The Rising

Chapter 1, The End

I remember a time when my family was semi-happy. Back when I was three, it was just the three of us. I remember us being THAT family. That family that was always together with big smiles. It was as if we were high on happiness.

There were movie nights every weekend, seashells hunts every summer, roast marsh mellows over the burn barrel every fall.

A divorce was something I never saw coming for my family. No matter how much they argued every night, I thought they would stay together. I prayed they would stay together.

But they didn't.

I could see on their faces though, they were both sad about the entire thing. And if not sad, hurt. So if they couldn't be happy, I tried my hardest to make it seem as if I were.

Tons of people get divorces and still maintain a pretty good relationship.

At first, I was fine. I was right until our first night without him. That night, there was no home cooked meal while we eat in front of the T.V. There was cereal alone in my bed.

Then one night turned into a day. A week. A month. A year. Then I could barely form a clear vision of him in my head. That year, there was no movie night. No seashell hunt. No marshmallow. No dad.

Four yea old me, was as sad as could be back then. But she was in search for her sunshine. Her happiness. Something to make her feel the way she did before the divorce.

So that's what I did.

I remember the new traditions my mother and I started. Going to the mountains in the winter, drinking hot coco by the fireplace the first night. Inviting some of the neighborhood kids to come on the slipping slide during the summer (since our yard had a huge slope, it was way better there.) And everything was okay. Just for a little while, things were okay.

We moved on and found something else to be happier about- each other.

Until that night. That night that fucked everything up.

"This summer is going to be one for the books, babe." I laughed in the phone at my mom's cherry mood and her need to call me babe every since I was a kid, "I was thinking we just get two big tarps this year instead of a slipping slide."

"I'm cool with either option. Are we still going to Barcelona? You promised."

"Barcelona's expensive, babe. Don't worry though, school's almost out so. That means you get to say fuck you to those frumpy teachers at your school and spend the entire summer with your extremely fun mother. "

"Okay fine, Barcelona isn't a requirement anymore. Can we at least go down to the lake?"

Thunder sounds throughout the other side of the phone followed by the sound of harsh rain. My mom's normally preppy voice is replaced by merely a mutter, "We always do."

Another crash of thunder sounds. I could her my mom whimpered on the other side of the line. She's never been one to enjoy any kind of wether that wasn't sunshine with a few puffy clouds dancing around the sky. "The wether out here sucks ass," she grumbled.

"That's what happens when you go on those boring business trips."

"Not like I had a choice kiddo." She hums to herself and mutters lyric to the song. The radio fuzzes incoherently, maybe a lyric or two understandable.

The rain seems to be pouring down even harder from the sounds of it. I cant see her but I can tell my mom has look of worry on her face. "What the fuck?" she mutters to herself.