Highway Part 21

Highway Chapter 14(continued)

Being kids, we didn’t have any money to buy snacks. This meant we were required to get our parents to buy them for us. Still, my teacher absentmindedly assigned me a day, and I was so excited. I sprinted out the door at the end of school, to go see the mayor. He was the one who gave me the things that I needed, and so I would need to ask him. It hadn’t bothered me that much that I didn’t have parents, for I didn’t know any better. I was lonely, of course, but I hadn’t felt the true isolation in full.

I entered his office, and he was talking on the phone. The mayor was not exactly what I would call a cruel man, but he was not one suitable for raising kids. I waited patiently for him to get off of the phone, just as I had been instructed.

Once, I interrupted a phone call, and he had given me a twenty minute lecture on not bothering adults. I couldn’t bother him in many situations. If he had a call, a meeting, guests in his office, or if he was working on paperwork. This didn’t leave much time, but there were moments. He got off of the phone, and noticed me quietly standing there.

“What do you need, Veronica?”

It was a tired voice. I told him I needed money to get snacks for school.

He looked at me sternly, and said, “I can’t give you money for silly things like that, Veronica. The city gives you money to give you basic necessities, not to buy snacks for school.”

He stood up, preparing to leave. I tugged on his sleeve.

“Wait!” I exclaimed, “If we bring snacks we get a little stuffed animal. There is this little ladybug that is meant for me. I need to bring in snacks or I can’t get it. Please, sir?”

I didn’t even really know his real name anymore, because I had become accustomed to just using sir. Irritated, he yanked his sleeve out of my grasp.

his important office voice he scolded, “I told you I can’t. You need the money for more important things. A ladybug is not a necessity.”

He straightened his jacket, walking through his door. I ran after him.

“You don’t understand! This is important! I’ve never asked you for anything like this before. Please. Pretty please with cherries and ice cream on top?”

He had become angry now, and I knew I had asked too many times. It had been so important to me, and I was furious he couldn’t understand.

“Veronica,” he warned, admonishing, “No means no. I will not discuss this anymore. I have a business meeting, and I don’t have the time to deal with such trivial matters. Run along home now, and don’t ask me again.”

With that, he left. I trudged down the street, downtrodden. When I got home, I threw down my backpack and cried. To me, that ladybug had been everything. And now that I had no snacks, I would never get it.

I went into school on my assigned day, empty handed and ashamed. The kids grumbled when they learned of my failure to provide nourishment for them. We ate animal crackers the teacher kept in her closet, but they were nothing compared to what we usually got to eat.

Other kids brought in strawberries, or brownies, or sometimes even entrées like lasagna. Sally’s mom had made it for her, and we all clapped for her contribution. She got to pick one of the big stuffed animals, usually reserved for especially good behavior.

I never got one of these, for I never had anyone to show my good behavior to. I couldn’t share with kids because they never asked. I never hugged someone who was sad, for their friends reached them first.

I tried to talk to the teacher, to explain to her I didn’t have any money, and she said she understood. When I grew elated, she told me that she couldn’t give me one. She understood my predicament, and didn’t blame me, but couldn’t give me a stuffed animal because then others would want one without bringing in a snack. She couldn’t favor me.

The ladybug was never chosen, left behind, shoved into the corner.

I came back a year later, passing her room in the hall, and it was still there. It broke my heart, and became the gateway for my longing for parents. I was never quite the same after that day.

I lay in my sleeping bag now, thinking of the small animal, and doing all that I could to stay awake. The hours passed, and I spent them in a half-asleep state. I dreamed a bit, more awake than asleep. I saw a boy, one smiling with joy. He was dancing with what appeared to be a younger me, laughing and hugging my younger self. It’s my brother, I realized in my more lucid moments. I couldn’t remember what happened to him, or anything else about him. Only that he was my brother.

As the sun began to rise, I waited for Matt to “wake” me up. I hadn’t slept at all, and it had felt lonely. Even though Matt had been right there, next to me, I still felt isolated when it was silent.

I reflected back on that poor stuffed animal, shoved against the shelf, almost like me. I wanted that bug so bad, simply because it was me. I pondered over the fate of the stuffed creature now, and I wondered about mine.Would I be stuffed behind others my whole life? Or would I finally be chosen? I could only wait to find out.

Highway Chapter 15

            I woke up to the sun, as usual. I looked over to Veronica, who sat beside me on the hill. She looked so tired, and I understood why. After two night of lost sleep, along with getting up so early for her, it all added up. I decided that we could wait an hour before heading out. It was only an hour, but she could benefit greatly from even that. Sleeping in meant a little more walking, but we would still make it to town before the sun went down the next day.

I watched the sun rise, it vibrant and flaring rays stretching out, dying the sky in various reds and pinks. Feeling mildly guilty, I woke Veronica up. She asked me why we had to wake up so early, drawing out the last word in a whine. The sleepy undertone made me laugh.

We set off after she had gotten ready, singing and dancing as we had the day before. She threatened me, saying I better not tell anyone about this or about her love of stuffed animals. We stopped at a fork in the road, and she filled her water bottle from the nearby stream. As I was looking at the routes, I heard a crackling come from my backpack. I didn’t understand until Veronica’s voice came through, emitting noises from the side pocket.

Pulling out the walkie talkie she had given me, I looked across the stream to her. I asked her what she was doing, raising my voice to be heard over the distance. She told me to just trust her. I gave her a look as if she had gone a little bit loopy, but shrugged anyway. I was up for whatever little game she had planned.

She said there was a problem, using the code name Houston. I looked at her again before deciding to play along. I asked what the problem was, using the nickname command. She snickered, and then asked me what I said. I didn’t understand what the problem was. Had I not spoke clearly enough? She teased me with humor that I had to say over at the end of every transmission, over. I put my hand on my hip in a gesture of mock offense, and repeated my line, emphasizing my over. She told me she couldn’t find the tablets and that her bottle wasn’t functioning, making sure to include the ending word. I rolled my eyes, and headed back to help her.

Why didn’t she know where the tablets were though? She had been using them for days. When I walked up, she was acting strangely. She wouldn’t look at me, and she had a completely straight face, attempting to look casual. I knew she was up to something now, but I didn’t know what. I turned to gather the tablets from beside a few things, and was surprised when icy water landed on me, soaking my clothes.

Startled and shocked, I saw Veronica standing there shouting in victory. I was stunned, and I couldn’t even gather words. Then a laugh bubbled up inside me, and I chuckled rambunctiously. I couldn’t stop laughing.

I didn’t think she would do that! She was spunky, that was a fact. I told her she was a sly one, and quite the devious teenager. I looked down at my sopping clothes, and attempted to shake free some of the liquid. I supposed I should have been more thoughtful of her revenge for splashing her. She apologized sarcastically and told me I should have kept my guard up.

She bent down to fill her bottle, this time for drinking use. Seeking some fun and laughs, I snuck up behind her quietly. When she turned, she saw me missing from my previous location.

Reaching out quickly but gently, I pushed her into the bank. She exclaimed in indignation, and told me I was a jerk and a snot. Smirking to myself, I repeated her words back to her. She told me I was mean, and lay against the side of the bank. Giving me the most pathetic look she could muster, she asked me to pull her out. She was shivering slightly, and I felt a little bit bad. I knelt down to help her up, and was caught off my guard again when she pulled on my hand, forcing me into the river.

She crowed in victory, offering a villainous laugh to accompany here exclamations. She was full of surprises, and I couldn’t believe I had fallen for two tricks in a row. I splashed her with water, and she shrieked. She splashed me back, and we ended up laughing at each other as we had a water war. I had to lean on the wall to support myself I was laughing so hard. After my breathing calmed down, I pulled myself out of the water, leaning my hands on my knees, trying to breathe after laughing.

I saw Veronica struggling to get out, and she told me she was stuck. Did she think I was that stupid? I had fallen for her tricks twice, but I wouldn’t fall for the same one. She told me she was serious. After a few moments of her attempts at getting out, I cautiously moved to help her. I warned her I would tackle her if she pulled me in again, but she informed me with a snappy voice she wouldn’t. I braced my foot against a rock for support, and pulled her out.

I told her maybe she shouldn’t have pulled me in, offhandedly and playful. She told me that she wouldn’t have if he hadn’t pushed her first. I scoffed, but smiled at her.

We gathered our stuff, and still dripping, went down our path. She bemoaned the fate of her hair, telling me it looked awful. I wondered why it mattered, for we weren’t going to see anyone special on the road. She exclaimed that it was easy for me not to care, for my hair went back to normal if I ran a hand through it. Proving her point, she reached up and tousled my hair before I could doge her attempts. She grumbled that my hair was fine. Thinking I could make her something to tie it back with, I looked around. Ha! I thought to myself as I spotted a plant called Dogbane. The stems were very flexible and could be used to make rope. Weaving the stems together swiftly, I created a little loop to hold back Veronica’s hair. When I offered it to her, she seemed confused until I explained it was a hair tie for her. I told her nature could provide so many things you needed, if you knew what to look for.

We made it to our camp for the night, a nice little glade with a pond below and a small lookout hill, surrounded by trees.