She tore across the road to the abandoned schoolyard, running to the only swing still functional. Pushing her feet into action, she began her flight to freedom. Higher and higher she pumped. Her shoes no longer on her feet, her hat blown off, her hair swinging like a sail in the wind, she was a bird, floating up to heaven--to join Mother. Tears streaming from her eyes, she visualized her mother's coffin being lowered into the ground. Until THAT moment she hadn't let her mind think about her mom being gone. GONE!

"Adelaide! What do you think you're doing? Acting like a child!" The nagging voice of her Grandmother jolted her out of her reverie. How did Granny even know where to find her?

She began her descent--out of oblivion, into dreaded reality.

"You're an adult! Responsible for managing a home. Responsible for--" Adelaide made an abrupt landing. As she bent to retrieve her hat and shoes, it hit her--the reality. It was her birthday! Nineteen--a legal adult--She didn't like it. She hadn't finished her childhood yet.

Slowly walking back home, out of the recesses of her mind came a soothing reminder: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." She straightened her shoulders, readying herself for more scathing words from 'Grandmother'.

But what met her was a different scenario: Dad sitting on a chair, his saxophone resting on his knee, his chin quivering, tears streaming from his eyes, sombre tones of "Standing Somewhere In The Shadows You'll Find Jesus" floating through the air. Then her eyes fell on nine-year-old Lily. With arms flailing and face aglow, she smiled at Adelaide from her wheel-chair-perambulator. Love flooded Adelaide's soul. She reached down and picked her little sister up. It was as if a beam of light had flooded the room. Throwing her flapping arms around her sister, Lily slurred the only words she had ever been able to say, "A-di, A-di."

"Lily, my little angel." Adelaide hugged her close. "You and Daddy and Annie an' me, we's gonna make it, aren't we?" she said, choking back tears.

Daddy looked up. Setting his sax on the floor in the corner, he came over and gave both his daughters a hug. He sat down at the table, his eyes glistening with tears.

Momentarily, Adelaide had forgotten about Grandmother, until she heard a rumbling on the stairs. Plunking her suitcase on the floor in the kitchen, and without so much as a glance at her son or Lily, Grandmother turned to Adi. "Adelaide. Your mother's gone now. It's YOUR responsibility to look after this family. Think you can handle it?" She took a furtive look at her son, then said to Adelaide, "You've got your Dad and Annie to care for, and--" She stopped, staring over at Lily. "Maybe you should consider putting her into a home...She'll be...too much...too much...tr--"

Adelaide's anger flared. She stood up, placing Lily on her dad's lap. Never before had she talked back to her elders. But as Grandmother had pointed out, she was an adult now. So as an adult, she confronted her. "Grandmother, thank you for all you've done for us since Mom's passing. We're a family. Lily shall stay in this house, and we shall care for her, as she has been cared for since her birth. It isn't HER fault she was born with MS. As Mom always said: 'She's an angel from heaven.' Just look at her. Have you ever seen anything more heavenly?"

Grandma, uncharacteristically, was speechless. She stood with her mouth opening and closing. Then, with an exaggerated sigh she ordered Adelaide to phone for a taxi. She knew it was hopeless to ask her son to drive her to town, not in his present state of mind. It had been all he could do to drive the family to and from the funeral. While she waited impatiently for the cab to arrive, looking out the window every minute or so, she thought, "I'll be ever so glad to get back to civilization again." How she hated country life! Why had her son chosen to live so far out of town? And why, to an abandoned ranch, of all places? She shuddered. She had planned to stay longer, to help out, to comfort her son. But she couldn't. She just couldn't. A lump in her throat, from unshed tears, threatened to choke her. She was sad, oh so sad, that she'd lost Lillian. She had been so much like the daughter she always imagined her own lost daughter would have been. She turned from the window to face her grieving family. Oh, she was glad that Calgary was 800 miles away. She certainly wouldn't be visiting too often.

Just then thirteen-year-old Annie burst through the door. Grandma dropped her gloves and threw her arms around her--favourite--granddaughter. "How would you like to come stay with me?" she blurted, knowing it would be impossible, but it was a diversion. And oh how she had enjoyed it last summer when Annie had visited her. She was like a breath of fresh air.

"Oh Granny! Could I?" Annie beamed from ear to ear, then turned to look at her older sister.

"Annie," Adelaide cut in. "We're a family and a family we shall stay. Daddy needs you. I need you. Lily needs you. And who would ride, groom and feed Thunder? And what about Tiger and Buffy?" She gave her little sister a faint smile. Just then Tiger rubbed against Annie's legs. "You're our family 'vet'. Your whole family needs you. Don't we Daddy? Don't we, Lily?"

Her eyes brimming with tears, Annie threw her arms around Adelaide, giving her the biggest kiss she'd ever given her in her life. "Yes!" She squealed. "We're family and we're gonna stick together."

Just then the taxi drove up to the door. Annie gave Grandma a hug and carried her bags to the waiting taxi.

Adelaide let out a relieved sigh. Granny was gone! Suddenly the realization that she had become an instant adult hit her. She had left her childhood in the dust at the bottom of the swing in the schoolyard. It was an abrupt landing for Adelaide.

c 2010 - 2011 Helen Dowd

ADELAIDE SERIES:
Story 1 - An Abrupt Landing
Story 2 - Out of the Shadows
Story 3 - Heavenly Sunshine
Story 4 - Reflections
Story 5 - Mists From The Past -I
Story 6 - Mists From The Past -II
Story 7 - The Birthday Surprise
Story 8 - Dad's Big Surprise
Story 9 - Further Surprises
Story 10- Into The Light

Watch for further stories in the ADELAIDE SERIES at a later date. hmd