We Can Lay With Our Eyes Closed
Run
It’d been 3 weeks since then and everything was a blur, she came round once again but about an hour later she died. The hospital didn’t even seemed bothered that I was 17 and had no other family to go to, I’d had to live with my neighbour but I could tell they weren’t planning it being permanent “Hayley sweetie the bank rang today to say they’ve accepted an offer on the house and that the deal should be done within a few days” my neighbour explained and I nodded slowly.
“Do I have to move everything out of it?” I asked, “Yeah you do, everything you want to keep you need to get out the house,” she answered and I nodded walking over to my house. I grabbed bags packing everything that was mine that I wanted before taking stuff that was mom’s to keep followed by anything else I wanted to keep.
2 days later and there was a knock on the door and some guy named David turned up, he talked like I wasn’t there or able to understand him about me being too young to live alone and that I could end up in a care home until I was officially 18; this was 5 months away! They decided that the foster home near my school was the best place for me to go and I just nodded along with them, I was not going to a foster home!
That night I laid awake thinking of anything or anyone I could that could help me get out this mess but I really had nobody, my maternal grandparents had never met me seeing as they never approved of my mother keeping me and I had no clue what their names were or where they even lived. “Hayley we’re going out shopping, is there anything you want dear?” my neighbour asked and I shook my head smiling “Okay, David might come around later to take you to show you the foster home before the end of the week when you go” she said before leaving.
I panicked and before I really knew it I’d called a taxi and was on the way to the airport “Where are you going then?” the driver asked and I smiled at him “Holidays” “You’ve got a lot of stuff for a holiday” he replied ”Yeah well you know what us girls are like, we like to have outfits for every occasion” “That’s true, my daughters always pack too much, they went to Florida to Disneyland last year and I’m not kidding they took their whole wardrobes with them” he said smiling at me and I nodded.
“So where you headed on holiday then?” he asked “Erm, Florida actually” “Really, why the erm?” he questioned looking suspicious “I was trying to think of the place’s name but I can’t remember. Definitely not Disneyland, I always wanted to go there but my mom said no” I replied feeling sick at the mention of my mom. “Are you okay?” “Yeah sorry just get travel sick sometimes” I lied and he nodded “So you’re going alone then?” “No my friends going too but she’s flying from New York, she moved there last year” I answered him smiling; I hoped he was buying all this talk.
We got to the airport and I thanked him paying him before going inside, I looked around before failing to find what I wanted so I stopped someone “Hi can you tell me where the payphones are please?” I asked and they pointed in the direction so I wandered that way finding them at last. I dialled without much thought “Hello can I get the number for a Tom Denney in Florida please?” I asked “County?” the woman replied, “Erm I, I can’t remember. All I know is Florida, if you say the town I might recognise it,” I stated before she listed a few names off. “That one, Ocala” I cut in and she listed a number so I wrote it down hanging up before dialling the number and a woman answered.
“Hello, is anyone there?” she asked, I shook my head “Erm, sorry I think I got the wrong number,” I said hanging up. I saw my phone ringing and I panicked turning it off, it was my neighbour so I figured they’d got home and found the note I’d left. I thought just leaving without saying thank you was kind of rude so I left them a note saying I was grateful for them having me stay and for being there but I couldn’t live in a foster home so I was leaving and that I would be fine and I’d ring them sometime soon but that they shouldn’t call anyone. I didn’t think they’d pay attention to the last bit but it was worth a try.
If they knew I was gone it wasn’t long before they started to check places for me and I was betting an airport was one of the first on the list, I walked up to the help desk to find an empty computer so I googled Ocala looking for the closest airport to it and found the answer before seeing an airport member of staff.
“Hi can you help me out, I’m such an idiot. I’m supposed to be flying to Ocala, I missed my flight at the other airport but they said if I came here you could get me there today. I’d have waited until tomorrow but my friend is flying out from New York to meet me there today and I have to get there today to meet her before we go on to visit her aunt, please tell me you fly to Ocala today?” I asked trying to sound honest and he shook his head. “The direct flight left this morning I’m sorry” “Seriously? But they said you could get me there, is there an indirect one or anything, please I have to get there today otherwise I’ll miss everyone and be stranded in Ocala” I begged.
“Hang on let me see,” he said typing away it his computer, “Well there’s a flight to Orlando but check in closes in half an hour. From there you could get a connecting flight to Ocala” “Seriously I can do that?” I asked and he nodded “Thank you so much, where do I need to go?” and he pointed it out and I went. I got to the front of the queue and bought a one way ticket to Orlando, I fell asleep and woke up to find we’d landed so I rushed off getting my stuff and going to buy my ticket to Ocala.
When I landed it felt like it’d been hours since I left Georgia by the time I reached Ocala, I got the address of the number I’d rung earlier and got a taxi to the middle of town. I was starving so I wandered looking for anywhere to eat but my bags were heavy so it slowed me down, someone walked into me and I dropped my bag “Look where your going jerk” I snapped at them and they just walk off.
“It’s okay I’m fine” I said under my breath picking my bag up and keeping walking, 5 minutes later someone walked into me again “What is it with this place and everyone walking into people!” I complained, “You got a problem?” the woman asked, “Yeah I do, people keep walking into me and not even apologizing. What are people in Ocala above manners or something?” I snapped. She rolled her eyes walking off and I shook my head, I carried on walking when I saw someone walking towards me texting and I tried to avoid them but they walked straight into me.
“Do I have to move everything out of it?” I asked, “Yeah you do, everything you want to keep you need to get out the house,” she answered and I nodded walking over to my house. I grabbed bags packing everything that was mine that I wanted before taking stuff that was mom’s to keep followed by anything else I wanted to keep.
2 days later and there was a knock on the door and some guy named David turned up, he talked like I wasn’t there or able to understand him about me being too young to live alone and that I could end up in a care home until I was officially 18; this was 5 months away! They decided that the foster home near my school was the best place for me to go and I just nodded along with them, I was not going to a foster home!
That night I laid awake thinking of anything or anyone I could that could help me get out this mess but I really had nobody, my maternal grandparents had never met me seeing as they never approved of my mother keeping me and I had no clue what their names were or where they even lived. “Hayley we’re going out shopping, is there anything you want dear?” my neighbour asked and I shook my head smiling “Okay, David might come around later to take you to show you the foster home before the end of the week when you go” she said before leaving.
I panicked and before I really knew it I’d called a taxi and was on the way to the airport “Where are you going then?” the driver asked and I smiled at him “Holidays” “You’ve got a lot of stuff for a holiday” he replied ”Yeah well you know what us girls are like, we like to have outfits for every occasion” “That’s true, my daughters always pack too much, they went to Florida to Disneyland last year and I’m not kidding they took their whole wardrobes with them” he said smiling at me and I nodded.
“So where you headed on holiday then?” he asked “Erm, Florida actually” “Really, why the erm?” he questioned looking suspicious “I was trying to think of the place’s name but I can’t remember. Definitely not Disneyland, I always wanted to go there but my mom said no” I replied feeling sick at the mention of my mom. “Are you okay?” “Yeah sorry just get travel sick sometimes” I lied and he nodded “So you’re going alone then?” “No my friends going too but she’s flying from New York, she moved there last year” I answered him smiling; I hoped he was buying all this talk.
We got to the airport and I thanked him paying him before going inside, I looked around before failing to find what I wanted so I stopped someone “Hi can you tell me where the payphones are please?” I asked and they pointed in the direction so I wandered that way finding them at last. I dialled without much thought “Hello can I get the number for a Tom Denney in Florida please?” I asked “County?” the woman replied, “Erm I, I can’t remember. All I know is Florida, if you say the town I might recognise it,” I stated before she listed a few names off. “That one, Ocala” I cut in and she listed a number so I wrote it down hanging up before dialling the number and a woman answered.
“Hello, is anyone there?” she asked, I shook my head “Erm, sorry I think I got the wrong number,” I said hanging up. I saw my phone ringing and I panicked turning it off, it was my neighbour so I figured they’d got home and found the note I’d left. I thought just leaving without saying thank you was kind of rude so I left them a note saying I was grateful for them having me stay and for being there but I couldn’t live in a foster home so I was leaving and that I would be fine and I’d ring them sometime soon but that they shouldn’t call anyone. I didn’t think they’d pay attention to the last bit but it was worth a try.
If they knew I was gone it wasn’t long before they started to check places for me and I was betting an airport was one of the first on the list, I walked up to the help desk to find an empty computer so I googled Ocala looking for the closest airport to it and found the answer before seeing an airport member of staff.
“Hi can you help me out, I’m such an idiot. I’m supposed to be flying to Ocala, I missed my flight at the other airport but they said if I came here you could get me there today. I’d have waited until tomorrow but my friend is flying out from New York to meet me there today and I have to get there today to meet her before we go on to visit her aunt, please tell me you fly to Ocala today?” I asked trying to sound honest and he shook his head. “The direct flight left this morning I’m sorry” “Seriously? But they said you could get me there, is there an indirect one or anything, please I have to get there today otherwise I’ll miss everyone and be stranded in Ocala” I begged.
“Hang on let me see,” he said typing away it his computer, “Well there’s a flight to Orlando but check in closes in half an hour. From there you could get a connecting flight to Ocala” “Seriously I can do that?” I asked and he nodded “Thank you so much, where do I need to go?” and he pointed it out and I went. I got to the front of the queue and bought a one way ticket to Orlando, I fell asleep and woke up to find we’d landed so I rushed off getting my stuff and going to buy my ticket to Ocala.
When I landed it felt like it’d been hours since I left Georgia by the time I reached Ocala, I got the address of the number I’d rung earlier and got a taxi to the middle of town. I was starving so I wandered looking for anywhere to eat but my bags were heavy so it slowed me down, someone walked into me and I dropped my bag “Look where your going jerk” I snapped at them and they just walk off.
“It’s okay I’m fine” I said under my breath picking my bag up and keeping walking, 5 minutes later someone walked into me again “What is it with this place and everyone walking into people!” I complained, “You got a problem?” the woman asked, “Yeah I do, people keep walking into me and not even apologizing. What are people in Ocala above manners or something?” I snapped. She rolled her eyes walking off and I shook my head, I carried on walking when I saw someone walking towards me texting and I tried to avoid them but they walked straight into me.