Together, We Will Fly

Lola

I could fly, once. The world would spin around me and I could see endless blue skies.

Then one day I stopped flying. When my mama died in a car accident, I lost everything I had. No other family, I was alone. I became a foster kid, traipsing from one side of America to the other to new families.

I stopped figure skating. I just couldn't skate anymore. It didn't feel right without mama, who used to own the ice like a queen. Plus when you're a foster kid, you don't exactly get to keep up extracurricular activities.

I was really down, I wasn't heading anywhere. Until I met a boy named Duke in the city of Chicago.

From the moment I laid my eyes on him, I knew that Duke and I would be friends. At first I was ostracised by the other kids because I was a foster kid, but everyone always liked Duke. He had this effortless cool about him, and a great smile. To be quite honest, I'm not sure what made him want to be my friend in the first place...

But for whatever reason, we were. We would sit in class together, hang out at lunchtime. He taught me how to shoot in basketball and I taught him how to roller skate. There was a rink nearby which we would go to every weekend, and everyday after school we would play basketball with the rest of the boys.

I could never relate to any of the girls at school. Not because I'm antisocial or anything, we were just too different. The girls just aimed to be this weird, fake idealistic girl who had the most followers and likes on Instagram, while I just wanted to have fun.

My foster parents in Chicago, Mildred and Darren, were very kind to me. They decorated my room, and let me hang out with Duke all the time. We were inseparable, and when we weren't together in person we would video chat instead. We were Duke and Lola. It was us against the world.

I never felt as at home in any other foster home as I did with Mildred and Darren. With Mildred's generous heart and Darren's thoughtful, fatherly nature I began to forget my life before. They were my parents. Until one day, when I came across a photo of my mother in the ice, carelessly strewn in the back of my bedside drawer.

As soon as I saw that photo I felt like my blood was on fire and my heart was racing wildly. I had nearly forgotten but not really. It is amazing how the mind pushes back painful memories so that you can live without such distress. But seeing this photo brought back the pain...

~~~

"My sweet darling, would you pass me my skates?" My mother was preparing to go out into the ice for a competition. She was young when she had me, I was 13 when she was 34.

"Of course, Mama." I chimed. "I want to be as good as you are one day."

"Oh honey, and you will be if you really want to. I love you so much." She wrapped her arms around me and I felt warm and safe.

The loudspeaker announced her name, and she gave me one final look.

"I'll see you on the other side, sweetheart." She said touching my shoulder softly on her way out.

On the ice, my mother ruled. She had this elegant grace as well as a wild passion when she moved with the music. My mama skated because she truly loved it, just as I did.

~~~

With these suppressed memories flooding back all at once, I was overwhelmed.

I became more sullen and sad than my usual cheery self, and Duke didn't know why. Mildred and I talked about it a few times, which did help, but there's only so much you can do when you are in a terrible car accident which you survive and your mother doesn't, and you remember it in vivid detail.

~~~

"You have so much ahead of you, sweet pea. So much to look forward to." Mama gave me a big smile and her eyes sparkled with happiness. "But for now, let's get a milkshake and then hit the beach!"

I nodded in agreement, excited. Huntington Beach was such a great place to live, a great lifestyle. I loved life in sunny California.

As we drove and laughed, oblivious to the fact that this was our last time together, we picked up speed on the highway. We were driving smoothly when suddenly I felt this massive bump and heard a loud popping sound. It sounded like it was coming from the motor, but I can't be sure.

We were still picking up speed, and mama was fiddling around with the pedals.

"Mama slow down!!!" I yelled in a panic.

"I can't honey, it's stuck!"

I was so scared and I could see that she was too.

I suppose it was over pretty quickly after that. Mama was trying to dodge the traffic but there were too many cars.

"I love you so much Lola! I always will!" She screamed to me, tears in her eyes. I was frantic, clutching my seatbelt so tightly in my hands that it left a mark.

"Me too mama!"

Suddenly a huge, red truck appeared ahead and mama swerved to avoid it. The car rolled and rolled and I thought it would never stop rolling. I was just screaming and screaming and the sound of scraping metal accompanied me. I though it would never end and then it did.

I found myself lying face down on the hot road. There was a lot of blood on my face and hands, and my entire body felt like it was broken. So did my heart.

I never saw my mother again.

I never saw my mother again.

END OF CHPT. 1 - I WILL WRITE MIRE IF PEOPLE TELL ME THEY LIKE IT!