I
remember looking down that empty street; it was a summer day everything silent
except for the small call of the ice cream truck in the distance as I sat
outside the barbershop watching my cousin Maya beg her mom desperately to buy
us some ice cream as she heard the joyous jingle coming closer. I turned to my
right to look at the barbershop; I could only see advertisements on its large
glass windows. Acting as a block to the
inside where my brother was being tended to for his new haircut. Deaf to the
commotion around me of the wining 4 year old I stared into the depths of
however deep a 7 year old mind goes.
“Can
we please have ice cream mommy! Can we please! Mommy you promised we could have
ice cream later! MOM he’s coming hurry up!!” she jumped up and down as any
common spoiled child would.
“Alright Maya,
damn you’ll get your ice cream just leave me alone.” She sighed, grabbing her
money out her purse while chewing her gum viscously as she pins each dollar in
our hands. At that moment he finally rounded the corner, watching Maya silently
while her eyes grew big like a wolf ready to eat another conquered little
piggy. When the ice cream man handed me my SpongeBob Popsicle stick I analyzed
it before ripping out his bubblegum eyeballs that I loved so much and instantly
popped them in my mouth.
“Lou,
let’s go!” My
cousin [KM1] Misty screamed
as my brother soon joined us outside in the heated emptiness of the street. His
hair looked like freshly cut grass; nearly bald.
[KM2] That evening
we went back to the house everything was going great until mom called. She stated that she would be over the house
to pick us up for a long ride home back to Pittsburgh. Upon arriving I was
drinking sprite on the balcony soaking in the late night summer breeze. She
appeared at the door, my mom ,in the shortness that was mom and her best
feature the red hair bright upon her round, soft freckled face. She walked in
with a mission you could see by the look in her eye. She called for my sister
Jazz who was on the second floor just coming from a long hour of video games
with my older brother Sebastian. The two were never really close but when it
came down to games and any fun they were there,.
“Jazz, Sebastian, and Lou grab your
things lets go.” Then there was a pause.
“Jasmine said she isn’t going anywhere
and she had that talk with you earlier.” Said my Michigan groomed Aunt Beth,
who was always known for her snide comments.
“Oh yes she is. I told her earlier she
can’t stay and I was coming in an hour.”
“Well she said she doesn’t want to
go.” She folded her arms across her chest, the wrinkles in her face sagging
into her frown probably stained there from years of not smiling. The air in the
room tightened as if we were all in a giant zip lock bag, and me the only one
gasping for air.
“Lou and Sebastian get you
things!” My mom announced loudly so no questions were asked. I ran upstairs
only to hear their voices begin to rise as the tension beat down on my heart
while I packed my things. They screamed and yelled unforgiveable things but I
muted them letting the moment slip by me like a television show in which I
couldn’t wait for the commercial. As I jumped in the car outside I watched them
grab up my mother forcing her to leave the residence without my sister.
Eventually giving up, my mom drives off with me and brother turning around to
say , “do
you want to go with her?” [KM3] angrily too. We hesitantly
gave a silent no only to watch her drive away leaving one of our own left
behind. when only an hour ago we were
eating ice cream on that lovely day.
