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LEAVING TORONTO
I was born to Ella and Adam Le’range on December 16 1992 at 12:00 am, in Hotel Du Grace Hospital. You could pick me out from the rest of the children from the birth marks by both my eyes; the left has a moon the right a sun. My mother gave me the nick name of the golden child, I never really understood why and in the short time I had with them they never told me nor anyone else. With my skin being an ivory colour, I never really look right in my only photo of the family. Both my parents had tanner skin and brown eyes. My eyes were ice blue. We lived in Tavistock for a short time. Shorter than what I, or anyone would have wanted.
Jane and Derek had always said “In order for there to be a beginning, something somewhere has to come to an end. Great, Equivalent exchange. One cannot gain without giving something in return.” These words are so true, and that’s how they got me, the something somewhere that came to an end was my parents. The beginning of my life, was the end of theirs. They were murdered when I was three months old and the man who killed them, but he couldn’t seem to kill me too. They found me in the arms of my mother’s dead body. After all was said and done I only have one item left to remind me of them.
Since I had no living relatives, I was sent to live with one of my parent’s friends in Toronto. Jane and Derek happily took me in. They had a child who was two years old named Jaden. When I came to live with them, he became my one and only friend. I didn’t really feel welcomed in Toronto because of the way I looked. My birthmarks and unnormally light skin seemed to scare people. I’m not sure if scare is the right word, but I can’t seem to think of a better one. Jaden always hung out with me, I guess we were in the same boat when his mom died in the car accident. His dad killed himself shortly after, he couldn’t take the depression anymore. When we got home form school that day, March twenty-third I believe. There was a bottle of empty pills next to his body with a note for us in the bottle. Part of it was about my parents the rest was an apology about leaving us so young.
I was fourteen and he was almost sixteen. We called the cops to come claim the body, and ran away to the other side of Toronto to a skate park where we lived for a year before Jaden got in trouble with drugs and was shot. That’s when I found the necklace in his backpack, it was the only thing I had of my mom and dad and it was marked: to Deserai, love mom and dad, on the back of the heart. It looked kind of old at least twelfth century, It had a pale blue diamond in the middle shaped as a half moon on top of a sun.
When the cops came to the crime seen they found me holding his body. Once again I was sent away to another one of my mom and dad’s old friends and I was sent to go live with them.
“Do I have to go” I was sitting in the chair at the Children’s Aids Society Office.
“There is nothing I can do Des, you have nowhere left to go and this couple are you mother and father’s friends, not very many people get a second chance in life and you should be thankful.” Mr. Kolko, my councillor, meant well but it’s not like I can’t take care of myself. Jaden and I were looking after each other ever since Derek died.
“Where will I be going?” I wasn’t really interested I just thought it would get him off my back if I showed some interest on the subject.
That’s when his eyebrows went into one of those if I tell you what would you do kinda look. “Um, there is this couple about seven hours away that...”
I cut him off, seven hours was all I could think of at the time. Seven hours, that meant the world I knew, places I lived, and the memories with Jaden would soon fade. That I didn’t like it would change everything about my life. “Where am I going to live?” I was mad that he wasn’t mentioning where I was going to live and I didn’t really like Mr. Kolko, he seemed like one of those people who think ‘the sooner you’re out of my hair the better.’ He didn’t even care about what the street rat had to say. I really didn’t have a choice.
“It’s a small town.”
“How small and where?” These were the question he was hoping I wouldn’t ask him I could tell from the look on his face.
“It’s a town of about three thousand and it’s called Berry in the states.”
“In the states!” I stood up, angry at him. “I haven’t even been outside of Canada and now I’m living in the states!” the tone of my voice was a cross between pissed off and hysteria.
“You have no choice.”
“Oh yeah I have no choice coming from the social worker. I hate people like you, people who don’t care. So why the hell are you sending me to live with fifty year old creeps when I want to stay with my friends?” I was steaming. I didn’t want to leave here, let alone the country. This was where I grew up.
“Listen to me you little brat. I let people just like you live alone on the streets to find them dead within a week and by law I can not release a minor without parental control and you have no living relatives, you have no choice.” He yelled at me.
“You have no…you….you....”that when the tears ran down my face. I was so upset, I couldn’t even speak.
“Look, um…” His face started to grow red. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” He had one of those I’m so sorry look on his face.
“Yeah sure you are, you’re just like every other social worker out there, only in it for the money.” I was still mad so I didn’t say much. I didn’t want my voice to start breaking on me.
He gave up and said “One of our other workers will escort you to your home. Pack your stuff and be ready to get on the plane at eight am. We will get you a guard to watch over the house for the night to make sure you are safe.” I laughed to myself. Obviously he didn’t know where Jaden and I had lived in that past year. He then motioned for one of the secretary to come over. “Des this is Kim she will take you home.”
“Hi Des, it’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand for me to shake but I just turned my head coldly and looked out the window.
We left the office and walked to her car. When we got into the car she looked at me. “Where do you live Hun?”
“Do you know the skate park is, off of Huron Street?”
“Yes, I do. where do I go from there?”
“That’s where I live.” I said, my voice flat. I was still staring out the window.
“Your kidding, how long have you been living there for?” I could see her glance at me from the reflection in the window. She seemed concerned. I laughed. I wondered how hard it was for her to pretend to care about me. No one cared, but I was used to it. “I’ve been living there ever since Derek died. Jaden and I ran away because we didn’t to be separated.”
“Oh. Well then, you’ll have to come back to the office. We can’t let you sleep on the streets.” She didn’t talk to me after that.
I only nodded.
We pulled up to the skate park and I went over to the bathrooms where Jaden and I use to sleep and grabbed everything there that was Jaden’s and mine. I ran back to the Kim’s car because the weather turned on me and started to rain.
We went back to Children’s Aid office, got out of the car, and brought my bags in. Kim went over to Mr. Kolko and started talking to him about something I couldn’t quite catch. He came over to me to show me to the couch in his office, what can I say, it was better then home. I sat up all night in tears that night.
I woke up to Kim shaking me. “Des, Des! Wake up you need to leave now to get to the plane on time. “NOW DES!!”
“I’m up.” I grumbled as I rolled over and sat up. I ran my hand through my.
I got my stuff together and Kim helped me into the car. We left the office. Sadly, it only took fifteen minutes to get to the air port.
We got into the ticket line and I handed her my passport. After we left the line, she handed me it back along with my ticket to Ohio.
“Ok you get off at the Ohio airport. There you will meet Anna and Zack Cubberly. They are going to be your guardians and you will live with them until you turn eighteen.” She gave me my bags, I looked towards the door and spent my last minutes in the only world I knew with a person I met a day before.
I got on the plane and we took off. That was the last time I ever saw Toronto.