The narrator, Leah, recounts her impulsive childhood and teenage years, marked by reckless decisions and a tendency to act without thinking. She shares stories of defending her home from a robber, getting into fights, and breaking a teacher's stick. Leah also talks about her complicated relationships with her sister Amy, who bullies her, and her best friend River, who develops romantic feelings for her. As she navigates high school and university, Leah starts dating Dylan and eventually marries him. After having a child, Leah becomes a stay-at-home mom and learns to prioritize her daughter's needs, even donating a kidney to save her life. Throughout the story, Leah reflects on the lessons she's learned and the ways in which motherhood has changed her.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The narrator's name is Leah.
2. Leah has a tendency to act impulsively without thinking things through.
3. Leah's parents thought her impulsive behavior was a childhood phase that she would outgrow.
4. When Leah was five years old, she caught a robber in her house and hit him with a frying pan.
5. Leah's parents were not pleased with her actions and scolded her for going downstairs alone.
6. Leah has a sister named Amy who often bullied her and made fun of her hair.
7. In the second grade, Leah put pink paint and glitter in her hair to try to look pretty like Amy.
8. The principal did not approve of Leah's hair and she got in trouble.
9. Leah met a boy named River who became her best friend.
10. River and Leah became inseparable and stuck up for each other.
11. Amy often made fun of Leah and River.
12. Leah's literature teacher was strict and carried a long, thin stick to discipline students.
13. Leah snapped and broke the teacher's stick in half during a class.
14. As a result, Leah was sent to the principal and given a month's detention.
15. Despite this, Leah's classmates praised her for standing up to the teacher.
16. River kissed Leah in front of the whole class, and Leah kissed him back.
17. Leah started dating a boy named Dylan, the captain of the baseball team.
18. Amy was jealous of Leah and Dylan's relationship.
19. Leah fell and hit her head, and when she woke up, she had amnesia.
20. The doctor diagnosed Leah with anterograde amnesia, and she pretended not to remember anything except her early childhood.
21. River was devastated that Leah didn't remember him.
22. Leah went to the spring dance with Dylan and had a great time.
23. Amy tried to get revenge by slapping pink paint on Leah's hair.
24. River discovered Leah's act and confronted her about it.
25. Leah confessed to River that she didn't love him the way he loved her.
26. River was hurt but eventually forgave Leah and asked if they could just be friends.
27. Leah and River remained best friends through high school and university.
28. Leah dated Dylan all through university and graduated with honors.
29. Leah got engaged to Dylan and they got married.
30. River was Leah's best man at her wedding.
31. Leah had a baby girl named Lisa.
32. Leah quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom.
33. Leah found being a stay-at-home mom exhausting and sometimes boring.
34. When Lisa was two, she ate Leah's secret stash of popsicles.
35. When Lisa fell ill, Leah donated one of her kidneys to her.
36. Leah and Lisa underwent surgery, and Leah recovered after some time.