Chapter 10 - THE FAMILY TREE
The gymnasium of Lincoln Elementary School was buzzing with the cheerful chatter of children, the rustling of construction paper, and the sweet smell of glue sticks and Crayola markers.
At a small wooden table near the back of the room, eight-year-old Lily Mercer sat carefully gluing a small green leaf onto a large cardboard posterboard. Her tongue poked out slightly from the corner of her mouth in intense concentration.
Across from her sat Daniel, holding a box of colored pencils, and standing right beside her chair, holding a roll of scotch tape with an air of absolute determination, was Vivian.
The family tree on the poster was no longer empty.
From the sturdy brown trunk at the bottom branched out names, dates, photographs, and hand-drawn portraits. At the base sat Charles Calloway and Clara Vance. Branching upward were Rachel and Daniel, and beside them, added with a neat, proud marker stroke in Vivian’s own handwriting, was Aunt Vivian.
A little boy from the next table over wandered over, pointing at the poster. "Hey, Lily. Is that your whole family?"
Lily looked up from her work, her eyes shining with absolute pride. She looked at her father, then up at Vivian, who smiled warmly and gave her a reassuring wink.
Lily turned back to the boy, her small chin held high.
"Yeah," she said brightly, her voice ringing clear across the gymnasium. "And nobody’s ever allowed to leave an empty branch again."
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Daniel put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders, pulling her close, while Vivian reached down to help her tape the final green leaf securely onto the topmost bough.
The tree was full, green, and deeply rooted—ready to weather any storm that ever came its way.
