Because of Alaina
by Jessica Ann Hufford .
I’m a good kid. I’ll admit that I have made several mistakes several mistakes in the past, but everything has changed since I met Alaina. Everybody has always told of how they learned a long-life lesson from someone older and wiser; I actually have learned the most important thing of all from my sweet three year-old cousin.
She was an “accident baby. “ You see, her mother and father were never married, and never planned on it. Her mom was a drug addict, and her father, also known as my uncle, had an alcohol addiction. That family had several problems. Not only was Alaina’s mother only twenty-five and had five children, she was also unemployed. She basically had her own mother raising her children. She also got into a relationship with a man that had accounts of rape, beat her and the kids, and buried the family deeper and deeper into their troubles.
Alaina’s grandma couldn’t handle raising five children and supporting her daughter. She told her daughter to find some place else for some of the children to stay. She also told her to get a job and get a grip on her life. Alaina’s father had moved in with my family, and soon we got a call from them requesting for her to stay with us. We were utterly shocked because she lived in a completely different state than we do, and we knew she wouldn’t see her mother for a long time. However, we decided to give it a try. We planned that while both of my parents were at work she could stay with my older sister (she had already moved out) and after school my little sisters and I would take care of her until my parents got home. We also thought it would be a good idea because she would get to spend more time with her father. We figured maybe he would actually have a good reason to stop drinking.
When she got to our house she smelled strongly of vomit and smoke and her hair was tangled and greasy. She was not potty-trained and had a severe rash on her bottom. We hadn’t realized how horrible life must have been at her old home. We had heard of stories of abuse laid upon her, but when we actually saw her in the flesh we would have never believed it. At first she would question where her mommy was and talked about how she missed her little brother, Buddy, but after a few weeks she seemed to feel more comfortable around us.
I grew extremely close to her. My sisters and I potty-trained her and taught her so many things! While living with us she learned part of her ABC’s and her colors. She also learned how to count to ten. Her hair grew long and silky, and every time I looked at her she would beam at me and get a glow in her eyes. We encouraged her to write to her family back home and we sent pictures of her. She was always excited to receive a letter from home.
Eventually she did have to go back home; my mom couldn’t handle raising another child. She had run a day care center for six years and couldn’t take the pressure of being constantly reminded of how nerve-wracking her old job was. Also, things just got too difficult for us. Sometimes someone would have to leave work to watch her. Her father wasn’t getting over his addiction either. He moved out of our house and spent all his hard-earned money on alcohol. Alaina was often scared to see him. This frustrated him and he refused to see her. She also was missing her family more than ever. To this day I wish I could see her again.
The responsibility of taking care of her made me more mature. Being with her made me realize that somebody else’s life can be ruined if you get involved with alcohol and drugs. I miss her so much right now. I miss the way she would giggle uncontrollably when you tickled her feet. I miss the way she got excited when she successfully managed “the potty.” A big grin would engulf her face and she would scream, “1 did it! I did it!” I miss falling asleep hearing her feet softly kick the wall on the other side of my bedroom. I miss her neat and tidy way of arranging her toys. I miss her big wondering eyes when we recited her evening prayer, and the sweet innocence of her blowing a kiss to God afterwards. And most importantly, I miss how she made me feel.
Because of Alaina, I felt like something in my life was worth living. I helped someone that had a hard life from the beginning. I loved someone so deeply, I am actually crying writing this story. Alaina has actually kept me away from all the parties my friends were throwing. I pushed myself to get straight A’s. I strived every day to be a better person for her because if I don’t take a stand and try and make a difference in the world, who will? I do this not only for myself, but for Alaina. My little baby cousin, ‘Lainie’.