There was a girl name Geraldene. Her parents were alcoholics. She didn't like it when her parents used to drink almost every weekend and some weekdays.

Geraldene would go to school with bruises on her back and arms,but she didn't try to use short sleeve shirts or even complain.

Sometimes her classmates would bother her when she went to school too late; they would call her a boy because she had really short hair. But she didn't listen to them.

One day after school her teacher Mrs.McCall asked her, "Why are you late for school almost every day?" She replied,"My parents always get up late." Mrs. McCall said, "Will it help if I gave you an alarm clock? "Geraldene said,"No it's okay, I can get up early." "You sure?" The teacher replied. "No thank you, I'll be fine without one."

Then Geraldene walked out of her classroom and walked home slowly.

She said to herself,"Why didn't I tell Mrs. McCall the truth?"My parents won't love me anymore if I told my teacher. "I guess it'll be better if I don't tell my teacher." Geraldene was so confused that when she asked herself questions she answered them wrong. She was only eight years old and she didn't know what was the right choice for herself.

When she went back to her house, her parents were drunk again. Her parents asked her,"How come you're home so late, I thought you got out of school tweny minutes ago.Were you taking to your teacher about us two drinking almost every day and why you go to school late?"

Geraldene said,"No, I was counting how many steps it would take from the school to the other end of the village and then to here." Her mom said, "Don't lie to us Gerri." "I'm not.You two won't believe me because all you two do is drink.You don't know how I feel when you drink. I feel I'm not wanted here." Geraldene started crying while she was telling them.Her dad said,"Don't cry. You're big enough to not cry."Her mom said,"Why didn't you keep your big mouth shut, she's just a young girl!"

Then Geraldene ran out the door as she cried, and ran into the thick woods. It was cold out, but she had warm clothes on.

When she was far enough away she started walking. There was a snow machine behind her so she kept on walking faster and faster.

When the snow machine caught up, she saw it was her teacher and her husband.

"What's wrong Gerri?" Mrs. McCall asked."It looks like you were crying? Let us bring you home." "No, I'm not going back to my parents, I hate them," she sniffed. "Why don't we bring you to our house instead?" Mrs. McCall said. Geraldene got on the snow machine with them and went to their house.

Her teacher gave her orange juice, and three cookies. After she was done, Mrs. McCall, her husband and Gerri played a game of Scrabble.

Her teacher told Geraldene she is was a good student but she didn't know what was making her late for school."

"My parents are alcoholics," Gerri said. "Both of them?" Mrs. McCall asked."Ya, both of them drink almost every weekend and some weekdays." Then Mrs. McCall asked, "Why didn't you tell me that your parents drink? I mean you're almost a straight A student, but your parents drink?" Geraldene replied, "Yes they are heavy drinkers. I didn't tell any body because I thought that my parents wouldn't love me anymore!"

"But you're too little to know what's right or wrong. It's not true that your parents won't love you. But you did the right thing now telling us that your parents are alcoholics,"Mrs. McCall reassured her. "Now what I'm gonna do is call a place where you can stay,O.K.?" But

Geraldene said, "No, my parents will hate me for the rest of my life if I do that." "No." Mrs. McCall said, "They might thank you if and when they stop drinking." Meanwhile Mr. McCall called the Children's Home while Geraldene and his wife were talking.

Geraldene eventually began living with her auntie in Seattle, Washington. She had a lot of fun with her auntie. She even spent her ninth birthday with her auntie and they went to Disney World to enjoy her birthday there. If she had been home her parents would have used her birthday as an excuse to drink.

One day Geraldene had a phone call from her parents. They said they had been attending a treatment center and were in the Seattle airport returning to Alaska. They asked her if she wanted to move back with her parents again, and Geraldene was happy.

She said, "Auntie, my mom and dad are at the airport, Let's go get them, she said, I'm going home with them tomorrow!"

They went to get them.

When Geraldene saw her mom and dad, she ran up to them very happy and said, "A whole year, and we finally see each other again. I miss and love you two!" Her mom said, "We love you too."

The next day went by fast. Geraldene packed her stuff and her auntie took her and her parents to the airport in the afternoon. They said good bye to her auntie and Gerri's parents thanked her for watching her for the year.

When they all got home they threw a welcome home party for Gerri, and it was alcohol free where there was no drinking allowed.

Geraldene and her parents called her teacher Mrs. McCall and her husband and asked them to come to their house to the party. And they thanked Mrs.McCall for helping them.

THE END