Unexpected Events

• Madison Arthur, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2013

I was thirteen and living a dream, or what our family would class as a dream. I was being chauffeured around in sparkly, red, metallic Lamborghinis and Ferraris. My dad took so much joy and pride in his cars giving them names and personalities etc. he owned a multimillion dollar oil company that was located in south-east Europe. He often worked away leaving my mum to look after us her three kids. I had to brothers Jai, 11 and Daniel, 15. We were a tough bunch of kids to care for but we knew our mum was the best for the job. We were a really close family and nothing but love was shared. Our house was a meeting point, a place that would stand tall in times of trouble, a place the we could come back to if nothing turned out right, a place where we felt safe, a place that we called home.
We had lived in Australia all our lives. Out the front stood of our house stood tall, overgrown, avocado tree. That would produce the most delectable avocadoes in the world. They would fill your mouth with creamy nutritional protein. Our house itself was quite dainty and average no bigger than any other house on the street. Our parents weren’t believers in bigger is better nor more expensive is better. They were just happy to have a roof over their heads. They weren’t at all worried how rich they were. Money was nothing to them at all. They even told us that we were never going to live in a mansion there was just no need. They were not the type of people that were snotty about what brans their possessions were such as clothes and food the just told us that we were lucky to have clothes. My parents were unique, everything they did was unique and that’s what I loved about them. We would donate any clothes that did not fit us, ½ of our parent’s wages and just about anything we could to help others out. Each charity would thank us dearly even when we were just walking by. I would lay dreamily on my bed, gazing at the stars, thinking about just how good we have got it.
One afternoon in spring my parents sat down and gestured for me to do the same too so I did. My mum reached out her hands towards mine to grab it, so I did that too. They started talking, but I wasn’t in the right place to listen to any one so I tried desperately to tune them out with my selective hearing powers. They rambled on for ages or what felt like a very, very long time! Until they came to the conclusion of the word, “Divorce.” And from then on, my whole world came crashing down!