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The Change

by Justine Neill

My parents sat my brother, my sister and I down in my living room, my dad began this

is going to be a grieving process he said. I stared at the wall blankly and noticed a little crack in

the wall, I already knew what was coming. My dad rambled on to say something that I dont

remember considering half the stuff he says drags on forever and leads to something that is way

off topic. I continued to look at the little crack in the wall, filled with emptiness, its like having

something missing from your life, an abnormality. We are getting a divorce. said my dad

finally. My face was still blank, this was not a shock to me, I figured this would happen

everything had all added up to this.

Later that night I stared at the ceiling in bed and thought about how my life is going to

change and what was going to happen. I didnt know if anything wasgoing to be okay or how

things would end up, I just knew that I had to stay strong for my younger siblings and help them

through it as well as helping myself. I thought about how my family would never be the same

and there would always be a hole in my life forever. But then again, maybe it wouldnt be so

bad, maybe everything would be okay in the end and it would just take some getting used to.

The day my dad moved out I was numb, I didnt really care or want to care, I completely

ignored my feelings, I didnt really want to have any. I pretended that everything was normal for

the sake of my brother and sister. My dad moved into his sisters basement for the time being

during the process of the divorce. Custody orders were for my dad to have me and my siblings

on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other weekend. So on those days we had to pack into my

Aunts house, there were 8 people in a 3 bedroom house. Although it was crowded the time I was

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there I bonded with my cousins and now I have really good relationships with them that I

probably wouldnt have had before the stay with them.

Finally my dad got his own house which was also a big change for me and my siblings,

the house wasnt very far from my moms house but still, something didnt feel right. I loveit I

said completely lying to my dad. I couldnt tell him that I absolutely hated it, he was going

through even more than I was, and I just wanted to see him happy for a little while.

The divorce of parents has a huge impact on all children, whether they act like it or they

dont, it is life changing. I still love both of my parents very much and would want whats best

for them as they do for me. There is going to be a little part of me always missing and things

wont ever be the same but sometimes one just has to deal with life and what it hands you. Its

not always going to be easy, but things always get better.