Russian Dejection

It was late, very late at night, just about 2:30am. It was incredibly dark and dreary like the start of a horror film. I was walking. I couldn't take it anymore, mom and dad were always fighting about petty things. Like from how much the electric bill was to who got to watch the television. It was selfish of me to leave because I had two younger sisters and an older brother.

My older brother Alexie always understood my pain, we were the ones that had to keep in charge of Francesca and Gabriella. Mom and dad were never around. they were always either fed up with each other and left or they were at work. Alexie and I always made dinner, every single night. We fed Francesca and Gabby first, we made sure they went to bed on a full stomach. Us, we ate whatever they didn't eat. Alexie and I both realized how poor we were, we didn't have jobs, we were only 13 and 15, no one wanted workers so young. Mom would pay off the bills with her very low salary, and dad would buy the bare minimum of food for us, and go out with his friends and spend it that way. It was Macaroni and Cheese just about every night, with a cup of water. We had 6 cups and 6 plates, and 6 forks. Alexie washed the dishes every night and put them in the cabinet. Mom worked at the local diner, she stole all of those things, everything was hand washed. We didn't have a dishwasher, nor a washing machine. We had one stove, which rarely worked, only the front right burner actually worked. the actual oven part of it never worked. It acted as a storage place, even though we didn't have much of anything to place in there. Then after dinner we made sure Fran and Gabby did all their homework and put them to bed. They were old enough to take showers by themselves and not have to assist them with running a bath. After the go into their one double bed, its time for Alexie and I to do our own homework. Alexie knew he had to and pushed for 100's on every test and quiz, he knew he had to get a scholarship for school. We would never be able to pay the tuition. After school right when I came back from drama I would watch the local news and wait for Fran and Gabby to get home from school.

Drama was what made me happy, I never got a lead, I was never in the ensemble, I was in the backstage crew. It took my mind off of things for an hour. There was one girl there, her  name was Kaitlin, she was everything I could ever dream of. She is amazingly beautiful, she got my humor, her personality was perfect, but there was one problem. She has a boyfriend. for over a year at this point. Boyfriend or not, she made me happy. Every day I always told her how her presence was the best present I could ever ask for, I never get anything for Christmas, my birthday, any holidays for that fact. that was my gift. her being nice to me. Her presence was the best present I could ever ask for. She let me borrow her books on occasion, I only really had a few by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but nothing like what she reads. She had just given me this book titled The Fault in our Stars by John Green, she said its one of the best books she had ever read. Right after she gave me the book, I asked her for her phone number, I didn't have a cell phone but I had a house phone. I explained to her that I'm very poor and I don't have the same luxuries as her, she said that I can call her any time after 7:00. She wrote it down for me and then I placed it into the book she gave me.

There was one night in particular, I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore, everything. The house phone wasn't working that night, that wasn't a surprise. I had no ipod, I had no iphone, I had no flip phone I didn't have those luxurious. I had no computer, we were very poor. I packed all my things, my few outfits in a duffle bag, my books for school and all my Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books, and the book Kaitlin let me borrow. I didn't tell Alexie I was leaving, nor Fran or Gabby. I left a note that read "I cant take it anymore, mom and dad have left, I'm leaving, I love you all, goodbye."

It was late, very late at night, just about 2:30am. It was incredibly dark and dreary like the start of a horror film. I had my duffle bag on my back, running, running as hard as I could, the tears were coming out. I must have ran for 20 minutes, as hard as I could, digging and not stopping. I felt terrible for leaving them, I was one of their providers, I left them. But I couldn't take it anymore, there was so much pressure on me, I have to blow off this steam, this is my way out. I have no food, no money, just my books and my clothes. I didn't know what I was in for, I had no idea. I ran into the woods, I found a mossy fallen log to sit upon, I pulled out The Fault in our Stars, I read the book from cover to cover, in a single stint. I place the book behind the log and lay down face up looking at the stars. But I figured the fault in these stars, two were missing. I try to fall asleep shorty after on a log but I cant for an extended amount of time. Finally I put my clothes under my head to act as a pillow and I fall asleep. 

I awake to a police officer, not that much taller than me but a bit stockier. He asks if my name is Barkov Petrov, I answer to him with a dazzed and confused voice. The man looked behind him and said "Alexie, we found him." Alexie must have called the police once he had read the note of my disappearance . I see Gabby and Fran at both of Alexie's sides, looking at me in shame. I knew we all had a lot of stress and pressure on us, and I was selfish to leave them behind. I was fairly deep inside of the woods, I was running until my lungs hurt, I didn't want to get caught. I got up and put my outfits and my Sherlock Holmes books back into my duffle bag and went with Alexie and the officer. We all gather into the squad car, for mom nor dad had gotten home yet so there was no car for us to take back home, and the officer, who said his name was Vlacic Morozov asked us a question that scared me. Vlacic asked where our parents were, we didnt know how to respond to this. we didn't want to tell Vlacic that mom and dad are never home and we have to fend for ourselves and how Alexie and I are the real providers. But we had to, this shenanigan had been going on for too long. we told him about how they're never home and they don't help the family out at all. Officer Morozov, Fran, Gabby, Alexie and I all waited at the house for mom and dad to come home so that Vlacic can ask them a few questions. They didn't come home the next day.

Mom and dad finally come home, I thought they never would, and secretly hoped they didn't. Before their arrival Officer Morozov went home, they had left two days ago, and theyre just coming back now. I was confused when mom and dad saw Vlacic, I mean they must've seen his car out front parked right in front of the house. Mom and dad weren't being normal, they were showing each other affection. She was hugging him from the side, with one leg extended up. Vlacic immediately took both of them in, he then called for another car to take us to the station with, I mean we weren't going stay home alone. Vlacic waited for the car that was picking us up before he left, which I thought was nice, no adult has ever really cared for me, even though this was a little act of kindness some people wouldn't even think twice about.

The ride to the station wasn't bad, ive never been there and I didn't plan on ever going there. but it was good that they finally got in trouble for their wrong doings. the officer that had driven us to the station introduced himself as Andankin Lebedev, he seemed very polite and very nice. He talked to us and asked for all of our names. You would've thought he was going to a bank robbery the way he was driving, he put on his sirens at every red light and stop sign, so then again I guess he isn't the most polite and respectable guy.

When we come to the station, everything comes out, there are 6 different perspectives on what happened, and like a puzzle, the police had to figure it out and piece it together