Ashley ✓

Four | Reflection

SOTC: Hollywood's Bleeding by Post Malone

Six Months Later

"And we're here!"

The second my social worker cheered it, the driver rolled the car into a slow stop on the curb. I gradually turned my head so I could gaze out the clear window of the passenger's seat.

There I saw my new foster house in the deep end of central Los Angeles.

Just like the rest of the houses both the foundation and the paint chipped away, garbage and kids toys were strewn across the patchy yard, and the porch had a broken screen. Except this one was an off-white in color.

"Ready to go?" the over bubbly social worker then asks me with a face-breaking smile like I was a puppy about to get stabbed with a needle at the vet.

I nodded, clicking the button of my seatbelt.

She and I exited the car. I cringed as the steps to the door creaked under my flip flop, which she appeared to notice judging by her sudden pity face when I found her large almond eyes on mine.

Her knuckles contacted the door twice, and the door opened.

Behind it a middle-aged woman with large, tight curls and dark chocolate skin came into view.

"Ms. Gardeners!" the social worker exclaimed.

"Mrs. Mindy," the woman replied. Her grin then directed at me induced a sparkle in her squinting eyes. "Come in."

She stepped aside, and I followed the lead of the social worker (named Mrs. Mindy, I guess) into the kitchen. The Sun lit the basic appliances within it and the small, circular brown table to the side of them.

Mrs. Mindy clapped her hands together, her face the epitome of cheeriness at mine. "Ashley, this is Ms. Gardeners, your new foster parent!" She gestured to the woman. "The woman's humble about it, BUT she's the sweetest thing on Planet Earth—"

"Mrs. Mindy," she chuckled quietly.

"Oh, but it's true!"

Mrs. Gardners turned to me. "It's very nice to finally meet you, Ashley." Her serene voice appeared to soften the air within the room, her offered smile almost changing the elements within it.

"Well, I'm going to pack up my eggs and leave!" Mrs. Mindy announced after a pause, making a Facebook mom laugh at her nonsensical phrase. "I may or may not see you, Ashley, we shall see!"

She then hustled out the door, jingling her keys as she left.

My eyes stayed where Mrs. Mindy had gone before they flitted downward. I slightly moved my fingers in a knuckle popping motion, unsure in thought.

"She's quite the extrovert."

I turned to Mrs. Gardeners as her voice seemed to come out in quiet melodies as she said it.

A pause rang through the air.

"They had me read your records before taking you into the house," she finally said. "What happened to you to get into the system was unimaginable. There are no words to express how sorry I am you had to experience what you had."

I averted my gaze, nodding.

"But never mistake that for pity."

My eyes had nearly gone wide as she stepped towards me. "I'm sure many feel sorry for you," she continued. "But if you want to learn from your experiences, to become a better person because of it, you're the only person that can truly do it. I may have never met you, but I'll say it: I believe you can do it. And if you want help to do that for yourself, let me know of anything I can do to help you.