The Jerk Next Door

The Jerk Next Door

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I stare in horror at the far from picturesque image in front of me. Flakes of ash rain down around me as the firemen do what they do; put out fires.

They say that before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. At this moment, every little memory tucked away in the recesses of my brain are flowing through my mind like a slideshow. I may not be physically dying, but the emotionally I am. The thought of my Mom and siblings sends me into a whirlwind of whimpering, crying, throwing up and eventually there was nothing left in my stomach. A terrible pain shot through my stomach as my body realized I had nothing else to vomit. "Oh! Savi, dear. Come here" I hear the soft-spoken voice of Mrs.Gold, my Mom's best friend and next door neighbour. I cry even more as it reminds me of where my Mother was.

Mrs.Gold -or Margie, as she likes to be called- pulls me into a bone crushing hug. "T-this c-can't b-be happening!" I say, my voice cracking. My throat felt raw and dry. I clawed at it, trying to ease the umcomfortable feeling. "Come on, honey. Come to my place" she says quietly. She then leads me through the small crowd of people, watching the scene unfold. We walked a few feet and then came to her front door. She pushed it open and half lead-half dragged me inside. I felt numb all over.

Once in the pristine kitchen, she discarded me on a chair and went to the cupboard. She took out an orange mug and put some water in the kettle. "Tea with honey. It'll help your throat" was what she said as she grabbed a tea bag and honey. Once the water boiled, she poured it in my mug and dunked the tea bag in. She squeezed a bit of honey in before handing me the steaming drink.

"Drink up, Savanna" Margie said. She offered me a smile full of pity and sadness. That's right, I wasn't the only one who lost something tonight. Margie had lost a best friend. Margie and my Mom were practically sisters.

I nodded my head and took my first sip. It made me realize that my stomach was empty. "I'm not going to say 'sorry for your loss' because it's annoying. But, I will say that you're not alone" Margie stated halfway through my tea. That's why I liked Margie, she was understanding. Her and my Mom were only in their mid 30's, having married their high school sweethearts. So, as a result, they were both pretty young and they seemed to understand me. I liked that.

"Thanks" I said quietly. It was the first thing I'd said in a while. "So...where will I be living?" I asked, clearing my throat. At that Margie's face broke out into a huge grin. "Why right here, of course!" Was her bubbly reply. I smiled a little too. It's better than foster care, that's for sure!

My eyes then felt compelled to look into the hallway where I saw someone who was a sight for sore eyes. That is, until I remembered what they had done to me. My eyes suddenly hardened and I looked away.

Margie was babbling on about how the guest room could be painted and we can go shopping for new, well, everything on the weekend. But I wasn't paying attention. I could only think of one thing; how will I survive when I'll be living with him?

Maybe staying with the Golds, is a bad idea. Scratch that, it's a terrible idea.