Vivid Memory of My Mother

A vivid memory that I have regarding my mother was of her heath concerns. When I was

seven years old my mom, brother, sister, and I lived in a small town of Cranston, in the

state of Rhode Island, in a three bedroom one bathroom apartment. My mom had long,

brown, and wavy hair with light green, but tired eyes. She was a very quiet, soft-spoken,

and hardworking woman. When she would smile, I felt that I could do no wrong. One

evening after dinner my mom stood on one of the wooden dining room chairs to get

something down from one of the shelves in the living room. Before you could blink

twice, I heard this loud horrific crashing sound. It sounded as though lightning had

struck the ground and carried the vibrations from the floor of the apartment to the bottom

of my feet. With wide eyes, I ran to the living room not knowing that the terrifying

thundering was the sound of my mom falling hard to the floor. The next thing I knew my

mom was shaking vigorously. Frightened, I ran to my bedroom to hide under my bed,

crying, and curling into a ball as though that ball-like shape would protect me. My heart

was beating like a thousand drums pounding in unison. Next, I remember hearing the

faint sound of sirens. As they got closer, the sound screamed through the thin walls of the

bedroom. I could hear the brakes squeaking as it came to a stop, doors opening and

closing, and feet quickly racing on the thin paper floor. All of the sudden, people calmly

began talking as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Soon I heard heavy footsteps getting

closer and closer. I could feel their presence. With my eyes tightly closed, I could not see

who or what was there. My heart continued pounding and pounding as if it was coming

out of my chest. Again the footsteps were moving. I could feel the vibration of