It was a foggy, 32 degree, holiday movie watching, and hot chocolate drinking Christmas morning. I was at my Grandparents house with my uncle Jim, Aunt Laura, and their kids Brendan, Maddy, and Shaylee. They all came down from Des Moines, Iowa. I hadn’t seen them in forever. I love them so much. I’m so glad they had decided to go down Gering, Nebraska for Christmas. It was one of my favorite Christmas’s I have ever had.

“Open it Maddi!” yelled my cousin Shaylee. I took the rainbow colored bow off the present.

“Just rip off the wrapping paper!” my brother, Michael, said impatiently.

“Okay, okay!” I ripped off the Santa Clause covered wrapping paper. I gasped when I saw the present.

“What is it!?” my sister asked anxiously. I held up my prized possession. My sister gasped also.

“That’s cool,” she said, trying to be nonchalant, but I could hear the pure jealousy in her voice. These are the only things that she has gotten: “The Notebook,” art supplies, and money. I had gotten a new digital camera, money, and clothes. I could tell this would be a great weekend.

“Dad! What’s wrong with Uncle Jim?” I asked as tears streaming down my face like a raging waterfall.

“They don’t know yet, Mad. Once I find out, I will tell you, I promise.” He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.
I had to go to school that morning even though I didn’t want to. Everybody was teasing me because I just threw on clothes. I didn’t even look to see if they matched. I clashed, and I knew it. I didn’t care, all I wanted was to find out what was wrong with Uncle Jim.

“Hey look, it’s the fat girl!” howled some guy. I’m not sure who, and I didn’t care. All I was pondering about was my uncle Jim. If he was okay, if he was going to live, or if he was going to die.

“You know you’re clashing, right?” laughed a snobby, popular girl. She was a senior.

“I KNOW ALL RIGHT!” I screamed right into her face “All I have been hearing today is that I clash, well you know what, who cares? My uncle is in the hospital right now, and the doctors don’t know what’s wrong with him; so clashing really isn’t on the top of my list!” I said tears rolling down my face like fresh raid drops falling down from the clouds up in the sky.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She said.

“That seems to be everyone’s excuse now-a-days.” I said walking away.

I slammed the door to my room and turned up the music so loud the windows raddled. I can’t believe this is happening to me! I yelled at myself. Why me? What have I done to deserve this?

I heard pounding on my door. I turned down my music and heard my dad’s voice say “Maddi! Phone!” I threw open the door, grabbed the phone, and slammed it shut in one swift movement.

“Hello?” I said In a crisp, harsh tone.

“Hello? HELLO?!” Nobody answered. I felt like I was the little helpless victim in a scary movie. I turned off the phone and threw it into a pile of clothes. I climbed into my closet where there was a spot cleared for me to sleep, play. My secret hide out. The place where I go to think. When I’m in there, I feel like I’m invincible. I feel like nothing can hurt me. I go lie down there, covered myself up with stuffed animals and cry. I cried myself to sleep. The next thing I know, it’s supper time. I don’t want to leave my kingdom, but I had to. I had to be strong for my family, my friends, but mostly for me. I had to be strong so I wouldn’t brake inside. I had to keep my heart from plummeting to its death. I came outside of my fairytale and heard my parents talking. I hid behind the wall.

“A double-sided stroke…” that’s all I heard. A double-sided stroke. A one sided stroke is bad enough, but oh no, he had to have a double-sided stroke.

“Zero chance to live or brain dead…” that’s the next thing I heard. Zero chance to live?! Wait, or brain dead. That makes it ALL better, doesn’t it? He either has zero chance to live, or he’s brain dead. Well that’s just dandy! All I could think of doing was to pray. So did. Why god? Why did you have to do this to our family? Sure, we aren’t perfect, be we are NOT a horrible family. My grandpa was a pastor, and two of my uncles are pastors. Which one of them just so happens to be Uncle Jim. If he dies, who will tell the people about you? What more do you want? I’ll do anything, give you anything, say anything, just make my uncle better! Please!
December 20th. That’s the day when I got the news. I ran to Shaylee and gave her the biggest hug I could ever give her. I had tears streaming down my face. I’m sure I looked like a raccoon since I had been crying, and my make-up had smeared. I didn’t care. The only thing I cared about was one thing. My uncle was alive! He was more that alive, he was fine! You couldn’t even tell he had a double-sided stroke. The only thing that might give it away is the slight slur in his voice. This just proves God does answer your prayers. He answered mine.