No More Magic Eight Ball
by Melanie Hemry
The congregation could almost hear sleigh bells ringing through the auditorium at Eagle Mountain International Church the morning of Dec. 16, 2018. A winter wonderland backdrop set the stage for the annual Christmas program.
David and Kristy Caudillo watched eagerly as a group of children walked onstage.
On the front row stood Gabriel, the second of their five children. His sweet face puckered in concentration as he sang, while his chocolate eyes sparked with excitement. At 7 years old, Gabriel was a mixture of a tender heart and a mischievous playmate to his siblings.
While all the Caudillo children wiggled with excitement over Christmas, Gabriel awaited his birthday with bated breath. In just three weeks he would turn 8, and his greatest desire would be fulfilled.
More than anything, Gabriel wanted to play in the water park at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas. While shopping on Black Friday after Thanksgiving, his grandmother had found tickets on sale for the lodge, and had snapped up a family outing there for Gabriel’s birthday. One of the conditions of the sale price had been that, once purchased, the dates couldn’t be changed. That was no problem. The date of Gabriel’s birthday wouldn’t change either.
Later that afternoon, Kristy let the four boys go outside to play on the trampoline while she fed her youngest child, Kathryn. At around 3:30, the peaceful afternoon was shattered by piercing cries.
David ran outside and found Gabriel lying face down on top of his elbow.
Birthday Bummer
“I carried him inside and put ice on his elbow while trying to figure out what had happened,” David recalls. “The boys had been playing on the trampoline, which is surrounded by a net. Gabriel had kicked off his little brother Nathaniel’s cap and laughed at him. Then he stepped outside the net to pick up the cap. That’s when Nathaniel retaliated by knocking him off the trampoline.
“I left the other children home with Kristy and drove Gabriel to Urgent Care, talking to him on the way. We teach our kids not to bully others, and that includes their siblings. I told Gabriel that since I didn’t see the accident, he would have to describe what happened to the doctor. He was very embarrassed, but he did it.
16 : BVOV
