username: Lady Ifrit
title: "Not Everyone Loves Hershey's..."
Entry Number: One
Once upon a time, there was a sweet, though not so innocent young lady of sixteen that, with her parents, was visiting her uncle and his boyfriend, for the Christmas holiday. Her uncle and his companion lived in a quiet little place, amidst a million other little places, that looked exactly the same. She thought this was called a suburb, but at the time, she really wasn't sure.
By being in this city, she was living a dream. She'd always wanted to visit the home of one of the worlds most awesome brand of chocolate and goodies of the sort! However, this dream eventually became a nightmare. The day was well, but the young lady was very bored. Shortly after evening came, her cousins (who were also visiting) were going to take a drive to the store. She thought the boys to be interesting enough, and with as tiresome as she had grown with listening to the adults talk, she tagged along, clamoring into the back of the older to the two brothers' car.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't find this little journey all that entertaining either. As a matter of fact, almost every word that dripped from the boys mouths drover her farther and farther over the brink of the feeling of anger. They spoke of torturing, and doing even worse things, to cats... The young lady loved cats, and she was deeply offended by their talk. She tried to make this evident, but she couldn't get a word in, edge wise.
Once they arrived back at their uncle's place, the girl went to see her father, to ask if it was alright to go for a walk, explaining that she needed to blow off some steam and clear her head. Once she had permission, she took off into the night. She had remembered that on the drive, there had been a willow tree by a small stream that she could get to, if she took a left down the sidewalk. She was fond of weeping willows, and the knew the atmosphere would help. She was quite right. It took a little while, but with the comforts of the tree and the sound of running water, she eventually found herself calmed, and feeling quite normal. After a bit, she decided to go even farther in her journey.
The young lady walked, walked, and walked some more. She didn't pay attention to where she was going, and when she realized she wasn't paying attention, she found herself lost. She didn't know house numbers, street names, or just how many turns she had taken, nor which directions she turned. Not too worried yet, she continued to walk, hoping she'd find something that looked familiar, amidst all of the houses that looked exactly the same, minus some varying holiday decor. - The farther she went, the more lost she became, the colder she felt, and her worry began to rise in her throat. Panic, even, as she had noticed the same car pass by her, 5 times.
Thankfully, the car never stopped to bother her. Must have just been a group of people, out joy riding. Eventually, when she began to freeze, she stopped at one of the random places that looked identical to her uncles, to ask if she could use the phone. The first thing she did, was call her mother. Though hours away, she knew it would make her feel better, just to hear her voice. To her disappointment, no one answered. She then called her aunt, who suggested the young lady call her grandfather, as he was tight with the local police department and might be able to provide assistance.
After speaking with her grandfather, he said the best thing that she could do, is call 9-1-1. After thanking him, that's exactly what she did. The dispatch officer that answered her call had only dampened her mood even farther. His response to her explanation was quite annoyed and rude, simply stating that they're not an escort or taxi service. As he was about to hang up, he then asked her to hold, saying that a call that just came in about a missing child, and that it might pertain to her.
After a few minutes of holding on to the strangers phone, the dispatch officer's voice flooded her ears, tears flooding her eyes as he requested the address that she was at, and informed her that they were sending a car. He told the young woman to wait outside, and that a uniformed officer would be there to pick her up shortly. - The shortly turned out to be a half hour. The young woman felt numb from the cold by the time the officer arrived, but had felt one of the most intense joys of her life thus far, when he opened the door to the back of the squad car for her. She climbed in thankfully. Her joy was quickly diminished, as he threw more questions at her than she knew how to answer. Personal questions. Questions about her, about her journey, about her father.
Eventually, they car pulled into the driveway of her uncles place, her father looking like a Klingon, ready to attack a challenger. Fear overtook her then... Her father was a strict man, who was a very firm believer in physical discipline. She was afraid that she was going to get the beating of her life for what she had done. For what she had just been through.
Outside the car, the officer and her father were having heated discussion. She couldn't hear them over the hum of the engine, but she was afraid. Eventually, the officer opened the back door, and the girl climbed out of the vehicle. She quivered with cold and fear, waiting for the very worst thing she may ever experience. Instead of striking out at her though, her father pulled her into the biggest, tightest, warmest hug that the girl had ever experienced. She lost it then, crying, sobbing over how sorry she was, how scary the event had been, and how thankful she was to be back.
The young woman's father assured her that everything was okay. That he was glad that she was back with him, and that if she ever did anything like that again, she most likely wouldn't live to tell about it. An empty threat, but it was one that only brought the girl more comfort, though more remorse along with it. His words and tone showed how much he was worried, and how glad he was that she was back.
Eleven years has passed since that event, and the young woman is now an adult with a child of her own... I have never forgotten that Christmas Eve. My father and step-mother wouldn't allow it, even if I wanted to. They'll never let me live it down, and I know this is the truth. It's something we can all look back on and laugh at now, but the feelings I had that night, remain inside. I can only hope that nothing like that ever happens to my son, and that I never have to experience the feelings my father felt, when I was missing.