"Lucy!" the name angrily barked from Mrs. Mancini's mouth. "I'll be down in one second!" the young girl cried in response from her bedroom. She still had an hour before walking to school, although it was the dead of winter in the small Minnesota town. Still, why was her horrid grandmother screaming at her like she was going to be late? As Lucy brushed her long, thick brown hair back into a ponytail she could only imagine what insult would come from the old woman's mouth. Lucy's eyes watered with the thought. She sighed deeply and tried to divert her attention to something more positive and so decided that the sooner she could get some fresh air the better she would be.
Lucy grabbed her backpack and as she turned down the hallway facing the staircase, the fragile looking old woman was standing at the bottom of the staircase, looking up at Lucy with much anger. "You're going to be late for school." She said, the wrinkles in her face crinkled along the corner of her mouth as she sneered. Lucy froze at the staircase, afraid to be face to face with Mrs. Mancini. "Sorry, grandma." She replied quietly, looking away from the evil, judging gaze. "You're not sorry, you filthy whore. And don't call me grandma! I am Mrs. Mancini to you!" the woman growled at the scared, timid 12 year old girl. "Now get out of here before I lose my temper with you!" The old woman turned from the staircase and headed into the kitchen. Lucy quickly ran down the stairs and out the door before her grandmother could say another word. Before Mrs. Mancini could say another word.
The harsh winter air immediately stung Lucy's porcelain face as she rushed out to the sidewalk. Lucy preferred to walk on the street when the snow was so high because the streets were clear and salted as opposed to the sidewalks. Many elderly people lived on the same street as Lucy so it wasn't uncommon for the sidewalks to go uncleared. Lucy had thought about clearing off the neighbor's walks and driveways the first winter when she first came to live with Mrs. Mancini. She had asked eagerly, thinking that there would be nothing wrong with helping out the neighbors and other people that would frequent the quiet street, such as the paperboy or the mailman. However, Mrs. Mancini didn't like the idea at all. Lucy thought that it was because she had suggested it, rather than it be an order barked to her. It wasn't that Lucy had any home responsibilities. In fact, she wasn't allowed to leave her room other than to use the bathroom or eat dinner. Lucy felt as if she were a prisoner. Though, she had to remain greatful. As her mother had told her.
Lucy missed her mom so much. As she walked along the street curb she thought of her mom briefly. Wearing that silly hat last Christmas, Lucy's mom was so pretty. Mysterious hazel eyes and a warm, affectionate smile. Out of that silly hat was the most perfect ringlets of warm auburn hair that Lucy loved so much. She loved her mom and missed her so much. Lucy's last memory of her mom was seeing her walking down the sidewalk out of Mrs. Mancini's house wearing that silly hat. She turned, facing the door and waved at Lucy, with tears in her eyes. Smiling, she still waved, promising that she would come back soon for her precious baby daughter soon. No more than a year she promised. And it would go by so fast because Lucy would make friends in school and Mrs. Mancini would take very good care of her. It all felt so long ago. Christmas was in a week and Lucy hadn't heard anything from her mother.
Lucy stopped walking and let the cold air hit her face some more. This past year had been hell. Lucy had made no friends, because in this small town they did not like outsiders. Luckily she wasn't teased, just ignored. Her dad's mother, Mrs. Mancini was downright awful. If her dad were still alive, Lucy knew he wouldn't allow his daughter to be treated this way, even from his own mother. But of course, that was the problem, and even at age 12 Lucy knew that much. Her dad had been an amazing man, so she was told. Everything she knew of her dad was from her mom and the pictures. When she was 8 months pregnant with Lucy, Lucy's mom had heard some terrible news. Her mother, who was recovering from cancer had taken a sudden turn for the worse. She had told her husband, Lucy's dad about the call she got and they immediately drove to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, a truck had slid on some ice and crossed the median, hitting her parent's car. Lucy's mom didn't remember anything that happened. She woke up in the hospital to hear that her husband had died in the car accident and her mom died the same day too. Due to injuries sustained in the car accident, they had to induce Lucy's mom, as her unborn baby had endured a lot of stress from the impact. The doctor's did not think that Lucy would survive from all of the stress, but miraculously she was a healthy baby. Lucy's mom was so sad by all of the tragedy, but Lucy was her hope, her motivation to keep going. She felt as if Lucy was an angel born to help her through life without her husband and her mom, and she vowed to never, ever lose that hope.
Lucy had a very happy childhood with her mom. She loved to laugh and play with her mom and she felt so happy all of the time. Lucy was surrounded by love and happiness and she had so many friends in school. Lucy's mom would come to school sometimes to help out with events and all of Lucy's classmates would be so happy to see her mom. Lucy felt so special and her mom told her she was that special indeed.
Lucy smiled at that memory. She started walking again, tightening her scarf around her face to keep out the cold. If only she could have friends like she had back at her old home. The kids here were so different. They were mean and purposely go out of their way to ignore her. Lucy's teachers weren't so bad, they ignored her the same. Except for Ms. Fowler.
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