I had to think fast. “Isaiah, let’s go back to the bench.” We walked back to the bench and sat down. He was looking at me with that big smile. “Sweetie, I want you to sit here. I have to go upstairs and get my purse. Stay right here and don’t move, OK? I should only be about ten minutes or less.”
“OK,” he beamed.
I walked around to the from of the hospital then started running. I got to the elevators, got in and pushed 6. When I arrived on the unit and into my room I opened my closet, grabbed my backpack and shoved a few things in they had given me. I didn’t arrive with anything other than the backpack and the clothes on my back so I was ready to go.
The nurse on duty walked in and exclaimed, “WHAT are you doing!” “Look, I have a family emergency and I have to go.” “How do you know you have a family emergency we have your cell phone? I’m going to get the doctor! Please wait right here.” I sat down on the bed and in about thirty seconds the on duty doctor walked in. “Miss Sterling, is everything alright? You really should be getting back in bed now.”
“Look, I have personal emergency. I have to go.”
“Miss Sterling, you have been through a tremendous ordeal. I cannot sign you out of the hospital.”
“I understand that. Please believe me I understand.” I looked at the doctor pleading for him to see that I was not bolting for no reason. “Miss Sterling, I am not sure what exactly is going on, and I have to tell you that if you leave it will be against medical advice. But if you are going to check yourself out, please know you can call the unit any time of the day or night and if you begin to start having any unusual symptoms please call 911.”
“Doctor, I will. Absolutely I will. Now, please I have to go.”
“Nurse, please get Miss Sterling’s personal effects for her.”
“Yes, doctor.”
The nurse returned with my cell phone and wallet within five minutes and I rushed down to the elevators, out the front entrance then slowed my pace down rounding the corner.
Isaiah was sitting on the bench humming a tune. He looked up at me, “Yay! Where are we going? Are we going on adventure? I can sing a song about it!” “Yes, we’re going on an adventure to my house. How does that sound?” “It sounds great! Do you have food at your house?”
We got to my two bedroom flat in North Hollywood and I had to sit down for a moment. I had not moved so much in over two weeks and I was suddenly overcome with fatigue. “Do you like pizza Isaiah?” “I looooooove pizza! Can we have pepperonis on it?” “Yes, sure you can have anything you want on it.” “Pepperonis and mushrooms!” “Pepperonis and mushrooms it is.”
I ordered a large pizza so we would have leftovers and I wouldn’t have to think about what we were going to eat for the next meal or two. I was exhausted but I noticed I hadn’t thought about how guilty I had been feeling nor had I had one negative thought since Isaiah appeared.
I wanted to try and get some information to try and figure out what this poor kid had been going through. “Isaiah, where do you think your mom went? Is that your sister she was with? “Oh, that’s not my mom. That’s my mom’s cousin, Angelica. That girl is my cousin her name is Marisol.” “Where’s your mom?” “Mexico.”
“Mexico?”
“Yeah, she used to be here but she got sent back. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
“Does Angelica have a home?” “She used to but we had to go to the shelter a few months ago. Angelica got really sad after that and she doesn’t like me anymore.”
“Does your mom know you had to go to the shelter?”
“I don’t know.”
“I have to go pee,” said Isaiah. “The bathroom is right down the hall, here I’ll show you.” “No, that’s OK I’ll find it! You look tired.” He smiled and spun around on his heel and sped down the hallway. When he came out he skipped down to me. “A bathtub! Can I take a bubble bath??”
As dusk turned into night outside the windows I went into my drawers and found a small t-shirt for Isaiah to wear to sleep. “Almost done, Isaiah?” “Yes, it’s OK I can dry myself off I’m coming out.” I always kept spare toothbrushes for my overnight guests, one of the few pleasures I still had in this life were that I still had good friends that would come visit me from various parts of the country and world do to my very good fortune of meeting very good and interesting people due to my career as a journalist. “I know how to brush my teeth, you don’t have to watch me.”
“All right, I’ll be in this room here come in when you are done.” I turned down the sheets on the bed in the spare room and Isaiah sauntered in then bounced up on the bed. “I’m so happy we’re becoming friends,” he said. “I wish I had a bedtime story to read to you, Isaiah, but I don’t have any children’s books.” “That’s ok, we can get some at the library,” he replied, then continued, “But I can sing you a song. Shelly at the shelter liked my songs and she let me listen to this song and I learned it.”
You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
You everything I hoped for
Everything I need
You are so beautiful
To me
@soulsistashakti is a chillout and dance musical artist and writer based in NYC. You can check out my music on my FB artist page at https://www.facebook.com/soulsistashakti
images morguefile.com
Thanks to @patrick-g for caring about the characters and wanting to see how things turn out <3
Hey thanks a lot @soulsistashakti ! :) The pic of the (avatar of) Isaiah above is a cutie! :)
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