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Chapter 6
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I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 11
Mom developed severe depression after that. She began sorting through everything I had kept since I was a child. She cleaned my room until it was spotless and changed the sheets to my favorite shade of blue.One afternoon, Mom found a clear glass jar. Inside was a folded paper crane, with a few tiny words written on its wings.She took it out and carefully unfolded it."I spent my whole life living for other people. I held myself back to protect Lisa. I lost the use of my legs to save her. I pretended not to care about how unfairly you treated me because I didn't want you to feel bad. I thought that if I was sensible and considerate, you would always love me. But good girls don't get rewarded for being good."Mom's vision blurred as she stared at the note. She pressed the paper against her face, as if trying to feel whatever warmth might still linger on it."Naomi..." she whispered. "I'm sorry, Naomi. I was wrong. I was so wrong."Dad heard her and walked into the room. When he s
I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 10
On the next page, my handwriting had become hurried and uneven."But Mom broke her promise. Lisa was nervous about playing a new piece. Dad wanted to pick out some jewelry for her competition, so they told me to go to the hospital on my own."It was pouring outside. When I tried to get down the three steps at the entrance, I fell into the muddy water. The doctor had to leave to catch his flight, and I lost my last chance to walk again."Dad stood behind Mom, staring at the words in the diary. His breathing grew heavy, as if something were squeezing his throat."Three steps..." he repeated, turning to look toward the doorway.Those three steps were nothing to them, just something they could easily step down. To me, they were a barrier I couldn't get past."It was my fault." Dad's voice was so raspy that it was barely recognizable. "I didn't go get her because I was busy helping Lisa pick out that necklace."Dad lowered his head and stared at the diary in silence.Mom's shoulders
I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 9
Mom turned the pages, reading more slowly."Today, I met a new friend, Phoebe Langford. She didn't stare at my legs. She looked right into my eyes when she talked to me."She told me that graduation was a new beginning, and that no matter what had happened in the past, putting on a mortarboard and gown meant becoming a whole new person."I'm so looking forward to my graduation. I want Mom and Dad to be there and watch me start the new chapter of my life."By the time Mom reached that part, her voice had gone hoarse. She couldn't bring herself to read any further.Dad took the diary from her and looked down at the last few lines on the page."Today was my graduation, but they didn't come. Lisa scraped her skin, so they all stayed at the hospital with her. I was all by myself."Later, Phoebe moved abroad, and I was alone again. So much for a new beginning. It's all a lie."Dad's hands fell limply to his sides, and the diary slipped onto the grass. He looked at the camphor tree as
I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 8
Dad paused to sniff, then continued. "My disability has become a burden on the family. Lisa keeps moving further ahead, while I'm stuck in a wheelchair."Mom and Dad are busier than ever. They go with Lisa to her piano exams and competitions and spend less and less time at home with me. But I can't blame them. Lisa needs them. I can't be selfish."Dad closed the diary, his hands gripping the edges tightly."What did we do?" he muttered to himself, his gaze completely vacant. "She gave up her legs for Lisa, and we treated her like a burden."Mom looked at Dad, her eyes badly swollen from crying. "James, Naomi went to college afterward. She used to say college was a fresh start for her."Dad stood up and said, "Let's go to her college."It was as if they were trying to piece me back together, searching for every part of my life I had left behind.Early the next morning, they arrived at my college. Dad found the camphor tree where I'd once taken a photo. My third diary was hidden t
I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 7
Lisa murmured under her breath, "Naomi was so talented. Why did she always feel like she had to give everything up for me?"Floating in midair, I looked down at them. The truth was, I just wanted things to be less tense at home. I didn't want Lisa's insecurity to keep weighing on everyone.Dad stared at the metal box in his hands, then suddenly seemed to realize something. "Calburn was where she was happiest when she was young. She must have left some of her childhood secrets here."His voice trembled. "If she kept things here... could she have left anything else behind?"Mom's head snapped up. "You mean..."Dad took a deep breath. "The car accident changed her life. Let's go to that intersection. She must have left something there too."They drove back to the city that same night.The car stopped at the intersection where the accident had happened years ago. The late-night streets were deserted, lit only by the dim, amber glow of streetlights.Dad walked over to the thick plan
I Gave My Legs, They Gave Me Up Chapter 6
Dad had made it for me by hand when we still lived in Calburn.He stared at the little rattle, his voice hoarse. "We should take Naomi back to our old house and bury her there. She loved the yard when she was a kid."Mom nodded, tears dripping onto the edge of the cardboard box she was holding.My spirit followed behind them as they carried my ashes back to our hometown.The old house had been abandoned for years. When Dad pushed open the wooden door, he found the yard completely overgrown with weeds.He began digging in the corner beneath the old locust tree, my favorite spot to sit and read as a child. He drove the shovel into the ground with slow, heavy movements, as if every scoop of dirt weighed a ton.Mom sat on the steps, staring blankly ahead. Lisa stood nearby, clutching the hem of her shirt, looking uneasy.Soon after, the shovel struck something with a loud clang.Dad paused, then brushed away the dirt and pulled out a rusted metal box. He frowned and wiped the dirt
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