Read Online Throwaway Girl by Kristine Scarrow - Free Book Online Page A

been here for about a year and a half now. Shelley and Luke are trying to adopt me. It’s a long, drawn-out process and it could take several months, but we’re going to be a forever family. I have my miracle.
    Mrs. Assaly, our elderly next door neighbour, is watering her garden. She still does all of her yardwork herself. She glances over at me and smiles approvingly. “I used to love to draw when I was your age,” she says. “I’d sit under a tree just like that and draw for hours.” I give her a polite smile and return to my notebook. “Good for you, dear. You keep that up!” she says to me.
    â€œDo you still draw, Mrs. Assaly?” I ask.
    She shakes her head sadly. “No. I’m afraid I don’t,” she says. She looks down at her garden for a few minutes before speaking again. “I stopped drawing after my Henry died,” she says, referring to her husband who passed away five years earlier.
    I nod with understanding. “Well, if it made you feel so good, maybe you should start drawing again,” I offer. After all, why give up something that fills your heart with joy?
    Mrs. Assaly smiles at me and nods. “You know, my dear Bernice,” she shakes her head in disbelief at me and then breaks into a chuckle. “I think you may be right.”
    I hear the backdoor swing open again. “Bernice, I have to pick up Luke and run to the store to get some things for supper,” Shelley calls out. “Grab a coat and let’s go.” Luke woke up to find a flat tire on his car this morning and since we were already running late, Shelley decided to drive him to work in her car rather than have him spend the time changing it. The commute to his work takes about forty-five minutes and I’m not particularly thrilled with abandoning my story to sit in a car during rush hour traffic. I groan at Shelley in disappointment.
    â€œOkay,” I say reluctantly.
    I snap the notebook shut and start to get up when Mrs. Assaly calls over to Shelley. “If Bernice wants to stay here and write, I don’t mind watching her.” Mrs. Assaly looks back at me and gives me a sly smile, knowing that I want so desperately to work on my story. I nod in approval, hoping that Shelley agrees.
    â€œThat’s fine with me if that’s what you’d prefer, Bernice. And if you don’t mind too much, Mrs. Assaly.” I pump my fist in victory and tear open my notebook again. Mrs. Assaly laughs and waves Shelley on.
    â€œGo ahead! She’ll be fine. It’s no trouble at all.” Mrs. Assaly gives me a wink and resumes her watering. Shelley makes her way over to me and plants a kiss on my forehead. Her familiar fruity scent fills the air around me. How I love the way she smells.
    â€œAre you sure you don’t want to come?” she asks.
    â€œI’m sure,” I tell her. She stands and ruffles my hair with her hand before starting for the door again.
    â€œThanks, Mrs. Assaly! We won’t be too long.”
    I return to my story, realizing that I’m reaching a pivotal moment. The girl is close to death and if the doctors don’t do something soon, she could die. They suggest an experimental treatment that is extremely risky, but her parents must decide the course of action immediately. Knowing that they’ll lose their daughter if they don’t try this new treatment, they give their consent to the doctors to go ahead. They want their daughter to have the best chance at survival so that she can go on to live a happy, productive life. She’s been through so much already, having suffered horribly from her illness. Her parents know that their decision could be the key to her survival, that they alone can make the choice to save her.
    I write furiously, barely looking up from my notebook. Mrs. Assaly calls over and asks if I want something to eat. “That’s okay, Mrs. Assaly. I’ll wait for Luke and Shelley to get