While getting ready for bed, Sam Henry overheard his mom
talking on the phone with his Grandma Henry.
"This would give him the perfect chance to build
friendships, get a better education, and be closer to you two," said his mom. "I really want to leave the Chicago
area. We need to start a new life. And George's buried there."
Emily, his mom, paused from her cleaning the living
room. "No. Money isn't a
problem. We've got George's pension and
his insurance, but we don't have any real friends here. And I’m worried about
Sam. His nightmares are getting worse."
It was true his nightmares were getting worse.
After further debate, Emily made a major
decision. They would move to Indianapolis,
bringing an end to the traveling life for Sam.
Both his dad and mom's families lived there making it the perfect place
for them to settle and start anew.
George and Emily Henry married while in college. After graduation, George worked as an engineer
with the military. His job took him
across the country to New York, Minneapolis, Seattle, and finally outside of Chicago. Emily loved the traveling life, but Sam was
more important right now. With her
library experience, she found part-time work at the local libraries as well as time
to write her novels.
With his parents living like vagabonds, Sam saw many
parts of the country. However, this
continuous travel made him somewhat of a loner, continually changing schools, unable
to make close friendships, or even get to know his grandparents or other family.
Last April, Sam stood by a hospital bed watching his
Dad struggle to breathe. Reaching over
the cold metal rail, Sam took his dad's hand. George opened his eyes and smiled
at him.
"Hey Sam, how's my guy?" Sam didn't reply, tears welling. When Sam was a baby, he always giggled when
George sang the song "My Guy." From then on, George always referred
to Sam as "my guy."
"Don't worry," said his Dad gasping for
breath. "It'll be alright. I need you to take care of your mom."
"Dad, you said you'd get better," said
Sam. "But you aren't. You said the doctor would perform special
magic on you and make you well."
Sam tried hard to hold back his tears and anger. "It's not true, is it? There is no such thing as magic or any
special cure."
"Sam, sometimes the magic doesn't work, but you
can't give up believing. Sometimes it
does work. Miracles do happen, just not
this time." In those few moments,
he began to grow up, losing his childhood fantasy that the world was a good
place where miracles and magic could happen.
"Remember Sam," said his dad. "I don't
want... you spending your time... sitting at the computer... playing games… Mom
and I… have agreed to this. Okay?" Sam nodded, shaking his dad's hand. "We
want you... to read books... be creative... and use your imagination.... I know
that's not a problem… for you."
Nevertheless, Sam stopped believing. Emily and Sam stayed at the hospital that
night. Something woke Sam and he got up
to check on his dad. Arriving at his bedside, Sam's dad took one last gasp for
air. The beeps from the heart monitor
slowed its pace down to a horizontal line.
"Dad..."
Sam squeezed his dad's hand, held it to his check, and cried. A chapter in Sam's life ended.
After his dad's death, Sam grieved and fought depression,
trying to find good in life. Emily spent
as much time as she could with him and even hired a grief counselor. Experiencing the loss of a parent at a young
age caused him to be more introverted.
Sam wasn’t like other kids his age. He grappled
between being a kid of eleven and taking on adult responsibility. In Sam's mind, he had to grow up, become the
man of the house, and needed to be there for his mother. While kids on the latest social craze or the
newest gadgets, Sam got lost in his books, not really caring about the rest of
the world. In school, he managed to pass with average grades. All of this
played into Emily's decision -- give Sam the chance to heal, find peace with
his dad's passing, and become closer to his family.
Several weeks later, their belongings were packed and
loaded on a moving van. Sam and his mom
headed to Indianapolis to stay with his Grandparents until Emily found a job.
After a couple of months of job searching, Emily became
a librarian. They moved into an
apartment building, waiting for something better to become available.
"This apartment building is so crowded,"
said Emily to Grandma Henry over the phone.
Sam sat at the kitchen table working on his math homework, his least
favorite subject. He tuned in and out of
his mom's conversation.
"I really
want to move Sam somewhere else. Someplace more secure and closer to school." His mom's favorite description about their
apartment included "It's like sardines in a tin can" and always added
"It smells like it, too."
"...I
know, but you guys are over an hour away... Here, it's so convenient for me to
get to work... And Sam's settling in well at his new school..." Emily
paused to listen. "Yeah... Mr. and Mrs. Sanders fight all the time. I have no idea how he puts up with her. And Mrs. Thompson across the hall
smokes. Sometimes she turns the
television up too loud…"
Emily wrapped up the conversation with "See you
Saturday” and "Guess what! Grandma
and Grandpa are coming to get us for the weekend." This meant time away from the annoying
neighbors and the cramped apartment.
Without a car, Sam and Emily took the bus everywhere.
Waiting at the bus stops, walking home in all kinds of weather, sometimes
toting groceries, wore on their nerves as much as the smelly building and their
apartment. Sam's bedroom was no bigger
than a walk-in closet. He was tired of
using his books for tables. The one he
always wanted was on the bottom of the stack.
This meant moving his books and then re-stacking. Sam was annoyed with the disorganization of
his library. They needed a larger and
nicer apartment.
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