Adventures in Babysitting
Chapter Twenty-One: Goodbye
Chapter Twenty-One: Goodbye
It was dead quiet when I got up that morning. I rose from the bunk gently, trying not to wake Adele. Luckily for me, she’s a sound sleeper. I tiptoed into the kitchen, where Gerard and Mikey were sitting silently. Mikey got up and hugged me.
“How could this happen?” Mikey asked me. He sobbed gently into my shoulder.
“It’s Jersey Mikey,” I replied, “Shit happens.”
He pulled away and nodded. He was pale and looked like he’d seen a bunch of crazy Satanists in a cult. He looked scared shitless. He sat back down on the couch across from Gerard. Gee walked up to me. “You okay?” he asked.
“I guess,” I replied.
“Is Adele...okay?”
“Not completely, but she’s fine for now.”
“Okay.”
“How’s Ray?” I asked, remembering the sob from the night before. Marc was his hero, the one he looked up to growing up. He’s probably a wreck.
“He’s okay, considering,” Gee replied. I nodded. Silence fell over us.
Gee broke the silence like he always did. “We have to take Adele in an hour.”
“Where?” I asked. I knew she had to leave, but I didn’t know where we were gonna take her.
“The station,” Gee replied, “Her foster family’s gonna be there.”
I nodded solemnly. I wasn’t too happy about this, but I really had no choice in the matter. If I did, I’d have adopted Adele on the spot. She’s so torn because of all the shit that’s happened. I hope she can heal.
In the next half hour, the tick clicked by slowly, as if God was giving us extra time. If there is a God. I’m not totally sure. But if there is, he must kind of give a shit. Right? Right.
Bob came out silently. He sat in one of the chairs, staring out the window of the bus. He was obviously deep in thought. Maybe about Adele, maybe about something else. All I noticed was the slight tear in his blue eyes. He was crying. He wants to be alone obviously.
Ray came out once for a few minutes. He looked trashed. His eyes were swollen and there were bags underneath. The salt from the tears had stained his reddish skin, but obviously he didn’t care. He just made his tea and went back into the bunk area.
We got Adele up then. She was ready in five minutes, which was slower than usual, and had her bag around her shoulder. She also had my old bag in her hands, which I had told her she could have.
We walked to the station in silence. Adele didn’t look at me or anyone the whole time. She just stared at her shoes.
We got there a little late, but Officer Martin didn’t seem to care. He was too busy talking to a skinny, mother-like blonde and a brown haired, fairly in shape man. I guess those are Adele’s foster ‘rents.
I kneeled down to Adele’s height. I looked into her sad pools of green. “I guess this is goodbye,” I told her.
“No Frankie!” she screamed, “Don’t leave me!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, tears threatening to fall, “I have to.”
“No you don’t! I’ll be good! I just wanna stay with you and Gerard and Uncle Ray and Mikey and Bob! Please Frankie! I love you,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I love you too,” I replied, “I’m so sorry Adele. But I’ll never forget you But promise you’ll never forget me, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, tears rolling down her face. I planted a small kiss on her forehead and handed her over to her foster mother. I started walking away. Adele looked at me, still crying. Her foster mother pulled her along to the back exit, but she protested, trying to still see me. She didn’t succeed.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned. It was Gerard. “It’ll be okay,” he told me. I looked down the hallway through the pane glass window. “Come on.” I nodded. Gee started to walk out the door. I looked at the hallway entrance and thought.
I’ll never forget this. I’ll never forget my lullaby. I’ll never forget this past month. And most of all, I’ll never forget Adele. I looked at the hallway one last time and whispered,
“I love you.”
It was dead quiet when I got up that morning. I rose from the bunk gently, trying not to wake Adele. Luckily for me, she’s a sound sleeper. I tiptoed into the kitchen, where Gerard and Mikey were sitting silently. Mikey got up and hugged me.
“How could this happen?” Mikey asked me. He sobbed gently into my shoulder.
“It’s Jersey Mikey,” I replied, “Shit happens.”
He pulled away and nodded. He was pale and looked like he’d seen a bunch of crazy Satanists in a cult. He looked scared shitless. He sat back down on the couch across from Gerard. Gee walked up to me. “You okay?” he asked.
“I guess,” I replied.
“Is Adele...okay?”
“Not completely, but she’s fine for now.”
“Okay.”
“How’s Ray?” I asked, remembering the sob from the night before. Marc was his hero, the one he looked up to growing up. He’s probably a wreck.
“He’s okay, considering,” Gee replied. I nodded. Silence fell over us.
Gee broke the silence like he always did. “We have to take Adele in an hour.”
“Where?” I asked. I knew she had to leave, but I didn’t know where we were gonna take her.
“The station,” Gee replied, “Her foster family’s gonna be there.”
I nodded solemnly. I wasn’t too happy about this, but I really had no choice in the matter. If I did, I’d have adopted Adele on the spot. She’s so torn because of all the shit that’s happened. I hope she can heal.
In the next half hour, the tick clicked by slowly, as if God was giving us extra time. If there is a God. I’m not totally sure. But if there is, he must kind of give a shit. Right? Right.
Bob came out silently. He sat in one of the chairs, staring out the window of the bus. He was obviously deep in thought. Maybe about Adele, maybe about something else. All I noticed was the slight tear in his blue eyes. He was crying. He wants to be alone obviously.
Ray came out once for a few minutes. He looked trashed. His eyes were swollen and there were bags underneath. The salt from the tears had stained his reddish skin, but obviously he didn’t care. He just made his tea and went back into the bunk area.
We got Adele up then. She was ready in five minutes, which was slower than usual, and had her bag around her shoulder. She also had my old bag in her hands, which I had told her she could have.
We walked to the station in silence. Adele didn’t look at me or anyone the whole time. She just stared at her shoes.
We got there a little late, but Officer Martin didn’t seem to care. He was too busy talking to a skinny, mother-like blonde and a brown haired, fairly in shape man. I guess those are Adele’s foster ‘rents.
I kneeled down to Adele’s height. I looked into her sad pools of green. “I guess this is goodbye,” I told her.
“No Frankie!” she screamed, “Don’t leave me!”
“I’m sorry,” I said, tears threatening to fall, “I have to.”
“No you don’t! I’ll be good! I just wanna stay with you and Gerard and Uncle Ray and Mikey and Bob! Please Frankie! I love you,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I love you too,” I replied, “I’m so sorry Adele. But I’ll never forget you But promise you’ll never forget me, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, tears rolling down her face. I planted a small kiss on her forehead and handed her over to her foster mother. I started walking away. Adele looked at me, still crying. Her foster mother pulled her along to the back exit, but she protested, trying to still see me. She didn’t succeed.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned. It was Gerard. “It’ll be okay,” he told me. I looked down the hallway through the pane glass window. “Come on.” I nodded. Gee started to walk out the door. I looked at the hallway entrance and thought.
I’ll never forget this. I’ll never forget my lullaby. I’ll never forget this past month. And most of all, I’ll never forget Adele. I looked at the hallway one last time and whispered,
“I love you.”