When Kindness Kills

I blocked out the gossip and headed straight downstairs to Grandma's ward.She was getting up there in age, dealing with heart problems, a stroke, and a ton of other health issues. Not long ago, she fell at home and broke her pelvis, so she ended up back in the hospital.Grandma's face lit up when she saw me walk in with her medications. She asked right away, "Are your mom and dad done with work? I miss them."I felt a lump in my throat and could only tell her they were tied up with work. She looked down, her face falling with disappointment.I knew my excuse didn't sound convincing. It was just one floor away, but neither of them had come by since Grandma was admitted.Grandma's broken pelvis needed surgery, and the longer they delayed it, the worse she felt—especially at night when even getting out of bed was a major struggle.I asked Mom and Dad if there was anything they could do to help.Dad got all high and mighty and said, "Your grandma has to wait her turn for surgery. W

I dropped everything and rushed to the hospital, calling Dad nonstop the whole way, but he didn't answer.Right then, Dr. Lander called to tell me Dad had taken some relatives to visit Grandma and that I should hurry.My stomach dropped, and sure enough, it was exactly what I feared. Those "relatives" he mentioned were actually real estate agents."Mom, just sign the contract. Alice still needs money for her surgery. We have to help her!"I stormed into the ward and overheard that. I grabbed the contract and skimmed through it. It was for a 1,300-square-foot house in a school district, priced at 600 thousand dollars.My blood was boiling. I tore that contract up on the spot.Then, I pointed at Dad and yelled, "Are you serious, lying to Grandma? If you sell her place, where are we supposed to go?"Dad was pissed. "What's the big deal? You two can just move in with us when it's done!"Grandma, who'd been barely awake, seemed to wake up at those words. She opened her cloudy eyes a

Helena was right. When the practice exam scores came in, mine turned out better than I expected.Things calmed down after that. Once in a while, Alice would show up at my classroom door, trying to get attention. As soon as I figured it out, I let my homeroom teacher know, and she made her leave.It was so quiet that I didn't even realize until one afternoon after school, when I was heading out to grab some groceries, that Mom and Dad hadn't brought Alice a meal in forever.…The day the SATs were over, my classmates and I went out to celebrate until a little late.When I finally got home, I saw Mom, Dad, and Alice standing at the door, staring at the sign I'd put up saying they and the dogs weren't allowed inside. Their faces were all red from anger.In the end, Grandma opened the door so they wouldn't keep bothering the neighbors. As soon as Alice walked in, she pulled out a thank-you certificate and started looking for the best place to hang it.I took a quick glance at it. It

But it didn't take long before Dad's good days came to an end. It wasn't just him—Mom and Alice were having a tough time, too, and even Grandma seemed worried.Alice came over to our house, bawling her eyes out and begging us to take her in. "Dad secretly gave my organ to that patient instead. The patient seemed fine when he left the hospital, but two days later, he had a rejection at home and died."His family lost it and stabbed Dad's hand with a knife. It went straight through the bone, and now he can't do surgery anymore."She broke down again, saying, "Mom's in jail now. She and Dad agreed to mortgage the house to help this other family, but that family hasn't paid them back. Now she's locked up."I figured Grandma would either lose it or start crying when she heard what Alice said. But instead, she just looked at me with concern and asked, "Zoe, is this going to affect you?"I shook my head and smiled. The worst it could do was mess with my civil service exam, but I'd alread