby, grabbed Martha’s hand and said,” Let’s go”. She walked with me, and randomly, I hug her, then I back off a say,”I’m sorry…I don’t know why I did that.”She smiles back at me and said, “I know why you feel alone, but you have me now, everything will be ok I promise.” I smirked back, and murmured under my breath, “I hope so”.
We get in the car and it’s pouring outside, I thought to myself, “How could this day get any worse.” Martha whispers “were here Natile”. While resting her delicate hands on my shoulder. I drag myself out of the car, and see this large rustic old two story house. Martha nudges me forward, and said, “Come in”. I see two more kids about my age. I quickly wave, before Martha leads me up the stairs to my new room. She says, “I hope it’s to your likings”. I say, “Yeah I guess it will do”.
I throw my back-pack down on my bead, and then I just sit there and think. The two kids from down stairs came up, and stood by the doorway, and ask, “Is it alright if we come in?” I respond back, “Yeah, sure.” The two girls that looked my age introduced themselves; they spoke at the same time one saying, “Hi, I’m Shannon “The other saying, “Hi, I’m Shelly.” Then they say together, “were twins”. I reply,”Oh, cool I’m Natile nice to meet you. They say to me, “So you have parents that don’t care about you anymore too.”I reply, “I’m sorry I don’t mean to be rude but can you please leave, I’ve had a long day.” Without saying a word they both look at me with disgust and leave.
Tired from all of the drama, I just fell asleep.I got woken up by the shriek of Martha’s voice screaming, “Breakfast everyone!” I walk downstairs and say, “Martha, let’s go, now.” I grab her and pull her out the door. I say, “I’m getting my father’s ashes now, and we’re going to take a few pit stops on the way home.”Martha doesn’t reply and walks inside. Two minutes later she walks outside with her car keys and a jacket.
We get to the hospital and I ask for his ashes in 3 different containers. The doctor replies, “ok, I’ll take care of that right away,” They give me as I ask, I walk out of the hospital, and hop back into Martha’s car and say, “ St.Joesphs Rehab Center. When we reached the center I and Martha hoped out of the van and I grab one of the containers of my dad’s ashes, and put it under my arm and start walking in. I spoke to the front desk woman, and asked if I could see John Moore. She took my arm and led my back to this one room she said, “He will be back here in just a second”. I look down and start to play with my fingers when I hear a deep voice say, “Natile”. I yell John! And run up to him and just let him squeeze me in arms. I hand him the container with the ashes in it. He asks, “What’s this”? I say, “It’s our dad he died yesterday, he would have wanted you there John.” The second I finish my sentence women walks in and grabs my arms and says, “That’s quite enough.” I hear cries and screams, and I start crying as they lead me out of the building.
I say to Martha, “Lyndon Graveyard, and south side.” We approach at the graveyard and I see Rebecca is small faded letters; I set the second container on the ground, do my signs of the cross and slowly walked back to the van. I said, “I’m done, that’s go home.”
We get home; I sprint up to my room and just sit there crying for hours and hours. Martha knocks on my door and says, “There are some people that want to see you.”Oh. My. Lord. All of a sudden I see the family of the daughter, who my dad saved from the fire! They said, “We would like to adopt you Natile, your father has been kind to us for years, and we’d like to take you, and raise you as if you were our own.” I stare at them with my mouth; I’m surprised I didn’t catch a fly. I stood there for a second and there were just millions of thoughts running through my head. I slowly murmured, “Yes, I’d like that.”
After many sheets of paperwork, I became there’s and they became mine. One month later I began visiting my brother once every week. I visited my mother’s grave every month and every holiday. This became my new life. I wasn’t all alone after all my mother and father will always be with me, and now I have to other wonderful people that will take care of me every day for the rest of my life. I’ll never forget my dad he is and always will be my love, my role-model, and most of all, my hero.