Familia--Eddie

In society, having integrity is frowned upon because everyone is trained to engage in
actions that satisfy them each hour of everyday, with no recollection of how it will affect those around them. More specifically within a modeled family everyone is raised to be the prime example of a human being, and the adults are an image of this. However within Jonah's family this is not the case, rather when tragedy hits his family they turn on one another like customers at Costco getting a pallet of water.

It all started when Jonah was at his great-grandma's house one evening like he always was, cracking jokes with her, listening to his great-grandpa argue with her about the dog again, but this night was different. He felt something inside of him, deep within the essence of his spirit telling him cherish these moments because not another day is promised to anyone. So he did exactly that, he made her laugh all night long and she said that it was one of the greatest nights that they all had. She was making tortillas while grandpa was making his deep fried frijoles and famous papitas, Jonah tried to help but was shunned away because of him burning the tortillas last time. They ate, laughed, argued and ultimately enjoyed each other's company, the sun had already faded away and it was time to go home. With an exchange of kisses and hugs from his great-grandma, Jonah was on his way home because he had school the next day and had to get up early.

It was 2:30pm and Jonah was in class waiting for the clock to hit 2:45 so he could get out of school and go to his great-grandma's house. 2:45 hits and he sprints out of the class like a

cheetah, he gets in the car eager to see his bisabuelos but receives the news, she had fallen down the stairs, fractured her skull and was in a coma. But Jonah wasn't worried, she had survived two phases of breast cancer so there was nothing his grandma couldn't handle. Nonetheless, they rush to the hospital, Jonah's dad meets them there and they get to the room where she is lying. He sees her there motionless and doesn't know what to do, everyone around him is crying as if she died already but Jonah is there with hope thinking, “shes strong, she can get through this, why is everyone crying? We just need to pay and everything will be okay.” Then, doing what he always does, he goes to pray with his abuela but as soon as he touches her hand a feeling hits him, it was the feeling in his spirit the night he was at their house. Tears start running down his face and a voice comes saying “ This is the end, her time has come,” and a few days later she passes.

Everyone was in despair but doing what we always do, we meet at her house to eat, mourn, remember her sayings but mostly importantly comfort my bisabuelo. The night continues and then towards the end, the war commences, the children begin to talk about their mothers will and what is going to happen to the house now that she has passed. However unkind words are exchanged amongst them and they are torn apart like The Confederate and United States of America. Gossip spreads and sides are chosen, one side wanting Jonah's great-grandpa to get nothing out of the will and Jonah's grandma fighting for her father to get what her mother would have wanted for them. Eventually the bickering and backstabbing continues all the way down to the grandchildren and people are enraged, but Jonah doesn't understand any of it. How can people he has looked up to his whole life betray one another, they were family, the prime example of what every family should be like. Loving, caring, hopeful and most of all encouraging, yet the months drag on and the court days never stop.

Jonah's great-grandpa just trying to find some peace in his wife's absence; forced to see his daughters and sons face on the other side of the courtroom, desiring to take whatever was left for him. Jonah had to go to court with his grandma one day, destroyed at the fact that this escalated, he waits outside in frustration and pain. Crying because he sees his family split apart, “but over what” Jonah thought, “what can be more important than our family?” He saw all of them as a pillar of hope, a strong foundation that could not have been shaken, but then they all exit the courtroom and he sees the real side of his great- aunts and uncles. All five of them are screaming, yelling, cursing at his grandma because she won't join them and split the sale of the house six ways instead, she stays by her father and fights with him until the end. Then one day, the judge finally decides that the sale of the house would be split unto all of them just how Jonah's great-grandma wanted it. After that it was settled and that was the last time Jonah ever saw his great-uncles and aunts. So destroyed by the fact that all this occured, he never fully healed and always wondered as to how they became that way, how his beautiful loving family broke so easily.