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Down She Goes
It was always hard getting my grandma to agree to go to theme parks with me. Let alone one with animals. She always assumed that the worst would happen whenever she would go. As she expected, today was one of those days. I was pushing her along the rocky ground, right past the small ticket office near the entrance. She, my mom, my brother, my grandpa, and I were so excited. Animal Kingdom may have been huge, but we were looking at every inch.
Unfortunately, before the day even started, my life flashed before my eyes. Was it my fault? Was she okay? How could I help? All these questions rushed to my head. We were just walking when my foot hit a very big crack in the sidewalk, and I went flying. This meant the wheelchair with my grandma in it went flying as well. I could feel all the worried bodies crowding around me and I assumed she could sense all the stares, seeing as how they were pinned on her. Although not that many people saw us trip. So, I could still hear the laughs and yells of all the children. I looked around, trying to see everyone’s faces. Surprisingly, they were all like me. Not knowing whether to laugh, cry, or help her.
“Wow!” said my mother. Staring at us on the. “Are you guys okay?”
I attempted to answer her, even with the wind knocked out of me. “Yes, I’m fine. I think Nana’s okay too.” That was my grandma’s nickname. My head turned to her, hoping to see if my words were true.
Nana heard what I had said and turned her head, facing me. “I’m alright. A little angry that I flew and fell on the hard ground, but relatively good.” She looked at me after that comment. I assumed she thought it was my fault.
I know that I said that I tripped on a crack and fell, but it was technically my mom’s fault. She was rushing me, and I was six. My nana looked at me. We made eye contact and immediately started laughing. I’m not sure why, but the whole situation was whimsical really.
My mom looked confused. “So, you’re sure that you both are okay?” I think she asked this because it was initially her fault.
I wasn’t hurt. I think it was just the adrenalin. I guess my Nana was okay, due to her response. She’s always had knee and back problems, so I knew she might be fragile.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just like I told you,” my grandma insisted.
The sun was beaming right onto the ground and right on to us. Nana was sweating and I felt like I was melting.
My brother and grandfather tried to help pick her and me up, but we got up before they got to our arms. I hugged my Nana. You could see how big my smile was when I knew she was surely okay. She pointed out my goosebumps, which was hard not to feel or even see. I didn’t push the subject because it was normal to appear after a heart-racing experience.
The park was still very busy and extremely noisy, just like it was before everything happened. I tried to take this opportunity to get the churro I wanted when we had first arrived here.
“I’m hungry,” I said trying to get my family’s attention. “Really hungry!”
“Oh, right!” My brother responded in realization. “I had gotten you a churro, but when you fell, I dropped it.”
“Well, can we get another one?”
“Of course, we can!” my mom said excitedly. She loved churros too.
That was one of the many things we had in common. I went to check on Nana after my mom had paid for the churros. She seemed okay still, but I saw a tiny scrape on her knee and walked over to her. I know it was small and probably unimportant, but I still cared. I also felt bad once the thought of her thinking it was my fault came back into my head.
“Hi Nana! I know you’ve been asked this a lot, but are you sure that you are okay? Are you mad at me?”
“Of course, not sweetie. Your mother was rushing you. I couldn’t even concentrate.”
I was relieved.
“And yes, I am totally fine. Just one tiny cut, but that’s what band-aids are for.” She said with a small chuckle.
I was a little happier when I finally accepted the fact that my grandma wasn’t mad at me. I wanted to forget all about the experience we just had and save myself from more embarrassment. Unfortunately, my family does not let go of things. My brother continued to make jokes and laugh even hours later. But, if there is one thing that I learned, it is that I should always watch out for any cracks in a sidewalk before I try to walk over it with fragile things in my hands.
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This is a memoir I wrote about my family trip to Animal Kingdom.