Short Stories The DBC Adventures , William - Miskel Barker April 17 , 2017April 17 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment Like typical cats enjoying a lazy day , Drake , Blake , and Celie are lying on a king - size bed with an orange comforter . They are watching one of their favorite TV shows , " Too Cute : Cats . " Blake and Drake are falling asleep , while Celie , the only girl among the three , is paying close attention to the cute boy cats . " He is one hot kitty . Me - wow ! " Celie says with excitement . Drake and Blake look at the TV screen and then look at Celie with blank expressions . " What ? ! ? " Celie says . Sometimes Celie thinks her brothers are just out to get her . She hates being the middle sibling and hates even more that both Blake and Drake are a soft gray color . She is a mottled mix of orange , brown , white , and black . " Heeeee is a girl , " Drake and Blake say at the same time . " Oh , I thought I saw something . Nevermind then . " Celie says . Drake and Blake roll their eyes . All of a sudden , they hear Wilferd , a tall , muscular , attractive 16 - year - old boy yelling at his video game . Wilferd is a decent kid , but has a lot of energy and sometimes makes a lot of noise . He makes Blake , who is the oldest and rather shy , really nervous . Celie just finds him annoying . Drake , on the other hand , isn 't frightened by Wilfred at all . Wilferd received Drake as a Christmas present and they are pretty alike : one minute laying around quietly and the next minute having a crazy outburst . " Why aren 't you working you dumb , inconsiderate game . You are such an idiot . I HATE YOU ! " Boom ! Wilferd throws his Xbox 360 on the ground and begins wailing his eyes out . He holds his legs and rocks back and forth in his chair with his thumb in his mouth . He 's been bugging his parents for a new game system for months , but so far they haven 't given in to his begging . " Hey , we should start heading out if this plan is gonna work , " Drake begins . " We don 't have forever because Wilferd is gonna lock all the windows at 9 : 00pm like he always does . I also don 't feel like hearing him cry all day . What do you guys think ? " Blake looks very nervous . " Guys , I don 't really know about this . Remember the last time we escaped and Wilferd cried for five days straight . I felt so bad that we upset him by running away . I mean , I had fun on our last adventure , but maybe tonight isn 't the best time for a repeat . And we are basically treated like kings and queens around this place . How about if we just stay here for a while and see if he calms down ? " " Shut - up blossom head ! " Drake says angrily . " We 're doing this . If you don 't do this , you 're not gonna be part of the DBC Adventure Club ever again . Us leaving isn 't so bad anyway , so chill out ! We 're only gonna be gone for one week . We have all the things we need , I think . " " Ok . Hurry up snail , " Drake says . Blake goes upstairs to Wilferd and jumps in his lap . Blake is feeling guilty for leaving and wants to make Wilferd feel better because he 's crying . While Wilferd makes Blake nervous , he had been watching him sleep since he was very young . Wilferd was cute when he slept , usually drooling a little bit . In his quieter moments , Wilferd was nice to Blake . Blake licks Wilferd 's hand and purrs very loudly . Blake finally gives Wilferd a lick on the cheek and hops off his lap . Wilferd stops crying and smiles at Blake as he trails off to meet his brother and sister . I hope he feels better . I 'm glad I stopped his sadness , Blake thinks to himself . Finally , Blake meets up with his siblings and they sigh with relief . " You always have to do something . How about you stay with the pack once in a while ? " Drake says with anger . Drake is only two years old and often gets very impatient with Blake who is eight years older than him . Drake often finds Blake to be a drag on his style . " Well , there are important things that can 't be left undone , " Blake says sadly . " Shut up you two . Both of you are such lame boys . We need to hurry . It 's 8 : 50pm . We only have 10 minutes . Let 's Go ! " As soon as Celie says that , they scurry out of the house and into the streets of New York . They have the most delightful looks on their faces . Their eyes glow with excitement and they have the most dazzling smiles on their faces . " This is always the best part of our adventures ! The fun is all ahead of us , " says Drake . They begin running down the alley , taking in all the sights and sounds and especially the smells . It takes them more than 30 minutes to go a block because there are so many interesting things to investigate . With no warning , the skies open up and it begins to rain . Not just rain , but pour . They take cover under a thick bush , but the water finds its way down and begins to drip on their heads . " Why are we here again ? This is possibly the dumbest decision we 've ever made . Why can 't we just go back home ? " Blake asks with exhaustion in his voice . " Sis , I don 't think we should split up . This is the biggest city in the world . It has like a trillion people in it . We should all stay together and find our way home . Wilferd is probably balling his eyes out right now , " Blake says . " Look . I knew you two were gonna be party - poopers , " Celie says , as she begins climbing out from under the bush . " I 'm gonna go all by myself and nothing bad is gonna happen to me . So stop worrying and shut - Ahhhhhhhh ! " All of a sudden , a woman picks Celie up and begins walking away . " Celie ! " Drake and Blake both yell . They scurry towards the lady and begin clawing the woman . Celie wiggles wildly while she is distracted and jumps down to the ground with her brothers . " Geez Louise . That was a close one . Thanks guys . You know what ? You guys aren 't dummies after all . I love you both so much , " Celie says with warmth in her voice . " Yeah , yeah , yeah , let 's not get all emotional . " Celie mutters . " Let 's just get home before Wilferd gets too worried . " As soon as they get home , they notice Wilferd has forgotten to lock their escape window . They all run to the bedroom and see that another episode of their favorite show is starting . Blake and Drake nod off , while Celie starts watching the cute boy cats again . Prom , Ariell Shaw April 17 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment I ordered a dress online and then it didn 't come in the right size so I had to take it back . Then I went to St . Charles to look for a dress - I found a dress there - but it wasn 't in my price range , so I couldn 't even get it . So now I am in between looking for dresses or just not going to prom . My ideal dress is a royal blue color with African print around it , fitted around the body with a mermaid tutu flare at the bottom . I have to look better than everybody else at prom . Finally I couldn 't stand it that I didn 't have a dress . So I decided I had to take some action . I was staying with my cousin Tina because my mom went out of town . Tina lives in Bell Fountain - it 's a three - story house with brown bricks , a garden in front of the yard , and a bright yellow mailbox . I wasn 't that close to Tina until my mom asked Tina if I could stay with her . I , Crystal , was forced to live with Tina . I really wanted to stay with my cousin Ashley , but Ashley had to work a lot and Tina lived closer to my school . Tina had a lock on her front door - I guessed it was the same code as the one on her safe . It was the day of her anniversary , 07 / 28 / 2015 . I came home from school , poured myself a bowl of Cheez - Its , and watched Love & Hip Hop on TV . I knew Tina wouldn 't be home until 6 : 30 , so I made my move fast . I sauntered up to the safe , my fingers trembling slightly , and tried the code . It worked . Inside the safe I saw five stacks of neatly pressed green bills in 100 dollar increments . The outside of the safe said " Bill Money . " Will she know I stole the money , or how much is gone ? I thought to myself quickly . Then I quickly reached in the safe , grabbed a stack , and made a plan so Tina wouldn 't know that her money was stolen . The plan was this : first , I put the money in a shoebox under my bed . Then I started tipping over chairs and messing up drawers and broke the back door window with a loose brick so Tina would think someone broke into the house . I opened the safe door wide and tousled up the cash to make it look like someone was stealing . As soon as Tina got home , I ran to the door and yelled , " I called the police already ! Chelle broke into the house and stole your money , Tina ! I didn 't know what to do ! " Tina looked like a bundle of nerves . She started crying immediately . The first thing she did was to go check the safe . She started counting the money , her cheeks coated in mascara , and I watched silently , wondering how I would be able to tell Tina that it was me who stole her precious bills . In a panic , I decided to call Chelle and see if she would cover for me . Tina and Chelle had fought before - they stopped being friends a week ago because Chelle took Tina 's baby 's piggy bank . What Tina didn 't know was that Chelle also stole something bigger : Chelle stole Tina 's wedding ring , but Tina just thought she had lost it . Chelle was jealous of Tina 's husband , Tee , and wanted what Tina had . I thought I could convince Chelle to confess because she was already feeling guilty about the wedding ring . " I got to tell you something . We both did something really wrong . And I need your help . We need to find a way to get Tina her things back without her knowing . You know I know you stole her ring , and today I took $ 1000 from Tina 's safe … . " My eyes narrowed . I said in a firm whisper , " Chelle , you have to meet me tomorrow after school on the corner of Grenshaw and Pennsylvania . Bring Tina 's ring and I 'll bring the cash . I 'll make sure Tina ' finds ' the ring if you pretend you stole the money . " Chelle felt like Crystal was trying to put all the blame on her . With angry tone , she started going off on Crystal . " Girl , you think you 're so slick . You think just because you have something on me that I 'm protect your ass ? I 'll do this for you just once this until Tee and I work things out but after that , you 're dead to me . " Little did Crystal know , Tina was listening to the whole conversation . For the rest of the night , Tina was really quiet . She went in her room and laid down . Meanwhile , Crystal went back to her room and counted the money over and over again . That she dreamed about her perfect dress and how Tina would feel . In her dream , she was wearing a princess - cut gold dress with glittery slippers . She was swaying to Rhianna 's " Needed Me " with her friends Brittany and Tyra when suddenly Tina , dressed in all black , runs into the middle of the dance floor and screams , " My cousin is a thief ? " When she tried to run , the dress split down the middle . " Tina , " she cried , sobbing , " I 'm the one that did all that . I broke into your safe this afternoon because I just want to look good for prom . And there 's more . You didn 't lose your wedding ring , Tina . Chelle stole it . " Tina was eerily quiet . She stared at Crystal long and hard . Finally she said to Crystal , her eyes full of tears , " Honey , you didn 't have to steal that money . I was gonna make sure you had a dress for prom . " Crystal started crying , trying to explain that she didn 't want to take the money . All of a sudden Tina 's phone started buzzing . It was Chelle . Tina picked up like a reflex . " That little cousin of yours , " said Chelle . " She 's trouble . Listen to this : She was telling me that she wanted money for a prom dress and she went into your safe and stole $ 1000 and played like somebody broke into the house . " They all met up with each other the next afternoon . When Chelle saw Tina and Crystal get out the car , Tina brought a gun with her . Chelle tried to explain her side of the story and I tried to explain hers , even though I already tried to tell Tina . Tina shot Chelle in the stomach and that was that . The Walk , Kayla Rollins April 17 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment " I want to go home , " I yelled at Ms . Johnson . I burst into tears when she screamed back , " You don 't have a home ! That 's why you 're here ! I can see why your parents didn 't want you ! " It got quiet . Library quiet . Immediately a river of past thought , depression , and unworthiness streamed down my face . I ran into my room and took out my box from the dusty old closet . " So they didn 't want me huh ? " I ripped the bandana cloth off of it as I began to take out what I keep inside . I have three blades , a small pack of tissues , and a tube of Neosporin . " Well to hell with them ! " I take out my blade , and I slice it upward on my arm . Ms . Johnson runs in , " What the hell did you do ! ? " I grinned with a smile on my face showing a defeated battle . My demons won today . I was done . Done with everything . Ms . Johnson was right . I had no one . I don 't know why my parents left me . All my life , I told myself they had a good reason for leaving me here . But I 'm through believing . It 's over … . It all went dark . I open my eyes , and the sky is blue . The air feels warm . It 's just right . I 'm laying on my back on what feels like grain , something harder than sand . I grab a handful and run it through my fingers . Lying there , I wondered if I could move my legs . I can . I wiggle them and get up feeling strong . I look around , and all I see is nature - trees , birds , and bees . It feels so surreal . This is not how the real world is . The real world is cold , polluted . " Where am I ? " I start to walk across the sand and I turn around to see an ocean that wasn 't there before . Before my eyes , the sand turns to grass and I can feel coming up between my toes , so I looked around for my shoes . " You are in a place that you chose to be in , but you have time to go back to your normal life . " a voice says . I spin around so fast that I almost get whiplash . I see no one . " Who said that ? " " You don 't have to scream . I 'm right here in front of you . " the voice says again . Then she appears . It was a lady taller than me . She had the skin of melanin and the hair of a goddess . It was curly and big . She wore a gold dress that went past her feet although she could walk . Her lips were sparkling . She looked at me and talked as if she knew me my whole life . After getting over how beautiful she was , I spoke . " Who are you ? Where am I ? " She came closer . " I 'm Disappointed In You Beauty . You know you chose to be here ? You took that blade and let your demons win . You - " I cut her off . " What are you talking about ? " She said , " I 'm sorry . I should let you know who I am even though I 've been with you all of your life . My name is Aphrodite . " My eyes widened . " You mean the greek goddess Aphrodite ? How did you get to me ? " She looked at me . " Let me finish . " She spoke with confidence . Independence . Respect yet command . She opened her mouth . " I was cursed when I was little by my father 's worst enemy . The spell castes upon me said that I must change someone 's life for the good or mine would never be . It was a hard decision because as a teenager I was very stuck up . So now I 'm here because I decided that I was going to pick someone to help a child who needed help from a young age . I picked you when you were a baby . You were heavily surrounded by demons and bad things . Even as stuck up as I was , I felt sympathy and I couldn 't let them take you . And sometimes you make it harder on yourself . " Everything overwhelmed me . " Well I 'm sorry lady or goddess or angel or whatever you are . " I paused and looked at her . " But I don 't want to be anyone 's charity case . Thanks . " I walk away not knowing where to go , but just wanting to get away . " Do you know what happened to you ? " I see my body on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on my face . I have white towels wrapped around my wrist but I can see blood coming through . The doctors are dressed in all white and they have on masks . " She 's bleeding out ! " one of the doctors yells . I look at my face . I see tears rolling my face . The same tears rolling down my face right now . The vision disappears . " I can save you . You just have to want to save yourself . " She placed her hand on my shoulder . I thought back through everything that happened in my life . And it dawned on me . " I wanted to be dead . " " But it wasn 't a good choice . " I could feel my blood boil . My eyes turned hot . Tears started to come out of my eyes . " What did I have to live for anyways ! My parents left me on the doorstep of someone they didn 't know when I was six months old ! I have been passed around and around in different homes all my life and the feeling of rejection is so normal to me … " I pause and drop to my knees . " So normal , that I have began to reject myself … " The ground changed again . It 's a field of flowers now . " Why does the ground keep changing ? " I can feel Aphrodite 's hand on my shoulder again . " It changes with your feelings . You love flowers , so when you 're angry this place we 're in makes the things you love appear . You were scared and confused so to soothe you this place gave you an ocean and soft sand . It was grass because for a moment because you felt calm . Which is weird because that 's when you saw me . " She sits beside me . " If you were to choose to save yourself your future would be so bright . You have an awesome future . The darkness took over your life because they didn 't want to see you shine and be happy . You have so much to look forward to . And you don 't even know . " I looked at her and looked back at the ocean that was now there . She could tell I was scared so she asked me : " What are you so afraid of ? " I sit there . Asking myself why am i so scared , when I already knew . I get up and walk towards the ocean . Why is it that I didn 't want to fight anymore ? Should I stay ? Here ? Where there are no problems ? Or go back ? " It 's time . Step to towards the ocean , or the step towards the grass . The ocean is living . The grass is staying here . Make your choice . I 'll see you wherever you go . " Short Story Intro , Anonymous April 17 , 2017April 17 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment It wasn 't odd honestly that the entire day had just felt vaguely … . . off . It had happened before , yet I still hadn 't gotten used to it . I suppose it wasn 't something you were meant to get used to . The only way I could describe this was that it felt as though reality had been altered in the most minor of ways . It was the kind of feeling you felt when you think you 've forgotten something small but not totally insignificant and really can 't remember what or maybe the feeling of walking into a department store or grocery store at 3am . It was just the feeling of a slightly altered and off putting reality . I knew people in the neighborhood had dogs , in fact I knew just about all the dogs in the neighborhood . But , I also knew that none of those people let their dogs loose . Not even to mention that the dog , that was now sniffing at the base of the tree in my front yard , wasn 't a dog I recognized from the neighborhood . It looked like it may have just escaped from a gate that was by chance left open by a small child or maybe slipped out the front door during a large family event . It looked like a pretty mixed Border Collie from my door . It had shaggy black fur mostly , but a splotch of white on its chest stood out rather boldly . It looked groomed and it looked like a family 's dog , not just some stray . The stray dogs I had seen in the city when I was down there always looked extremely frail and thin , most of which had matted fur if it had any in the first place . But the dog , who had taken significant interest to my tree , had no bones jutting out in odd places that I could tell through it 's fur that mostly just looked tousled and maybe like it had been through a few bushes containing burrs . I personally found to be strange - it 's fur was rather long and oddly smoothed out for a dog that was just a stray . I stopped my car and quickly killed the engine , turning my lights off after turning the key . I assumed my tires probably hit a particularly crunchy leaf that caught it 's attention . I slowly opened my car door and locked the car twice from the inside before fully standing up . The dog seemed to go back to whatever it had found at the base of my tree as I quietly shut my car door and continued up the walkway to my front door . After entering the house with my head still over my shoulder watching the dog , the quietness of my house returned and settled quickly after the storm door closed . The realization of just how lonely and quiet life was after I started living on my own was soul shattering . The entire house was dead quiet to the point that ringing would fill my hearing just to having something there other than just dead silence a lot of times . Others , I would just play music for background noise . After getting a job in high school at a pet resort for , ironically enough , dogs , I ended up sticking with it and moving about two miles from my childhood home where my mum had lived . I inherited her house , that was really her parents ' house she inherited , but got rid of it as quick as I could because of how empty it felt . My mum constantly said how it wasn 't her house anyhow , it was her parents and would always be theirs . So , I suppose I picked up my urge to get rid of the house from her early on . I had thought moving might help . I always liked interior design and hated cleaning . So thinking that I would have to actually clean all the old stuff out of the house before I got to do the fun bits sounded like a lot of work . Not to mention how the thought of getting an absolutely clean slate to work off of sounded like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara . I had planned to get a dog to help with it , something that would just make it feel like a home , not just a house . But , I planned a lot of things that never happened . I guess like all kids , I had my own dreams that were wildly unrealistic . Looking back though , I realized mine weren 't honestly unreachable . But , I still needed food , water , and also electricity , so I just kinda let the idea of extras and things that weren 't 100 % fully necessary fade away just like the oasis in my make believe desert . I sighed . I always seemed to have more compassion for animals than people . They were innocent and didn 't know better . Even when I was a kid , I seemed to care more about animals . My mum told me as a kid , I got angry at someone for saying a specific breed of dog was dangerous and that specific breed should be fully banned . Apparently I turned around told the person that , " Maybe we should start banning bad people who force dogs to be like them . " My mum never ceased to quote it either in a mocking tone like a small child 's . I quickly walked into the kitchen and opened the pantry and squatted down . I could see the food in the back of the very bottom shelf . I plunged my hand into the back and grabbed the bag at the top where I had rolled it down and taped it to preserve it . The dog didn 't seem to be there anymore when I went back to the door . I looked at the tree and then both ways down the street , leaning from one side of the door to the other , pressing my cheek to the cool glass . I blew a slightly forceful breath of air out my nose after realizing I took too long . My shoulders sagged . It was a cute dog . A dog that , in my head , seemed to fit perfectly into everything I do in my daily life snuggly . After the first few days , I ended up going out and buying a full bag of dog food . I felt like I was planning for something that wasn 't even going to happen , a fully packed suitcase for a trip never planned . But , I lived spontaneously , my " plans " seemed to rarely have warning in advance . After a while , I had started sitting on the stairs with the food a little ways away from me . After a while , it came up to me and let me pet it . I took that opportunity to look at the collar around it 's neck . It had a phone number , which I had called and left a message . But , after two days , a response was not something I had . A name was also listed , Moonchalk , which at first I thought to be odd since she was black , but eventually it seemed fitting and it didn 't seem like any other name could fit her . An ID tag with what I assumed , was a chip number hopefully containing a bit more info , was also dangling from her collar . The next day , I ended up grabbing one of my leashes from work . I had also gone to the liberty of looking up vets that checked chips . I didn 't want to take her to the pound in fear they might quarantine her basically , but I wanted and needed to know if she had a family worried sick about her back home . I almost hoped that she didn 't have one at this point . I was about 100 % sure she did though after taking a look at her collar a bit more . The tag with only a number was definitely an ID number ; there was no way it could be anything else . She seemed relatively happy around me and didn 't seem to be coming less often . But , I know that if I lost a dog as well trained and loving as her , I 'd be devastated . When I got home , she was there , waiting for food . This time though , I didn 't sit on the stairs with the food close to me . I instead opened my front door and propped my screen door open with the food sitting just inside the door . I went ahead and put a bowl of water down also since I could take an educated guess and say she probably didn 't have a good source of water . This worked almost too well . She walked in like she owned the place and immediately stuck her head in what was now her bowl . I had set the food far enough away from the door so I could close the door behind her and basically trap her in my house . " Was this what dognapping was ? Did I just steal someone 's dog and am now holding it hostage ? " was somehow all that could come to my head for a moment . I leaned back in the sofa and patted the space next to me on the sofa . She hesitated for a moment , looking at me carefully as though asking for permission before I patted the space again , said her name , and told her to get up here . She looked at me skeptically before she put her front paws up on the front of the sofa and then again while she slowly took one back paw at a time and placed them on the edge of the sofa . I put my arms around her neck and then squeezed her tight . I rested my chin on her shoulder blades , my jaw surely digging into her from smiling . I felt a soft weight on my own shoulder and back after a second and my heart sped up a bit . It took me a moment to realize that it was Moonchalk and she was doing the exact same thing to me that I was doing to her to return the love I was giving her . I drove down the road with the windows open about 6 inches , enough for Moonchalk , who was riding shotgun , to stick her nose out but not enough to let her jump out . I opened the back door to let her jump in when we left , but Moonchalk seemed to have much different intentions and wouldn 't get in . Instead she sat outside the front passenger door with her head tilted and ear forward . I gave in immediately . It really hit me that when I got to this address , it would be the end of all this . I had come to find that in the last year , Moonchalk was probably just about the closest thing I had to a best friend . And hell , she was a dog who happened to show up at my doorstep one day and I decided to feed because I just really like dogs . I pulled up across from the house on the street and squinted , checking the address again and looking back and forth from my phone to the house . At first I thought I got turned around somewhere or maybe I copied the address wrong from the vet , but after double and triple checking everything , nothing was adding up . I know I wrote the correct address , I put it into Google Maps when I acquired it , bookmarked it , and checked the screen with the chips information at least 3 times . A small house with white panelling on the sides and light blue shutters on either side of the windows stood there . A large tree , about the size of mine , also stood in the front yard . I noticed a fence that enclosed the backyard also thats gate was open . My eyebrows furrowed . Moonchalk was next to me chopping at the bit to get out . Surely this was right , she clearly recognized this place , there was no doubt about that . I grabbed the leash loop and opened by driver door . After I got out , Moonchalk hopped across my center consol , over the emergency brake and gear shift , and out of the car . I closed the door as she dragged me to the front door of this mysterious house . When she got to the door , she stopped , pawed at the door , and then sat there . I realized the doorbell button and hit that also , but from the looks of it , the door wasn 't going to open anytime soon . I started walking away from the door with Moonchalk 's leash in my hand . She protested by trying to tug me back , but I knew there was no point in staying here . I dragged Moonchalk with me to the window where I looked in hoping to see at least some form of life . I pressed my face against the glass , hands cupped around my temples , one of which was holding Moonchalk 's leash , for what seemed like 10 minutes . Finally , I removed my face from the window and dropped my hands to my sides . There was no point in standing there , looking into a desolate house hoping that suddenly furniture , a family , and life would show up . Just as opening your fridge every 5 minutes hoping there will be something good to eat doesn 't work , neither did staring into an empty home . Moonchalk had put her front paws up against the side of the house , just below the window . As she looked in , her expression became more and more disheartened . I could tell that she hadn 't expected to see her home completely empty and void of all life . I swear that I could see the gears turning in her head , putting all of the pieces together , and coming to the conclusion that was put in front of her . February the 25th , Samar Slaughter April 17 , 2017April 17 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment On February the 25th of 2017 God took one of the most important men in my life away from me . I remember that day so well and I 'm pretty sure I will continue for as long as I live . I had woken up that morning in a very good mood actually - I planned on working and soon after attending a friend 's surprise party . I got out of bed , took myself a shower , did my usual morning facials and ate breakfast . I usually have my boyfriend take me to work but today I had my mom take me since it was so early in the morning . I got to the salon and waited for my client to arrive , which in the end was very pointless because she cancelled almost an hour to me being at the salon . So I decided to take a nap before my next client arrived just because I was so tired from working the day before . And so I took my nap . I had woken up from my nap and by that time my client was on her way . She was getting a full set of eyelash extensions , which would take around an hour and forty - five minutes . So time went by … I finished her lashes . They looked gorgeous ! She loved them , and gave me my money for the service I had done for her . It was getting later around 4 : 45 and I was hungry so I decided to walk down the street to get some shrimp fried from my favorite place , Mizu . I ordered the food which took about fifteen minutes for them to make , and waited the fifteen minutes at the salon . Keep in mind I was by myself so I had to keep myself occupied : I decided to play music until it was time for me to walk down to get my food . A little over 20 or 25 minutes passed and I hurried to get my food and made my way back to the salon . Little did I know what was about to happen would change my life forever . I got back to the salon between five to ten minutes after getting my food because I had run into an old friend - running my mouth of course . I unlocked the doors , put away my keys with my purse and began to set up my food to eat . I noticed that hThe ride there was the absolute worst . The traffic was so slow , my friends were right behind us , and to be honest my anxiety level was beginning to burst . My little brother began to break down in the car just as we pulled up to the hospital which was very busy . I pulled him into my lap and patted his back letting him know I 'm here . Just as we pulled up I saw both of my aunts and a few cousins standing outside the hospital . I hurried and jumped out of the car to get any news I could from my aunt . " Hey y ' all , we just got here . But I 'm pretty sure they 'll let you guys go back and see him for a minute . " My aunt said . My heartbeat began to slow ; I felt relief begin to set inside me . " He 's ok ? " I asked . I smiled for the first time in the past two hours all of this occurred . " He 's really ok ? " The tears were still pouring but this time they were happy tears . She gave me a look . My Aunt Keyonna gave me a look I will never forget . It was like " Baby I 'm so sorry but … " looks . The tears began to form in her eyes . And I just sat there for a moment in disbelief . I was done for . I felt my knees getting weak and I started to stomp and scream and cry ; I absolutely could not believe it . My dad was actually gone . It felt as though someone had literally ripped my heart from my chest and left me standing there in the cold . I looked at the sky , my vision blurred from the tears , just screaming at God , asking him why ? Why had he taken my daddy from me ? I couldn 't help it - I threw a fit . I exploded right in front of the hospital . Like a two year old throwing a tantrum . Except that toy you took from that two year old , was my father . I totally blacked out . From everything . Everything was silent except for the cries that came out of my mouth . I could hear my aunt 's voice from a distance . She had asked if I wanted to see him . But I knew I wasn 't ready . I waited outside for a bit to try and recollect myself enough to walk in and see my dad . I walked through the metal detectors , grabbed my things , and followed the hospital nurse to the room my father was in along with my family . We turned a couple corners , walked through some heavy doors and finally reached his room . Everyone immediately walked in but I had to take a deep breath before I made my entrance . I pushed open the door and there he was . Lying there , lifeless . A shell of what used to be the most incredible man I knew . I put my hand over my mouth to hold back the cries but they pushed through like ocean waves , as did my tears . There was no explaining the pain I felt . The disbelief . The hurt . The anger . I approached him , came closer . And grabbed his hand . They were still warm . He looked like he was asleep . So peaceful , which was the only thing that gave me comfort . I asked the nurse if I could hug him . And she let down the restrictions on the sides on the hospital bed . I slowly came closer and closer to him . Finally I lay my head upon his chest : I cried and I cried and I cried . It hurt so bad . Not hearing his heartbeat . Knowing that this was real , and there was no waking up from this . I remember just wishing it was all a dream , hoping that one of my tears would have enough magic to save his life but it was too late for all that . I didn 't want to leave the room . And I already knew it was because I didn 't want to face reality . But I had to . I could tell this was going to be hard as well . I kept going in and out . Sort of through stages in a way . I would cry , then crack jokes about things he would do or habits he had . Then cry about about how I would miss all of those things . It was late - around nine - when we finally left the hospital . And decided that I wanted to have a bit of alone time with him since this would be my last time seeing him . So I talked to him before I left . I told him , " Daddy , I just wanna let you know , that I forgive you . I forgave you a long time ago to be completely honest with you . I never held hate in my heart for you . No matter what you did or have done . You always have made me smile , and have made me proud . I will never love another man as much as I love you . And not a single day will go by that I don 't think about you . I can 't wait to see you again . I love you so so so so so so much Daddy - always remember that . " I kissed his forehead and ran my fingers through his hair before I looked at him one last time , I smiled a bit with tears still coming out of my eyes , seeing how peaceful and handsome my father was . As I sat outside the principal 's office I evaluated my body : My shirt was torn at the collar , and I had lost one shoe . Blood flowed down my arm and off my fist like water from a faucet . I didn 't know if the blood that was on my fist was from me or who I got into it with . I didn 't really care . The door next to me opened and Principal Willis stepped out . Principal Willis was a tall black man . Six four , with a full on beard . He was built - the attraction of the girls at school . He always wore the same type of attire to school : a white top with black bottoms and black or white shoes . But this attire changed daily . One day he 'd be wearing a white button up , with black slacks and black dress shoes . The next , a white tee , black jeans and white vans . He turned and looked at my face and sighed , " Not again Jonathan . " He then looked at my body and saw the blood on my arm . " Come on , let 's get you cleaned up . " This was a regular routine now . I wasn 't proud of it . We walked through the halls , our footsteps echoing off the walls and the ceiling . Different color lockers lined the walls . I forgot why . I rarely noticed because I never used them . I figure it 's just decoration , ya know ? Color the lockers different colors and it makes the school look less shitty than it already is . We took a few more steps and then I guess Principal Willis had enough awkward silence because he cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner . " So . Care to explain ? " Principal Willis asked . " I know you . I 've known you for years . I know there 's always a reason why you tend to … get into situations like this . But even with that this is unacceptable behavior . If you want we can take the long way to the bathroom and you can just talk and let everything out . You can even cuss if you need to just keep it quiet … . but I need to know . Why ? " he stared at my arm and I knew he had nothing else to say until I explained myself " Donny wouldn 't stop talking about me , " I said . " He called me some bitch and told me I wasn 't shit . He told me I was lame because we didn 't have a lot of money . " I froze to let all that sink into Principal Willis 's head . " I didn 't care . But then when he realized that he went on to calling my mom a bitch and my dad a deadbeat … " I froze and clenched my fist as we turned around the corner and walked up the stairs . " I hit my limit when Ms . Johnson stepped out and he called me sensitive psycho and knocked me out of my desk … . the adrenaline hit my head and I blacked out . When I came to Ms . Johnson was pulling me off of Donny and somebody else was calling an ambulance . She sent me to you without letting me grab my things , hence why I only have one shoe . " I wiggled my foot so he could see , even though I knew he saw it when he came out of his office . He nodded his head , acknowledging everything I told him . We reached the top of the stairs and made a left . We were on an empty floor , I knew why we were going this way . If I lost myself and started cussing there was no one around to hear . He was trying to keep me from getting in more trouble than I was already in . Like I said , this was a routine I wasn 't proud of . Puff Puff Pass , Chastity Smith April 15 , 2017April 15 , 2017 ~ gcaacreativewriting1 ~ Leave a comment He was so selfish . None of this would have presented itself if you would have just kept the weed out of your lungs . " ASSHOLE " I thought on the inside . Therefore , I was seven I couldn 't say it on the out . It was five days after my birthday . Last thing I received was a pink bike that I was begging him for two months . Oh yeah and a surprising death . So bad I didn 't even remember what happened that day . I was in bed waiting for my mom to get up . She said , " Once we get up and ready we can go to Girls Inc . It was a summer camp I go to all the time . Loved going to that place . It made me so happy inside . Because I got to hang out with young girls my age . Who enjoyed doing the same activities I loved to do . They had singing , step , dance , acting and performances . It was the second to last week there . The girls and I were preparing for the step showcase that Friday at 6 pm . Daddy loved coming to my performances . And I love seeing him and momma 's face filling the blue seats . My friend Nailah and I were just about to hit out solos in the piece . Until my mentor Jasmine came to get me out of class to go home . I was highly upset . Well not until I came outside . I saw momma about ready to cry . I said " Is everything okay momma " ? She said four words that put a throw up feeling in my body . She said " Daddy 's in the hospital " - instantly I felt like someone just punched me in the stomach . Entering the car I thought about all the times I didn 't care about the cigarette in his mouth . Because I didn 't know it would have a major impact on my life . Pushing people left and right I arrived at Christian Hospital . Moving so fast momma couldn 't keep up with me . Yelling " CHASTITY WAIT ON ME " she said . I couldn 't wait - a huge waterfall was about to start bursting out of my eyes . My best friend , my rock , my everything was hurt . I turned left , then right . Opening up each curtain on each room just to see if it was him . ( Opens Curtain ) Nope not him , ( Open Curtain again ) Not him . My feet were hurting so bad for a seven year old ; I was moving so fast . Finally I found him in a mental condition . For the first time I had to question whether or not Lewis J . Smith was my father . His black pale skin was so cold ; eyes were rolled back to his head and nails were extremely dirty . I felt it in my soul that he was dead . There were so many tubes in his body . One for his heart to keep it beating , another to put medicine in his body , and one that was soaking up all the drugs he consumed . Doctors was on their third bag already for changing all the shit in his stomach . The anger built up more and more . I was worried , confused and disturbed . All these emotions stirred up into my soul . Why would he do this to himself ? Did he not know the consequences to his actions ? Did he not understand that a child needs a father in their life ? SO DAMN SELFISH ! Now you have all of the family taking time out of their day to come and check on your ass . For a problem you could avoid . A decision you chose to make . Well I 'm here now . Sitting down in the cold blue chair by his side , I shiver . Never have I ever held on so tight to his hand . I 'm so used to the grip and warmth of our hands colliding . It was awkward because it was so cold now . Because it was just me . That hole that wasn 't filled because our hands weren 't touching all the way . " You did this , " I thought . Never have I ever felt a cold hand that kept me from my daddy . When we hold hands they touch . Creating warmth , comfort and protection . I didn 't feel that . Now it was a hole in my heart . A missing piece that I can 't replace . Seventeen years now , and I feel numb to the situation . I guess being my age I 'm supposed to be " understanding " meaning I have to justify his actions . Do you not know how frustrating it is when someone either ask you What happened to your dad ? Or putting a check to deceased box ? DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE WITH ALL THAT INK ! ! Instead of wasting it on all those check signs . Whatever - it doesn 't matter . It was too much for a seven year old to take in . At that moment , nothing will ever be the same anymore . The good night kisses , warm hugs and just the idea of calling someone daddy . That blue chair that was always filled at every performance wasn 't filled anymore . I didn 't want to perform that upcoming Thursday anymore . There was no point of me doing what I loved when the one I love is not there to support me . Someway , somehow , I ended up staring at the forty six girls in red leotards . I just so happened to be the forty seventh young lady balled in tears in the corner . Trying not to draw attention to myself . Why was everyone so happy ? Do they not know ? Whipping off the pain off my face . I told myself , " Pick ya face up off the ground . " Getting myself together I hear Ms . Jasmine said , IT ' S SHOW TIME . Hearing those three words turned my stomach into a peanut . For the first time in my life I didn 't complete . Momma said he 's with you always . BUT HE ' S NOT WITH ME ! Now i 'm left hanging on a wooded stage giving these people a sob story . Covering the little bit of lip gloss and mascara I began the show . Curtains opening up slowly . Front row seat I saw my momma sitting in the blue chair with my granny next to her . But it was a empty chair right next to her . Not remembering the choreography that was taught . I wanted to run to my momma so bad . Everyone was staring at me with the other forty six girls on stage . I stood out like a sore thumb . Finally , taking the bow on stage I ran so fast to get off . I was done suffering - never wanted to stare at the blue chair every again . Posts navigation