March 18
I sat with my eyes closed, enjoying this beautiful sky day and the cool air. I immediately sat up, hearing a distant cry that seemed to be coming closer. I sat up, bracing myself for whatever this was about to be.
"Aww, my love, who did it?" Scooting toward the blubbering child as he ran in a stumble motion toward me, standing, I removed his hands from his face,
"Pick or carry?" I gestured as I asked him which he preferred. He put his hands up to me, and I quickly scooped him up,
"Now, once again, who did it? Hmmm, handsome?" I jostled his shirt to distract him from crying so he could answer me. He whispered a soft "da" near my ear, I lifted my head away from his face to face him,
"Will you show me where da is?"
As soon as he nodded, I began walking in the direction he came from. I was on a mission. As I walked, he would point, and then I would turn and go the way he led me, and it was just a winding hallway, and at the other end, just a few steps away, were a few men. As we came through the hallway, the child began to cry again, and I knew that we had located "da" as I got closer, going over to the first set of men I saw, whispering,
"Which one is da?"He pointed quickly, hiding his hand around my neck. I looked at where he told me. I approached the threesome, looking at the child in my arms, I asked,
"Do you have siblings?" He nodded. I set him on his feet before he ran off. I faced with the cluster on my own.
Remembering which one the baby pointed to as his daddy, I came just a smidge closer, and their eyes stayed trained on me. Good, that's exactly what I wanted, I knocked him in his shit. And I ran after getting on his level and knocking him in his shit again.I ran as fast as I could, which wasn't that fast, but when I was as scared and full of shock as I was, I could run faster.
~
That's it. That is the last time I am ever trying to fit in. I mean, what was I thinking anyway? All I did was invite myself based on what I overheard. And what happened? I was left sitting by myself and smiling like a fool. Well, no more of that. And look at it, trying so hard, and I'm left alone again, and now it's whatever time it is of night, and I'm walking alone.
~wails~
Just ignore it. Don't be stupid twice in the same night.
~wails~
It's getting louder and closer. It's not my business. But someone could be hurt.
~wails~
Okay, that is close, too close.
Standing right before her was a baby, rubbing its fist against its eye, face a twinge red and puffy.
She gestured to pick him up, and when he raised his arm, she moved quickly to gather him in her arms, rushing off in a direction she didn't know, but she needed to move away from that area soon without looking back.
~
After some running, the most she'd ever done in a lifetime, the crying baby had gone silent, lying against her blossoming bosom as she moved about, stopping every so often to figure out where to go next and then moving again. After some time of doing that, she grew tired, and she knew she couldn't be exhausted because that wouldn't do well for the pair.
"Where's home?"
A quiet "da" echoed onto her skin, and she nodded because what does that mean, and what could she get from that? She turned and returned to the area she had previously run from, hoping this "da" would be more accessible to find that way. Returning to the same spot she had found him, she coaxed him to look around and help her locate the vicinity where "da" could be.
"Anything, you see? Hmm?" she bounced him lightly against her as she followed each movement, turning him so he could look around without putting him back on the sidewalk,
"Da!" His voice came out louder,
She looked forward to where he pointed, and she saw a staircase, so she slowly began to climb it, cautious of her surroundings as it was getting darker. No wonder he was crying. She wanted to scream, too.
After climbing both flights of stairs, she was met with a wide-open door. That's how he got out. A glance at him and saw he began sobbing a bit. She reassured him as they entered the home, quickly closing and securing the door behind them. She let him down onto his feet slowly. Before she could follow him behind him, she was up against the wall, hemmed up by her arms, wrists in a tight grip, and much more weight on her than she was already carrying,
"Who in the fuck are you?"
Again, I ran off, not knowing where I was going but running nonetheless because I kept running into him, and this was starting to feel orchestrated.
