Is This Family?

Chapter 28: A Memory

Katherine Wright

Everyone was looking at Alex expecting him to tell us about the decision he made.

"Kat's will be homeschooled from tomorrow."
A momentary silence engulfed us and then I realized what he just said.

"WHAT! NO WAY IN HELL!" I shouted and pushed my chair back standing up.

"We can talk about this Alex." Hayden said trying to calm us down.

"This isnt up for discussion."

"Alex calm down. You cant take this decision by yourself. We have to weigh your opt-"

"I'm her legal guardian. So I get to make decisions for her." That's it.

"CORRECTION. NOBODY MAKES DECISIONS FOR ME! I DO THAT FOR MYSELF."

"NO YOU DON'T. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TODAY BECAUSE YOU DECIDED NOT TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE!"

"AAGH!" I stood up and left. I heard my other brothers calling me. But I didn't bother looking back. I just walked into the garden straight.

I didn't know where I was heading to. I knew I was still in the estate because we have huge walls with barbed wires surrounding our property. But I also knew that we had huge areas of land around our house so I probably wandered off a little too far. But I was mad and I wasn't going back in.

I found a swing. Swing? Why would they have that? It was tied to a huge tree. Its rope was decorated with flowers. It was pretty. But it was too high.

With huge difficulty I finally hoped on it. But my feet couldn't reach the ground. So I wasn't able to swing. I groaned in annoyance. Nothing was going right today. First the confrontation at the office than the homeschool shit and now even this swing wouldn't cooperate with me.

"I'll help you." I heard a voice from behind. Alex.

"No need!" I said with arrogance.

"You sure? I can tell you the story behind the swing. I'm sure you would want to know it."

As much as I wanted to deny him i did wanted to know the story behind this beautiful swing.

"Fine." I said in the same tone. I still wasn't facing him when I felt a gentle push behind my back.

"So tell me the story." He chuckled hearing me.

"Its more like a memory. So it's about our father. When he found out that he was having a daughter his happiness knew no bounds. He already started buying things for you. He would always brag about how he was gonna spoil you and give you everything you asked for. When we were little, father used to call us his brave warriors. But he always addressed you as princess. After 6 notorious sons he was finally having a daughter.

As much as our father loved his family he was a busy man. He always wanted to make time for us but his work wouldn't allow that. There were days we couldn't even get a glance of our father. He wasn't ignorant towards any of us. He loved us very much. But when he found out that he was having you he realized something. I still remember his words. He said he saw us grow up in our bedsheets because he would leave early for work and come home late. He realized that he had to change that.

So the day he found out he was having you he made this swing. He loved woodworking. So as his first present to you he made this swing and tied it himself on this oak tree. He had decided to gift you his time and he would spend it with you every even here while swinging you and talking to you about his day. We were a little jealous that time of how you weren't even born and you became the center of father's world but he soon told us how his little warriors were his strength and that he could never live without any of us. And then we all loved you so much. We were so excited about your arrival in our world."