Excerpt from Shattered Silence

"I'm just in town briefly," he said somberly. "I'm headed off to the Midwest, so I wanted to take the kids to school this morning." Everyone else was disappointed, but I was secretly relieved. My sister was still attached to my dad's leg, holding on to it. She wouldn't let go.

Once it was time to go to school, I glanced quickly at Jason and Carrie. They both seemed quite comfortable around Dad, and this made me wonder how I could move past my feelings. I hurried to finish getting myself together for the day and then I caught a glimpse of my father's huge, green semi-truck, parked in front of our home. I realized that I would be getting dropped off for school in a semi, and it embarrassed me. The truck was huge, loud, and grass green. While several of my peers loved anything that made them stand out, I just wanted to quietly fit in. I wanted to be normal. Anything that made me stand out made me uncomfortable. This morning I was going to be with my big dad, in his big truck, and all I could feel from the pit of my stomach was big trouble. What the heck was wrong with me?

One by one, we kissed Mom good-bye. She was already dressed in her work attire and jacket and ready to leave too. I watched as my father opened the truck cab door. With him standing next to the truck, it made both of them appear normal sized. He had to help Carrie up the chrome foot-rails and into the back of the semi cabin, and when I stood at the foot-rail and peered up, it appeared to be impossibly high. It felt as though I was climbing a ladder to a second floor. In a moment I was up in the cabin as well. Jason needed no assistance and was soon in the passenger seat and ready to go.