We’re going to Michigan and you’re going to meet Rob” My mom said. “He’s so amazing and really nice. I met him off the internet.”
What? I don’t want to hear this. You’re married to dad. Could this really be happening? Is she honestly taking me to Michigan to see a man I have never met before? I couldn’t move or even speak; I sat there in my room lying on my rustled purple comforter observing every little object tucked in its own place showing the OCD side of me, despite the cleanliness I felt jumbled up with emotions, not knowing what to feel, say, or do. My mom came in and sat right beside me, I could tell she felt horrible; she looked at me cautiously, gently put her arm around my waist, and told me that everything was going to be all right. All right? Your leaving dad and you think everything is going to be all right? I didn’t feel good, almost like I had to throw up. The room was spinning, and I couldn’t put all my thoughts together. I kept shaking my leg and biting my nails, as if I thought that would take my mind off of some of the madness evolving in that one measly hour.
My parents had got a divorce about 45 minutes ago and once in those 45 long traitorous minutes she told me about Rob, the man we’re going to see the next morning. I love her, but what the hell is she doing? I’m numb from crying and so lost in my mind that I end up in the car on the way to Michigan to see my mom’s new internet scum the next morning. I was only nine so everything seemed as if it was another day, and it hadn’t occurred to me that just last night my parents split, and we were no longer a family. I was excited to go to another state I’ve never visited before, all the way to “no man’s land” my mom called it. I was ecstatic, just me and my mom, a new adventure. All the way there my mom was talking about how “people up here don’t dress as nice as we do.” I had no idea who the “people” were. What is she talking about? Has she been up here before, without the whole family? That one statement from my mom made the whole “adventure” to “no man’s land” take a twist for the worst.

I’ll have to start back when my parents got to a fork in the rode and they both went their separate ways. When I was seven I have one crucial memory forever printed in my mind and this one memory is why I think my parents tore apart. I was standing in my hallway on the green linoleum floor with my stuffed orange dog in hand, crying, thinking, and confused. This has to be the biggest fight yet between mom and dad. But they do this all the time over “little things” right? It’s not anything huge. Little things, that’s what mom and dad called it, I never believed it especially this time. I walked into the living room where my parents were fighting, letting all the tension rush past my ears, and they both looked extremely irritated; they both were waving their arms, wailing at one another, spit flying, rude gestures, and their eyes bulging out of their sockets, I thought they were going to plop on the floor at any second. They both tossed their twisted stares at me; “Sarah not now we’re talking.” Excuse me? All I hear is piercing screams coming from both of your mouths. I look at them, then at my feet, and back out hesitantly of the living room, and cried some more. I knew I should have asked one simple question: “are you getting a divorce?”

After the big fight, my mom told me that I was going to my grandparent’s house without her, dad, or even my sister Ashley. I begged and pleaded her to come; I have never been alone in my short seven years of existence. When I got to Illinois, my grandparents were very welcoming. They said how much they’ve missed me and were so
excited I was there. I actually missed them too, and the way my grandpa went off on tangents about how much of a “rascal” he was when he was younger, and how he played pranks on his teachers. My grandma was always the quiet one and she would always sing to herself while she was doing any chore in the house. Over all of the joy, I still had an odd feeling in my gut the whole time I was there. I knew something was wrong and there was a reason I was here by myself. I still didn’t feel warm and cheerful inside because of the way my mom and dad had been acting the past week, lots of yelling and they were never by each other anymore; every night I was at my grandparent’s house I would pray to God that my family would be alright and we would stay a family, guess my prayers weren’t answered.

When my mom and sister came to pick me up from Illinois it was the day of my birthday. My mom and sister yelled “happy birthday” to me and I was overjoyed. My mom handed me a stuffed dog and it looked like a Chihuahua with a pearl necklace; I held it so tight I thought if it were real it would be dead by now. My mom had told me in the car that my dad forgot about my birthday and he hadn’t got me a present, and that’s why she bought me the dog. I didn’t care that much, I was just happy that mom and Ashley were there to pick me up.

When I got home it was back to the normal routine fighting day and night, it was so often that I knew when it was going to happen so I left the house when it did. I usually would spend majority of the day outside climbing trees or sloshing through the water in my front yard. Then one night the fighting was horrible and my mom was screaming over the phone. My dad was gone on another business trip like usual, so I assumed it was him she was yelling at. My mom ran into the garage and I was sitting on the couch playing a Harry Potter game my mom had just bought me. It was about twelve thirty and I was getting sick of all the yelling so I went up stairs to bed. As I was walking up the stairs my sister stopped me dead in my tracks and said “Sarah, mom and dad are getting a divorce.” My whole body went cold, my fingertips went numb and my eyes began to pour out tears. I bolted to my room realizing why they have been fighting so much; I can’t believe the truth, I don’t want to believe the truth. My mom came into the room about ten minutes later and started to talk about this guy named Rob. She told me how were going to Michigan tomorrow and I was going to meet him and his whole family. What in the world is going on?

As I think of it now, yes, I was stunned, alone, and very upset about the whole situation but Rob is very nice and loving. He is my step-dad now and I love him dearly. I think my mom made the right decision, she told me as I got older all the things my dad had done to her and she had all the right to leave him. I do still live with my dad and I love him too, he also got remarried and now I have two step-sisters. The whole situation did not make any sense to me then but it does now, and I’m more than just proud of my mom. She stood up for herself and followed her true feelings, I guess amongst all the insane events it turned out to give me and my mom more sound environment.