Childhood

Ch. 13

"Hey kid, whatcha do to get thrown in here?" asked a man who sat across the jail cell, Spongebob sat down at a bench, his leg shaking, he wasn't sure if he was scared or angry, maybe both.

"I stole from my dad." he said, the man shifted his head, "You stole from your father? What did you steal?" he asked him, "Money, I mean, I didn't really steal it, I borrowed it, without permission." Spongebob answered, the man nodded, "How old are you?" the man asked, Spongebob sighed, "seventeen.. " he answered, the man nodded repeating the number under his breath.

"I can't believe my own father would throw me in jail, it's like he really hates me or something, first, he doesn't let me go out with this girl, who is just Amazing, and now, he throws me in jail for wanting to be with her." Spongebob said as he balled his fists.

"Oh so you did it for a girl?" the man asked, Spongebob sighed, he smiled, "But after what happened today, I think that it was worth it, she really is amazing, oh I just, can't help myself, someday, I hope to marry that girl, and then grow old and have three kids, I just.. Is it a crime to be in love?" Spongebob asked the man. The man smiled, "Oh, you got it bad." he said while shaking his head.

Spongebob looked at the man, "what do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, the man sighed he looked down, "I'm an old man, and I know how you feel, that actually happened to me too when I was your age, I met this gal, her name's Rosie, she was the sweets, most purest thing I'd ever seen, I can see her now, her hair, her skin, the color of her blue eyes, the color of her soft pink lips, and rosey cheeks." the man smiled as he pictured the woman he fell in love with long ago.

"She went to the same school I did, we were best friends, we had so much in common, it was hard to believe that such a beautiful thing like her would ever return my feelings, until I asked her to prom" he said, Spongebob smiled, it was just like him and Ivy.

"What happened?" Spongebob asked him, the man only smiled brighter, "We hooked up, married her two years after high school, had two kids, two girls, and a boy, Jessie, Casey, and Louis, they're all grown now, with their own family." the man shook his head, "Man, how the years went on, me and Rosie grew old, I'd never been more happy, until a year ago.." the man said, his voice grew quiet and he looked down at his hand, at the wedding ring on his finger, a tear fell from the man's cheek, "She got sick, I took her to every doctor I could, but, none of them could help her in time, it wasn't until now they came up with a cure for it, if only they came up with it sooner, I'd still have my Rosey, now I just have our kids." the man said.

Spongebob stood up and walked over to the man, placing his hand over his back, "I am so sorry, that must have been hard for you, losing someone that you love." Spongebob said, the man just sniffled, "Oh, it's alright, at least I loved her right." the man smiled, Spongebob smiled before the smile faded.

"My grandfather, he's in the hospital, fighting some sickness too, the doctors say that they can't do anything to help him, so they're just keeping him in the hospital.." Spongebob said before looking down, "It scares me, thinking that one day, he won't be here one day, so believe me, I understand.. My grandpa, he means something to me, he was always there when I needed someone, unlike my dad, it seems that my dad forgets about things when they pass, that he just pushes them aside.. You wanna know something, I actually died once.." Spongebob told the man, the man looked at him.

Spongebob looked down, "I was eight at the time, I was always bullied in school, always getting beat up, until one day, I was able to fight back, and when I did.. These boys, they told their older brother that I was bullying them, so they lured me out, saying that they wanted to show me something, so I went.. And they.. I, I shouldn't have went, but I just thought… they jumped me, beat me so bad that I actually died.." Spongebob shook his head at the horrible memory.