Island

I don't understand why there is a bad connotation of the word loner. What is a loner? Is it someone who doesn't like other people? Or is it someone who just likes to be alone? Loners prefer not to interact with other people. Loners don't need to be defined by other people but at the same time no man is an island. Everyone needs someone. This is the lesson that one man learns.

There was once a man named Gus. A man with the grayest eyes you had never seen. He was a prisoner in his own psyche. Every day for him was the same: get up, write, eat. A past experience plagued him, kept him prisoner. For he wanted no contact with the outside world if he could help it. To him people were selfish. To him, people only wanted to take. To other people, he was distant, unemotional, and strange. His sister, Juliet was the only one to know the real him. The kind him, the gentle, caring him. She cared for him deeply but knew he was an island, she decided to keep her distance.

One Saturday morning in the dark, dank apartment, Gus sat at his desk writing away. He was a writer, a job that rarely required him to leave his solemn residence. Even with the beautiful sun outside, the only light seen in the apartment was his illuminating laptop. There was no difference to this day than any else. Yet at the same time Gus felt something in the air that gave him an eerie feeling. He shrugged it off. A knock sounded at the door.

He opened the door to a buzzed-cut police officer. Gus saw that the officer's interest was piqued when he peered into the darkness that was his apartment. The officer cleared his throat, "I am here to inform you of your sister," he looked at the ground for a couple of seconds, "She has been in a car accident and she is currently in the ICU." Gus stayed silent but his heart is beating erratically. "I can take you there now," he said while he turned around, "Your niece needs you now."

Gus arrived at the hospital with worry straining in his mind. He didn't have a thought about his niece, Layla, too much of his mind is occupied with Juliet. Still to the outside world, the man had no emotion. The only person that was able to see through that front laid in a hospital bed with tubes down her throat.

Gus clenched his jaw, trying to hold back the tears. Going through his head is denial. She can't be here.He felt tugging on his coat and turns around to a little blond girl with piercing blue eyes, his niece, Layla. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked, her big blue eyes watered.

He gulps before he answered, "I don't know. They haven't told me"

Layla threw her arms around him for comfort. He stiffened, uncomfortable with this display of consolement. Finally, Layla released him and he immediately relaxed. "Who are you going to stay with?"

"I don't know," Layla said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I guess you're stuck with me," he said wearily.

Gus constantly second guessed his babysitting capabilities. "I don't know nothing about kids." he argued to himself.

Layla sat on her coach watching him dealing with an obvious internal battle fighting in him. He keeps making strange facial expression which confused Layla. They had arrived at her home ten minutes before. "I'm hungry," Layla stated.

"Go make something," Gus commanded.

"I don't know,"

"How old are you?"

"I'm only eight years old,"

"That's old enough to pour your own cereal,"

"Mom doesn't let me,"

"Why?" He asked.

"I always spill."

With a grunt of annoyance, Gus walked into the kitchen and poured her a bowl of cereal. He set it down in front of her and without waiting for a response he went upstairs. She had a pretty decent house for being a single mother. The house is two story with three bedrooms, along with a game room, living room, and a spacey kitchen. He sees a door with Glitter letter that reads: LAYLA. Not it. He opened the second to see into a bathroom. Not it. He opened to a third door, seeing none of Juliet's stuff, he concluded that the room was in fact a guest room. A headache pounded on his head, Gus flopped on to the bed, laying face up, stared at the ceiling in a daze. Eventually he fell asleep.