practically every evening for the past 4 months, my parents would find themselves in an argument. i tried my best to tune it out; find some corner of my house to hide in and distract myself.
usually it was in the guest room. a stark, white room with tall ceilings and a big window looking down on our suburban neighborhood. with the door closed i could just barely hear the raised voices of my parents.
i'd hide up there and pass the time looking out that window, mesmerized by the kids playing outside. i never had a regular childhood. watching the kids laughing and kicking their soccerball back and forth reminded me of how my parents would close the door on my friends inviting me to play outside.
but this evening just as i was about to close the curtain to the window, i saw a boy walking outside. he was being dragged along by two huge dogs and his dark hair flopped into his eyes. i hadn't seen him in my neighborhood before and was immediately intrigued. we didn't often have people move in or out, everything in the city was practically stationary.
i watched as he rolled up his sleeves under the hot desert sun and he cast a glance directly at my window. i ducked a little but left enough room to still see out. the boy did a double take as if he didn't know what he'd seen but kept walking.
i wasn't sure what to do, something about him made me want to chase after him but i couldn't go out there. the longer i thought about it, the more determined i became to sneak outside. it wasn't like my parents would be looking for me.
i walked out of the guest room and crossed the long hallway back to my room. taking a deep breath, i stepped out onto my balcony and swung myself over the railing. as i let go, i dropped to the ground with a thud and a couple of scrapes.
