Take Me Home

Brother

I didn't sleep that whole night. I only sat at the kitchen table, and watched the little boy all night. All night long, until morning. I kept watch over him. And if Martins tried to do anything to him in the night, he would have had to get through me first. Which was a rather scary thought. Because I didn't know if I could really protect that child. Hell, I still felt like a child myself, although I was fifteen now. But at some points, I still did feel like that helpless, seven year old child. But I tried to see past that most days.

I was scared. I was scared for the kid. I was scared to ask the little boy what happened. I was scared to ask if Martins did anything to him. I had been gone that whole day. And who knows how long Martins had him for. The thing in Bakersfield, this must have been it. He must have wanted me there, so I could have helped him take this kid.

I was scared for him to wake up. Because I knew I had to ask that little boy that question. I didn't want to, but I had to know. Martins had hurt me the first night he took me. And if this little boy was anything like me, than it must have been already too late. But I hoped it wasn't.

The sun came and rose early in the morning, more around six o'clock. I was really tried, but I didn't want to sleep. I didn't. Because if I went to sleep now, Martins could wake up at any time, and that meant he could hurt him in those few short hours. And besides, if I crawled into bed now, and he was awake, he could think I was just getting back home, and I could really get in trouble. No, I didn't want to risk it. I would just have to get a good night sleep tonight before the football game tomorrow night. Should I tell him about it? No. I quickly shut that idea down. I guess I could just stay home and look after the kid more, but I couldn't let the team down. And besides, I wasn't just going to stay in the cabin all the time now just because of this kid. I could look after him and try to make sure he didn't get hurt, and I could also have a life of my own. Or somewhat of a life with my friends. So that's what I would do.

As I looked at the little boy who was asleep on the couch, he reminded me a lot of myself at his age. He looked no more than seven or eight. Him, with his light brown hair and freckled face. His hair looked almost like mine when I was seven, or at least as I could remember. I wondered what his name was, and what he was gonna name him next. And I wondered how he took him the other day. Did he just grab him from the street? He must have. How else would he have gotten him? But as I looked at the kid longer, it only brought back those young years of mine. And the time before when I was so innocent. Until he took me away. And took that innocents away.

A few hours later, the time was now 9:35am, that's when I began to hear stirring around in the room Martins and I shared. He was up. As creaks and cracks echoed through the cabin, it was like I could just tell what he was doing in that room. The door was shut, but I knew what he was doing. I knew his normal morning routine. He would wake up first, and usually he would stay in bed for a good ten more minutes, trying to let the day sink in. And then he would get dressed in whatever he would be wearing for the day.

Next he would go and eat breakfast, but first he had to have his coffee and read the paper. I had remembered his routine and saw it all the time, as I remember I would watch him as he got up in the morning, leaving the bed I was forced to share with him for the first five or six years. I would pretend I was still asleep at those times, but I remember his stirring and noises.

As we got the new cabin and moved in a few years ago, I was thrilled to see there were two beds in the bedroom, and for once it felt like some sort of freedom in a way. However, even to this day, I was still worried some nights that he would crawl into my bed with me, considering our beds were less than ten feet apart. He had done that multiple times when we first moved into this cabin, but as the years went by and I grew older, he didn't do that as frequently. He hadn't done that in awhile. Like I said before, he mostly left me alone now. Something I was very thankful for.