• Back when I was a child the world seemed so uncomplicated, so simple. When I was seven my friends and I played outside everyday, picking flowers, riding bikes, doing little handy crafts, and other things kids do. One day we decided to have a little art show with all the things we’d made, such a simple plan. I met with my friends in my driveway and we made our plans for the art show. We decided to have it the next day so we could ask our parents to help set up. We needed a break after all this planning, so we went off riding our bikes. As we rode around, the chain on my bike kept falling off. My friend said I should ask my dad to spray the chain so it would stop falling off. When I came back home Mom was kind of stressed, but I didn’t think much of it. Dad wasn’t home, but that wasn’t unusual sometimes I wouldn’t see him for a few days. My bike chain could wait. I watched some cartoons in bed and fell asleep thinking about what my friends and I were going to do tomorrow.
    I was shocked awake from a sound sleep by my mom. Disoriented, I could feel the heat on my arms as Mom pulled my sisters and me down the hall and out the door. We didn’t stop running until made it to the end of the driveway. When I looked back at the house, I noticed the fire. I was in shock, Mom was trying to calm my sisters. They didn’t know what was going on. I could hear the sound of the sirens coming closer. Mom was frantically talking on the phone. I later learned she was talking to my nana in Pennsylvania. My father had left Florida and driven up there, abandoning my mom to raise my sisters and me alone. Mom, who was crying, took us to the neighbor’s house, where we spent the rest of the night. The next day we went back to the house. The fire and smoke damage wasn’t all that bad, the water damage was much worse. Mom walked through the house salvaging what she could. Some baby pictures and baby things were lost. All of our video games, except my father’s favorite fishing game, were lost. We gave that game to the neighbor, who always loved playing it when he came over. It was determined that the fire started by the space heater which had overheated. The thermometer malfunctioned and caught the closet on fire. We were lucky mom fallen asleep on the couch that night. The closet was next to the couch and Mom smelled the smoke. Her first thought was to get us out of the house!
    So much was lost that day, but so much more was gained. We moved out of that house and in with my grandmother in Port St. John for a short time. I returned to my old elementary school from before we moved to the “fire” house; I was reunited with my friends. Best of all my father was gone and we were free to grow without his negative influence. I sometimes think would my life be the same if the house didn’t catch fire, would I be sitting here today if my dad hadn’t left. Then I think what happened, happened no sense in changing it now but I am kind of sad, we never got to have our art show.