Antonie

ANTONIE

by 

Hannah Aldrich

(age 13)

This morning, I was feeling quite groggy as I sipped my coffee and read a book. It was somewhere around five in the morning when I crept downstairs. Now it was about quarter to six as my husband, Anthony, prepared for a long day of work. Anthony's job was to answer 911 calls. Sometimes he worked through the night but usually just from seven AM to seven PM. It paid the bills and that's what mattered.

We had a baby due any day now. We said goodbye, he opened the door and the cold January air swallowed him as the door closed. I heard the engine of his truck sputter and spit, then a steady purr. Snow squeaked under the movement of the tires. And off he went. I finished my coffee and put my book down. I stood and stretched.

I showered and put on some blue jeans and a long sleeve sparkly shirt. I pulled a light sweater over my head and began to brush my hair. I brushed my teeth and tied my shoes on. I cleaned the kitchen and swept the floors. Finally, I did some blogging and watched a few episodes of Gilmore Girls. By this time it was after eight thirty. I went out side to get the mail. Our mail arrived at about eight. I wrapped Anthony's cameo jacket around my shoulders and headed out the door.

Outside, the cold wind wrapped it's hands around my cheeks and kissed the end of my nose with its chilly lips, turning my nose a cold red. The freezing blow stung my face like tiny needles. The sharp, frigid knife of January chills, held my hand, turning it red and freezing to the bone. I opened the mailbox and found a letter for Anthony and a baby catalog I had ordered. I headed back to the house. The crunchy freeze leaked into my bones and sent a chill up my spine. I was happy to get back into the heated house. The rest of the day, I read books and drank coffee. I cleaned some more and changed the sheets on our bed. I sat on the couch and read my baby catalog in the evening while I waited for Anthony to return.

“ Brook, I'm home,” Anthony announced as he opened the door and removed his coat and hat. He let out a heavy sigh as he plopped down next to me on the couch. I placed the baby catalog I had been reading, on the coffee table. I looked at him and he gave me a peck on the lips.

“How was your day?” I asked him intently.

“Long and exciting." He yawned.

“Get any out of the ordinary calls?”

“Well...There was a lady who had gotten lost in the mall and called 911 and asked for directions to the pizza place which happened to be right around the corner of where she was.” I giggled at this. “There was also a more serious call I got. It was a small child about six or seven years of age. He was whispering. It took a few questions to figure out what was going on, but I found out that he was on the highway. His mom had been driving the vehicle when it went over black ice and was knocked out. The boy had gotten out of the vehicle and used his mom's cell phone to call. He was just walking around the side of the road! He and his mom are both okay now, though.”

“Wow.” I blinked at him. “Crazy day!”

“What have you been doing all day?” He peered at me. I told him what I had done - which wasn't much, and we talked a while about the day's happenings. His day was far more exciting than mine and was much more fun to talk about.

That night, I tossed and turned for a few hours. The wind was loud as it screamed across the yard and pounded its icy fists on the window pane. I lay there and stared at the ceiling. It needed a paint job and the ceiling fan needed to be cleaned. We needed a light bulb on one side of the chandelier. I let out a sigh louder than I had intended. Anthony rolled over and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You can't sleep either?” His eyes twinkled in the dark as he propped himself up on his elbow.

“Nope. What time is it?” He reached for his phone on the headboard and turned it on.

“Twelve-thirty.” He took in a deep yawn and sat up. He pulled the chain on the ceiling fan, and it began to whirl around. He then laid back down and once again yawned. His yawn made me yawn. It took almost an hour for me to fall asleep.

My light slumber did not last long as a stab of pain awoke me. I awoke Anthony, and he almost fell on the floor.

A while before lunch, I lay in a bed at the hospital-Anthony at my side.

“Here you are," a nurse said as she placed a small bundle in my arms. I used one finger to pull the blanket from the face of my child. Anthony grinned as we peered at our daughter for the first time. We decided to name her Antonie after Anthony.

“She's perfect," whispered Anthony as he pressed a sweet kiss on my head. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

“I know,” I whispered back. 

(Lesson 16 - Endings)

If you are between the ages of 13 -18,

(or know someone who likes to write stories)

I would like to post your story here.

Send me an email. I'd love to read your story!