Meet Dilemma

Dilemma

My mind overflowed with thought...
Where was Hope?
A better question could've been ... WHERE WAS MY FATHER?

I wanted to look deeper into the files of Ronald Spring, but I had to stay focused.

My mother had begun to worry about me. Searching for Hope had took a spin on me and Pierce's schedules. I would spend all day looking for clues about Hope and, by the time I got home, I was so tired that I barely ate. What she didn't know was that, not only had I become stressed about trying to find Hope, but I had also become stressed about figuring out the mystery that was my father.

My night ended how every night did... falling asleep with my glasses on my face and a cup of ramen noodles in my hand.

....

My mother woke me up about 10:00 the next morning.

"Ma, you were supposed to wake me up at 7:00!"

"You needed your rest, Journey!"

"But you know I'm trying to find Hope!"

"Hope wouldn't want you to stress out and you know that! You have to think about your health first!"

I could feel the vibration of my phone on the bed, so I turned around to answer it.

"I AM TALKING TO YOU YOUNG LADY!"

"Let me live how I want to live. Stop treating me like a child."

"I'll let you live exactly how you want to live... but it won't be in this household."

"Then I'll leave!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Just watch me!"

I tried to walk out, but my mother grabbed my shirt and yanked me closer to her.

"YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, JOURNEY!"

She slung me on the bed and slammed my door.

Why was she treating me like a child? Why couldn't I be free to make my own decisions... to live life the way I wanted to?? It wasn't fair. I was 19 years old and she still treated me like I was 5!

"Pierce... I need you to pick me up tonight. I'm running away," I whispered into the phone.

"But why would you want to do that?"

"I'm tired of living here. I'm an adult and my mother still treats me like I'm in elementary school."

"I'll be there at 11."

I reached in my closet and pulled out my biggest traveling bag. I couldn't take everything with me, so I had to pack smart. I forced everything I needed into my bag and threw it back in the closet until it was time to go. It seemed like I put the bag away just in time because right after I did, my mother opened my door and walked into my room. She sat on my bed and hung her head.

"You hate me, don't you?" she asked me.

"I don't hate you mom. I just wish you would let me live the way I want to. I'm 19, you know? And I get treated like I'm a child EVERYDAY. I know I'm stressed out, but it's for my bestfriend. And for her, I would go through a million more stressful days. I love Hope!"

"What don't you understand, Journey?"

"Mom, what don't you understand??? I'm going to find Hope if it's the last thing I do!"

Without one more word, she got up and walked out, closing the door a little softer this time. She didn't bother me anymore.

10:59 had come and I was ready.

Pierce was one of those people who did everything on time, so I expected him to be right on time. But... he wasn't there at 11.

I tried to call him, but it went straight to voicemail. This was strange because he never let his phone die on him either. I put my bag down and laid on my bed in thought. I figured that since I couldn't get in touch with Pierce, I might as well have begun my father's file. I opened the file to the first page, the one I had read earlier that day. I was turning the page when I heard a familiar knock on my window. It was the knock Pierce did when he came to the house. Was I ever going to figure out what happened to my father? There was no time now. I had to leave, I grabbed my bag and opened my window. It was Pierce looking a bit tired. He helped me climb out of the window and put my bag into his car. I hopped in the passenger side without a second thought, and we sped off.

"Pierce, are you okay?"

"I'm so tired!"

"Why?"

"I've been ripping and running ALL NIGHT!"

"What have you been doing?"

"You're right, Journey."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M RIGHT?"

"I'll tell you when I get to my house."

I was so confused... I had just left home, I didn't know where my best friend or my father was, and Pierce was being a bit scary. What was I right about?

We had arrived at Pierce's house at 11:15. Pierce lived by himself and he was only 18. I was 19 and I still lived with my mother. I slung my bag on the couch in the living room and crashed on the nearest love seat. I had stressed myself out, but I still needed answers, so I asked Pierce to take a seat beside me to discuss.

"Soooo..."

"She's in Majuro..."

"...Hope?"

"Yes"

"How do you know that?"

"I took a trip to the mental hospital today. Here's how it went..."