BEYOND BORDERS

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I don't remember my mom. She left me when I was two. My grandma used to say that I inherited her black hair, and that is the only thing she left for me.  I was the product of a one night stand. She never had the heart to love me. I was too much for her eighteen year old self.

My earliest memory from childhood is the time when my grandma bought me a red balloon. It was huge with pink hearts on it. That was a good day I suppose. In school I never had a mom or dad to attend P.T.A meetings. My grandma was there instead. She used to braid my hair and tie the end with colorful ribbons. I was pretty to her. She was old then, with gray hairs and occasional dark roots. Her skin was coarse and soft at the same time that It  always fascinated me when I massaged her hands.

In fifth grade, a boy from my class made fun of me because I didn't have a mom or dad. I cried that day. When it was raining outside that night, my grandma gathered me in her arms and told me that I don't need a mom and dad because she loves me more than them. I was envious of other kids when their parents pick them from school. But I never again told my grandma that, because deep in my heart I know that she loves me more than anyone and she will always be there for me. But that changed two days ago.

The coffin was now covered with back soil. The last of the neighbors left from the cemetery. Father Joseph stayed to my right. From this moment on I am truly an orphan. I don't know where my mom or dad is. I don't have a relative to take me with them. My only home is gone.