A Tourist in Mayberry

9/5) Sienna and Baby Emmie Bell Go Back to School

Sienna went to high school the week before school started to get her schedule and talk to the counselor, Miss Amy. She took baby Emmie Bell and all the office staff oohed and aahed over how precious she looked in her pink lace outfit with a big polka dot bow on her head. The assistant principal told Sienna how brave she was and how proud she was of her. Miss Amy assured her, even though she missed a whole year of school, if she worked hard and stayed focused, Sienna would graduate on time. She didn't lie to her or sugarcoat it. Miss Amy told her it was going to be rough. She did make sure Sienna's schedule included a first semester of nothing but online classes to give Sienna some flexibility and time to work and take care of a baby too. She also checked out a laptop for Sienna and gave her the Mount Airy Public Library's schedule so she could do some of her classwork using the library's wifi.

Miss Amy said, " It will be tough, but we will help you. You are going to graduate."

Sienna already knew how tough it was to be a just turned sixteen year old mom. Her mom was helping, but Sienna still had to get up at night to feed the baby and still go to work and school. It was hard and lonely. Damn that damn Damien (sorry baby). He deserted her. She did not know what he was running from or why. She didn't tell a soul Damien talked to someone about her baby while they were in hiding. Someone who was probably that killer. She told the sheriff Damien was afraid of the killer and maybe that was why he ran. She didn't know why, but she did not want anyone to believe Damien was involved in the mess at all. She convinced herself Damien was not involved. He was only scared.

She knew she was better off without him, but Sienna was sixteen and alone and her aloneness was enough reason to want and need and yearn for her man. She was bad yearning. It hurt. She was just turned sixteen and immature and supposed to make stupid mistakes.

Sienna hated Damien, but she wanted him. She missed him. Where was he? His mom had not heard a word. Even though Sienna's friends told her she deserved better, all her friends had asshole boyfriends and deserved better too. Sienna needed Damien, and his baby needed him. Sienna looked for him for weeks, but no Damien. And then one day she thought she saw him at the library. She went to talk to him and turned the corner, but he was gone. She went back to her table where she left her notebooks and homework and there was a note. It said:

         We made a beautiful baby. I miss you. Don't tell. See you soon.   D

Sienna looked around and smiled to herself. We did make a beautiful baby, she thought. See you soon.