love + happiness- DRAFTS!!!

wmh: chap eight: someone's waiting for you

PART ONE:
CHAPTER EIGHT,
SOMEONE'S WAITING FOR YOU

IVA MERRITT
OCTOBER 19, 2000
MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY

  

        a five year old iva merritt grasped her plush piglet stuffed animal, shivering from the cold. it had been six hours.

       the kindergartener was being punished for not winning first place at her gymnastics tournament earlier that day. "how dare you embarrass me like that in front of all those people!" ms. candy screamed, banging on the door to keep iva from going to sleep. iva clutched the toy even harder.

      after all, iva really did try. second place by a point. all because of the broken toe she had sustained while being at ms. candy's house.

      ms. candy was a bitter young woman, with long auburn hair, fair skin, and deep green eyes. if you didn't know her, you might actually think she was pretty.

     but in reality, all the children knew she was far from it, especially on the inside.

    
       she mostly took out her frustrations on iva. all the other kids pitied iva, but were too scared to stand up for her. she was the youngest in the house. they did try and get her out of the way of ms. candy's wrath, but she was always a step ahead.

     "iva, be grateful that i'm even allowing you to still do gymnastics. make one more god awful performance like that, and i'm putting you in the freezer!"

       "yes ma'am, i promise i won't." iva apologized, shaking from the already inhumane treatment she was getting now.

     
        ms. candy kicked the door angrily, then stomped off to bed.

      iva slowly got up, her muscles sore. she winced at the broken toe on her right foot. her eyes were struggling to stay open. iva cracked the door open, failing to walk on the balls of her small feet, straining her eyes in order for her to see.

it was pitch black in the house, with the exception of the lamp on the terrace, and a candle upstairs.

iva dragged her body up the creaky wooden stairs to change into her sleeping clothes.

she found her bedroom, a simple twin bed against the wall. the room was practically empty. all iva had was a bed, a closet, and a nightstand that was pretty much gone to glory.

     iva went to the small closet on the other wall, and found a small, raggedy baby blue nightgown.

the little girl labored to get out of the tight leotard, rolling it down her legs, and tugging the nightgown over the tight bun her curly hair was yanked into.

iva took the bobby pins and ponytail holder out of her hair, letting her scalp finally breathe. she massaged her head, releasing a sigh of comfort.

she pulled her small bonnet over her hair, then limped back downstairs, towing piglet with her.

iva hobbled to the terrace, placing her head on the railing, watching the night sky and all its stars. her brown eyes began to water, as large tears rolled down her mocha cheeks.

"please send me a mama and daddy to love me. i'll be a good girl, i'll try hard in my gymnastics," iva pleaded at the sky, hoping someone could hear her and answer her wish. "please, i promise i will."