Why Me?

Never take things for granted. In an instant, everything you care about can be taken away from you. I should know. When I was only five years old, a drunk old man was speeding and didn't see the vehicle we were in. I was in the back seat so I didn't feel the full brunt of the impact but I could feel blood dripping down my face and all over was aching. I gradually was losing consciousness. "Mommy! Daddy! It hurts!" I screamed out before the pain was too much for me. I blanked out. I had no idea how long I was out for.

I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I had forgotten what happened to me. "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? Where am I? I'm scared! Please come for me!" Tears rolled down my face. Luckily, a young lady in uniform came to comfort me. "I want my parents! Please! Give me my parents!" Suddenly, she got very quiet and hugged me even tighter. "I'm so sorry but I can't do that." "Why? Where are my parents? Bring me to my parents!" "After the old man hit your parents' car, we rushed all of you to the hospital. Unfortunately, you were the only one that made it out alive," she explained with tears starting to form.

The realization had hit me so hard like a wall of bricks. My chest had never felt so tight. I cried in the arms of the lady for five minutes straight. I never thought that I would be separated from my parents so early in my life. The hospital tried contacting my relatives but no one answered. Because of this, I was sent to live in an orphanage in hopes that someone would let me live with them. There I met all kinds of kids who had also lost their parents. A nice lady who worked there named Mrs. Brown had introduced me to the kids. After introductions, she guided me to my room. I would have a roommate.

During the day while the other children played together, I sat in the corner reading books. I missed the times when my mom and dad would read to me. I remember all the times when my parents would make me smile. That cute and innocent smile was taken from me. The weight of losing my parents came back to me and soon I was holding back tears. The sunlight that made its presence known was no longer shining on me. I looked up and a Caucasian boy whose red hair was blowing in the wind and was right in front of me staring me down.

"So you're the new guy. Kevin right?" I nodded my head. He then sat down next to me interested in what I was reading. We then read together until it was time to go inside. Despite not even knowing his name, I felt comfort when we were spending time together. I wanted to be his friend but before I could even reach out to him he had vanished into thin air. After having dinner and bathtime it was time to sleep. I headed to my room and as I got closer to the door I could hear a familiar voice coming from inside. "Is it him?" I wondered.

I opened the door and there he was. "Oh, it's you, Kevin. It must be fate." I felt a strange feeling. One that I didn't experience after my parents died. "Oh yeah. I don't think I've told you my name yet. The name is Xander and I'm seven years old." "HI," I replied timidly, "My name is Kevin and I'm five years old." "I see. Then that means I'm older. Listen. From an orphanage to an orphan. It's rough losing parents but it isn't the end all be all. I was all sad and stuff but they accepted me and treated me like family. So try to be around the other kids. It helps with pain."

I know he was only two years older than me but he seemed so mature and level-headed. I decided to take his advice and played and talked to the other kids. Eventually, I was able to smile again. It wasn't the same as before and it still felt weird to smile but it was a step forward and I appreciated it. Years passed and Xander and I were so close it seemed like we were family. I was eight at the time and soon Xander would be turning ten. Mrs. Brown, the other staff and my fellow orphans had all decided to plan a special party for Xander's birthday.

"Hey, Xander. What would you like for your birthday?" "Well, how about us being adopted together? We wouldn't be real siblings but I'd still like to be your brother." Hearing that made me cry. "Are you good?" "Of course! I'm glad to have a great friend like you and I would love to be your little brother." He hugged me and we spent some time chatting before we went to sleep. The next day Mrs. Brown woke me up early so we could surprise Xander. I was so excited to surprise him. I could picture the smile on his face when he wakes up and sees his party.

He slowly entered the room and we all gave our birthday greetings. He smiled and thanked us all and then we carried on with his celebration. Seeing him smile almost brought tears to my face but I didn't want to ruin his moment so I held it in. It had turned nighttime and Mrs. Brown had one last surprise waiting for him. She carried him outside and a couple was waiting outside. "Don't tell me," he said enthusiastically. "Yes, they came to adopt you." Then a frown emerged on his face. "What's wrong Xander?" I asked. "I don't want to be adopted without you. I want to be your brother." "We'll always be brothers. Go ahead. I know someday we'll meet again and I'll be looking forward to it." He left reluctantly and I went straight to my room. There I cried until I fell asleep as my best friend and only family was gone.