The Maid In Neverland || Michael Jackson

Chapter 20

I've done so many stupid decisions in my life before. One of them was when I decided to feed a stray dog once with a sandwich when I was eleven but it ended up biting my hand, giving me a permanent scar behind my left palm. There's also this stupid thing that I did back in highschool, when I decided to date this cool skater guy over the cute smart guy who had a crush on me. A week later I ended up having my first heartbreak. I was fifteen. I remember my young and naive self crying over the phone because the guy broke up with me.

Whenever I thought about those things now, I would just laugh. It's funny to think that we were stupid when we were young and naive, and we could still be stupid even though we've grown in experience and innocence is no longer there.

"You apt to make foolish decisions, Jane," my mom once told me. "But when you decide, make sure you're happy. Make sure there's no regret."

Too many stupid decisions in my life and some I regretted, some I didn't. Some became a happy memory, and some turned to life lessons. I wouldn't want to make a stupid decision again so I wish that saying yes to Michael Jackson about going back to the ranch a month ago wasn't one.

"Wait, are you crying?" I looked at John, my forehead creased. We were sitting on a bench in the bus stop, waiting for the bus to come. My brother was scratching his watery eyes.

"What?" He shook his head and blinked numerous times. "No, something just got stuck in my eyes--"

I shook my head and sighed. "Come here."

I pulled my brother and hugged him, and that's when he started sobbing. "I'm just happy that you're finally going to work for Mr. Michael Jackson again," he said. "And I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll visit you, don't worry," I said. "And Aunt Rosie will be looking after you. You'll be okay."

After deciding to work to the ranch again, Michael offered on buying a new place for John to stay in since he worries about our father coming back to the apartment while John is alone. Of course, I declined because that is just too much. I was worried about my brother's safety, too and I don't want him to be alone so I talked to Aunt Rosie--my mother's cousin who lived in the other side of Santa Maria--and asked her if she could temporarily take John under her roof while I was away. Aunt Rosie was a kind woman, but I understand why she was reluctant at first. She also had kids of her own and they also struggled financially but she finally agreed when I said that I will send money for John every month so she didn't have to worry.

"You don't have to worry about Dad, he doesn't know where Aunt Rosie lives," I said. "And you just have to stay there for a few months and when I saved enough money, I'll buy us a new place."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." He smiled, wiping his tears.

"Oh, here's your bus."

We stood up when the bus came and I helped him carry his bags inside.

"Call me, okay?"

I nodded. "I have Aunt Rosie's telephone number, I'll call as soon as I get to the ranch."

He hugged me for the last time before he got inside the bus. He waved by the window. "Bye, Jane!"

I smiled and waved back. "Take care!"

When the bus finally went off, I sighed. John was a strong kid. I knew he'll be fine.

Today was also the day of my return to the ranch. Rick said that he was going to pick me up around ten in the morning and It was just eight so I went back to the apartment to finish packing my things. Two months after the incident, the wound in my arm finally healed. The huge scar would sometimes hurt but it's really fine since I could already use my arm again and do works with it. I guessed it would completely recover and return back to normal after two more weeks. I couldn't hide the fact that I was excited. After several months, I'll finally be able to see my friends in the ranch again, especially Sarah. Chris, too. For sure they'll be surprised by my return and I couldn't wait to see them.