Wins and Losses

By Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

Wins and Losses is a fictional story of a family--Tate, Eve, and Jenna Richards--who became all too familiar with wins and losses in their lives. This book introduces Tate and Eve Richards and follows their journey into parenthood where they suffer one of their greatest losses. Their daughter, Jenna, literally from birth, without even knowing it, experiences one of her first losses and invites readers to ride alongside her as she travels through life, continuing to experience more wins and losses. The wins and losses ultimately shape her into the young woman she becomes.

It's my hope that readers will realize that some losses in life allow us to grow and teach us that no person will be able to experience only wins. Both wins and losses cause people to react in a way that force them to push themselves in directions they may never have considered before. This may sound a bit harsh, but my goal in writing this book was to help people realize that some of the losses experienced in life, regardless of the pain they may have caused, happen for a reason. Those losses, whether understood or not, can and do sometimes open a door to allow them to find something or someone they would not have been able to find had they not experienced that loss. Losses in people's lives are sometimes hidden blessings that enable them to find something that, unbeknownst to them, they have been searching for. Life is filled with wins and losses of some kind. No one can win or lose unless they participate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798886549201

Book preview

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Wins and Losses

Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

Copyright © 2023 Pamela Ardoin Funderburk

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88654-914-0 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-88654-920-1 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

About the Author

This book is dedicated to a beautiful soul whose path crossed mine by chance, or was it? I strongly believe that she came into my life at a time in which God thought it necessary. She saw something in me that I didn't, and with her encouragement and support, not wanting to let her down, I poured my heart and soul into writing this book. She lit that spark in me that I had allowed to grow dim. For that, I am truly grateful. Thank you, Cricket Moore Johns, for your friendship and for agreeing to be my big sister by choice. Cricket, this one is for you!

From as early as she could remember, at the ripe age of five years old, Jenna Richards learned about the infamous lost and found, which happened to be when she entered school. So many things were expected of a kindergarten child such as rules, places that would be needed at one time or another, and all other expectations from you, as a student, as you sat in a desk assigned to you in the classroom on the very first day of school.

This classroom was going to be where you would spend the next nine months. Each student had to accept the fact that he/she was going to spend at least six to eight hours per day in that assigned classroom. There were no parents, no siblings (if you had any), and no one you recognized would be with or near you for five days a week, Monday through Friday, for the better part of the year. Although this new phase of Jenna's life was overwhelming, it was absolutely necessary, legal; and despite all of the mixed emotions that bombarded her all at once, it was a natural part of a five-year-old's life. She looked around and recognized absolutely no one. What you come to understand is that you are there for an entire day without any human being that you are closest to, to comfort you when your emotions made your lips begin to quiver and your eyes begin to water. As Jenna looked at all of the other children in the classroom, she focused on the expressions on each and every one of the other students, and it was then she realized that everyone in that room would have no choice but to adjust to this mandatory new beginning of this new chapter of their lives that was called kindergarten. It's where you and the others belonged due to your age and the law.

As Jenna continued to study the other children's faces, she noticed that all of their eyes were focused on a young woman, their teacher, standing in the front of the classroom. Despite the number of people in the classroom, one could have heard a pin drop. Excitement, confusion, and a heavy dose of nerves invaded all of those little bodies and rendered them all speechless until the teacher informed the class of her name. She then proceeded to request, without any doubt each child would abide by her request, that each student would stand and introduce him/herself in order to begin the process of creating friendships. Nervously, one by one, each student stood and did just as the teacher instructed. Once everyone had stood and introduced themselves as they were told to do, she began her own introduction as each child soaked up every word she said.

Now that the formalities were concluded, the teacher, Mrs. Foster, revealed what she believed to be of great importance to them. She calmly and patiently pointed out the directions to the locations of the bathrooms, office, cafeteria, library, and, last but not least, the lost and found. As a first-time student, Jenna thought that everything Mrs. Foster pointed out made perfect sense, with one exception, the lost and found. One child bravely raised his hand as one of the classroom rules was dictated and asked Mrs. Foster what a lost and found was. Jenna wondered the same thing but was never going to be the first to not only speak but ask a question. Every student looked at the boy who asked the question and then all eyes were on Mrs. Foster. The teacher patiently explained in detail the purpose of the lost and found.

Jenna understood what she said about it, but she did think to herself, What could anyone possibly lose that was of such great importance that an actual place was designated in the school for this specific reason?

Little did she realize that the lost and found was going to be frequented by many of her classmates, including herself, for common items that a five-year-old could misplace and panic, hoping to visit it and search through all of the lost items, hoping and praying that, if all went well, they find the item(s) that was lost.

As Jenna advanced from one grade level to another, she became very familiar with the lost and found, but she also became fully aware that her personal belongings were her responsibility; and despite the fact that the designated lost and found was very common in all schools, finding any of your misplaced items was not always a guarantee that said items would be found. Sometimes regardless of skillful searching, even more than once, the item(s) one misplaced was just not there. Not being able to find what was lost caused many students to suffer panic when they realized that their lost item was nowhere to be found.

Throughout this first year of school, many students had to visit the lost and found because they had lost something of theirs they needed to find. It was a toss-up. Sometimes the students were lucky enough to find what they lost, but there were some students that searched high and low for their missing items, but the items were not found. It was something they had to come to terms with. Jenna understood and applauded the purpose of the lost and found in elementary as well as in high school. It was a great help to all of the students, regardless of their grade level or age. It only became a problem once a student graduated from high school and entered the adult stage of life. Whether one chose to further their education by attending college or made the decision to join the workforce upon graduation, the infamous lost and found no longer existed. Being a young adult, it was expected of you to be responsible for all of your belongings at all times. Misplacing something of any kind of importance and not being able to locate it was the only time that the concept of lost and found became something you had not thought about in quite some time but yet the concept of it continued to stay with you as you exited school and officially entered adulthood.

That kindergarten girl, Jenna Richards, was now in the next chapter of her life. It was at this pivotal time that the entire idea of a lost and found would become a constant in her life.

Jenna Katherine Richards was the only child of Tate and Eve Richards. Being an only child wasn't by choice. A medical issue with her mother had dictated the number of children her parents would be blessed with. After trying to conceive for nearly ten years, with zero luck, much to their surprise and delight, what seemed like the hundredth home pregnancy test Eve had taken, had finally indicated a positive result. It was very difficult for her parents to truly believe and trust the positive result, so without too much hesitation, Eve placed a call to her longtime OBGYN, Dr. Russell, who by now, had become more than just her doctor; he was now their friend as well. An appointment to confirm the positive home pregnancy test was scheduled for the following day.

Time seemed to fly by when you were not waiting for something, but when you wanted to know something right away, time seemed to stand still. And for Tate and Eve, this one-day wait to see Dr. Russell dragged on as if time was not moving at all. Both of them were nervous, scared, excited, and also preparing themselves that the test could be wrong due to that fact that no pregnancy test Eve ever took had been positive. They were both aware that many home tests turned out to be false positives and false negatives, so they refused to allow themselves to celebrate until Eve had actually received a conclusive answer.

Tate was a dentist and Eve was the branch manager for their local bank in a small town they called home. Both of them enjoyed their jobs and money was never an issue. Until the appointment, both went about their normal routines, trying to pretend the following day could possibly hold the answer to the many prayers said or could break their hearts. They wanted the test to be valid but neither wanted to get their hopes up in case the unicorn positive test turned out to be a fluke.

On the day of Eve's appointment, Tate made arrangements for another dentist in his group to take on his patients that morning in order to attend the appointment with her. Whether the news was good or bad, he wanted to be there to either help celebrate or comfort his wife.

Both left their home for the doctor's office. Tate held Eve's hand as they drove. Neither one of them knew what to say, so other than a few glances toward one another with a slight smile, the drive there was quiet. They arrived at Dr. Russell's office, and before exiting the car, Tate reached over and kissed Eve. No words were needed. Both of them knew that one way or another, an answer would be confirmed. They walked into the office, hand in hand, hoping for good news but also preparing for the possibility of bad news. It was very difficult for either one of them to be 100 percent sure that after all of the years of trying and failing to conceive, that it would finally have happened.

After a brief wait, both were led to an exam room where the doctor was expected to enter shortly. While waiting, they barely spoke to one another because neither one knew what to think of what they would soon find out. Two small knocks on the closed door and Dr. Russell pushed it open and entered the room. He was well aware of why this appointment had been made so quickly, so he knew they were really not in the mood for any friendly banter. Jenna's parents wanted confirmation of this long-awaited pregnancy, so other than a friendly hello, he ordered some blood work, which was more reliable than a home pregnancy test. A nurse came in and within a few minutes, Eve's blood had been drawn, and the doctor put a rush on it in order to alleviate as much of a wait as possible. While the three adults waited in the office for the results to return, the doctor asked the usual questions regarding information about the possible pregnancy. Eve answered all of the questions to the best of her ability. Being that Eve was not on any kind of birth control, she really couldn't pinpoint when she may have conceived if she was indeed pregnant. They would be just as surprised as the doctor if the test was proven to actually be a valid positive one. If Eve was pregnant, she had no idea how far along she could be.

As the clock barely seemed to move, all three of them were startled when the door of the exam room was pushed open by the same nurse who came in earlier to draw Eve's blood. She walked in carrying a folder in her hand and, in complete silence, which was deafening, handed it to Dr. Russell. He looked at both Tate and Eve before opening the folder. He quickly scanned the paperwork inside. With bated breath, Tate and Eve stared at him, anxiously waiting to hear the news, good or bad. They were there as a team, and they were prepared to either rejoice together or be disappointed together.

Knowing that the waiting was killing them, Dr. Russell looked at both Tate and Eve and, with a smile on his face, confirmed what the home pregnancy test had shown. Eve was indeed pregnant. Dr. Russell stood up and congratulated both of them. He knew just how long both of them had been waiting for this day to come. He then tried to make them recall time periods that could possibly provide him with information about the conception date. From the information gathered, to the best of their knowledge, Dr. Russell deduced that if the information they provided was accurate, Eve was approximately six weeks pregnant and that this long-awaited baby was due on or near the October 15th. Dr. Russell told Eve that he would need to see her every six weeks in order to monitor her weight and measure her stomach, which would provide him with information regarding the current size and weight of the baby in utero. Once this information was obtained, her due date would be verified. In some cases, due dates could be changed. Dr. Russell also told both Eve and Tate that when she returned for her next appointment, a sonogram would be performed to check the baby's current weight, length, hear the heartbeat; and if there were any abnormalities, they would show up on the sonogram. Dr. Russell saw Eve's face grow very tense. He quickly assured her that all of these tests were routine, and he told her not to worry about anything until there was something to worry about. Eve felt better. She knew that pregnant women went to the doctor often during their pregnancies, so she was relieved. Dr. Russell looked at both Tate and Eve and told them that at her next appointment, if she was indeed six weeks pregnant, the gender of the baby could or would possibly show up on the sonogram. So he told them to go home and think long and hard about whether or not they wanted to know the gender of the baby. If they did and all parts were visible, he would be able to reveal the gender to them. But if they wanted the