"Take It One Day At A Time"

   My life is fair but yet there’s a few bumps in the road every now and then, but I get through it. I’m sixteen years old and a junior in high school. I struggle in school a lot but manage to get through it.  My mom and dad mean a lot to me. They’ve been together for 15 years now and we’re all happy. My mom being in her 40’s she’s going through what they call Menopause I call it Psycho aggregating manic. Don’t tell her I told you that, but otherwise she’s very healthy. She works in the Patient Admitting Department at East Orange General Hospital. She’s really tall and light skin just like me and has long black hair.  My dad’s in his 40’s also, he’s really tall too and brown skin but he isn’t very healthy he was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease two years ago.

   He tries to stay positive about it for me and my mom’s sake and does a pretty good damn job at showing any sadness over it and I love that about him. Things aren’t really good around the house. He’s been in the hospital 30 times in one year. Sometimes it’s even every other weekend and the pain he goes through is something I never want to experience but I know he wants me by his side so I have no other choice but to be there for him. One day at a time ya know? Want to know something cool about my dad? He and his brothers and one sister were famous singers when they were at the age of 13. They were in a group called “The Givens Kids”. They starred on the TV show “What’s Happening”. So I get my singing skills from him.

   When I was five years old my dad became incarcerated. I remember what happened. There was a knock on the door and knowing me I had no business going to the door but I went anyway. I could barely reach the door but I managed to get it open there were two heavyset men standing in the door way. “Hi little girl can you tell me where your daddy is.” Said the guy with the beard. Right when he said that my mom and dad came out of their room and before he could even look up they said very loudly “YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT WHATEVER YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE HELD AGAINST YOU IN THE COURT OF LAW.” They put the handcuffs on his hands and before the door closed I said softly to my dad “Where are you going daddy”. He looked me dead in the eye and said “away honey away.”  I can honestly say that was the worst day of my life.

   I focus more on the bad rather than the good. In order for my dad to be and stay healthy he needs to receive a Kidney Transplant and that take a very long process, but it’ll happen sooner or later. Hopefully soon because I want my dad to be able to walk me down the aisle when the time comes. I also want my mom to be happy. The main thing I learned over the past 2 years and what my dad tells me is to stay positive is to “Take it one day at a time”.