Ekk! The fat yellow school bus screeches to a stop. I dash out and sprint up to my old paint peeled apartment. My name is Jessie Holusin and I am twelve years old. My mom had me when she was sixteen and is a steady alcoholic. She has on and off jobs at different cornerstones or bars but we never have had steady income. She doesn’t care about me one bit. Our neighborhood isn’t the best either. I constantly hear gun shots, people fighting, and car alarms. The only good thing I have in my life is the beat up old creek behind Mr. Maclesis house. The only place I can sit and think.
My hand slides up the red rusted hand rail. I get to my apartment sling my backpack down onto the ugly mold blue carpet then dash down the stairs to the creek. My feet swiftly brush along the rigid cracked side walk. I always bring a cat treat with me for my friend Larry. Larry is the feral cat that lives at the creek. I named him after old Larry Mikes my neighbor in my apartment complex. They both have scraggily grey white hair and a grumpy temperament. I reach the pool of the creek, I call it my secret bedroom because I always sleep there. I lie down and stare at the sky. I slowly stretch my legs out on the cold smooth rock and my eyes slowly start to close as I drift away into a deep sleep.
I always wake to a soft ball of fur purring on my stomach. The soft breeze comes to tickle my neck. I stare down into the water to see it mirroring my every reaction. I look closer to see my reflection of my coal black hair and my deep dimpled smile. The forest eyes are on me. The birds hover over draping the trees like Christmas tree lights. The sky starts to darken so I get up and walk home. Usually when I get home my mom is sound asleep and doesn’t care that I am not home or eaten dinner I usually just have a microwave dinner.
I creak the door open slowly to a big surprise, my mom. She was sitting at the table with a man and women in stiff black suits. The women had blonde curly hair similar to my moms and the man had slicked back grey white hair. My mom had her head on the table crying I then looked down at her hands and they were in cuffs. I knew what was going to happen next I was going to an orphanage. I then said in a solid tone voice “what did you do this time mom.” With her head bowed she responded “I was caught doing meth”. I then started to ball not only would I never have anybody in my family left my mom was going to jail. I would soon become the thirteen year old kid that nobody wanted to adopt because of all my problems.
The women slowly reached for my wrist and pulled me to her car. I then turned to my mom and gave her a look of despair as I walked out the door slowly. A cop car came slowly after I was put in the slim white Chevy volt the man and women brought. Tears now started to poor into my eyes as I realized that I would have to leave the creek and Larry. This all just killed me.
6 years later…
I open the envelope with my heart pounding excitement and adrenalin rushing through my veins. I read and scream! I just won a fool ride scholarship to OSU where I can get my masters in biology. One thing I had to do before I left for college was visit my creek and plant a maple tree. I wanted to plant a maple tree because of their beautiful fall colors. I run to the garden store and buy a nice plump maple tree. I put it in the back seat of the shared orphanage car and drive down to my old neighborhood. I dash into Mr. Maclesis’s back yard like old times. I look around to despair. The whole creek was filled with garbage and it only had a few small trees and no birds. I slowly start to dig a hole in the ground for the maple tree. I slowly place the tree into the hole pack it up tite with soil and sadly walk back to my car.