Written by: Nitika Kapali - 30016, Grade VI
Posted on: 19 May, 2023
My late grandmother gifted me a teddy bear on my 5th birthday. She was too old and blind to know that the teddy was dull and greyish in colour. She only knew that it was fluffy and cosy to hug during rainy and cold nights. Now she's gone forever. I still remember how she would ask me to help read the newspapers and sit on her lap to tell stories. She loved me a lot. When she was at the hospital when I was just seven, the doctor said she was sick, and I used to check her health with my toy doctor set. Everything seemed alright to me, and I always told the doctor he was lying because I had just checked her yesterday. He was speechless and did not usually say anything but simply smiled. Every time I used to say, "You're alright, Ms. George," I used to say it in a deep voice, trying to imitate the doctor. "Thank you, Doctor," she would laugh it off, knowing her end was coming. One day I woke up and saw everyone gathering in Grandma’s room. The room is not that big; it just has photos hanging on the wall, a bed in the corner, and a cupboard. Dad was sitting at the edge of the bed and looking at Grandma with red, teary eyes. People said she died in her sleep at night, but for me, she died in the daytime because I figured it out in the daytime. I had the teddy in my hand and hugged it tight, knowing everything would be alright. After Grandma's death, we moved houses and went to a much tinier house. It had 3 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 living room, and 2 bathrooms. I was more sad now since this new house was something Grandma would not like. She would have liked a house with a backyard and beautiful trees in front of it; she also did not like white roofs. After grandma was gone, mom started to become more bossy day by day, which caused fights between dad and mom. If Grandma were here, she would have scolded them for scaring me and destroying peace. One day, dad and mom decided to divorce for the sake of our family. It was sad to see the family tree break apart. I started to live with my mother after the divorce, and I did not meet my dad that often. Mom does not really care about me and says that she is now divorced and young, so she would rather shop and have fun than take care of me like an old homemaker. She married a few weeks after getting divorced to a very rich man. His name was James Miller. James is tall and has brown hair. He is an interesting guy to talk to and play with. He calls me Sammy instead of Sam, which I find pretty funny. James cared about me more than my mom. Sometimes I feel like mom is a gold digger and only cares about James’s money and buying expensive things that are useless. She does not even know how old I am or what I am interested in. She still thinks that I play the violin. When she says this, I feel like this woman in front of me has just known me for a few days. You do not know the feelings of your own mom, not even knowing your existence. She was so shocked, knowing that I do not collect action toy figures anymore. Days passed by, and James could finally notice that Mom was just a golddigger and could do anything just to get money. When James left, Mom blamed it all on me. I could not stand living with her anymore. I moved to my dad’s house and found out that he is now married to Erica, and I have a little sister who is 4 years old. It took time to build my relationship with Erica, and life was slowly fixing itself. I could finally experience the love of a mother.
