It all happened on another normal day in Tennessee of July, 2007. I was 10 years of age and I believed I had enough life experience to judge others without giving them a chance but I was wrong. The quote “he is never seen yet he has countless acquaintances” is a prime explanation of how I was before I realized the truth.
The mornings were always the same, waking up an hour and twenty minutes before the sun arose from its own slumber. I got out of bed and walked lifelessly into the bathroom to take care of my usual morning callings. I would use the toilet, wash my hands, and then brush my teeth before returning to my chamber of darkness. I lay back into bed and as soon as my eyes begin to shut my cousin forced my door open – leaving the wall with yet another unseen crack within. She would force my blankets onto the floor as I wrestled her for 5 more minutes of rest. I ultimately lost after 30 seconds had passed. After we both get dressed we retired to the living room as we await the everyday rebirth of the sun.
As we witnessed the magnificent rays of gold and orange bring light and color to the dark and unseen town, we both just stood in awe as we were captivated by its beauty. The townspeople began to awake, only to witness the sun reach its peak in the sky. I looked out of the window only to see Rex, my cousin’s dog, look right back at me as I called out to him. He took one step back and leaped straight through the window, forcing me to the ground in a laughing manner. He continuously licked my face and insisted on playing until his owner fixed his breakfast. As my cousin began serving our breakfast, Rex was quietly sat at his bowl patiently awaiting his share of the pancakes and scrambled eggs.
Soon after beginning our meal my cousin started to do her usual probing about my previous day.
“Have you made any friends so far?”
“I have acquaintances, not any friends.”
“Shouldn’t you be looking to get closer to people?”
I fell silent for a moment. Then I slowly took a breath and replied, “I don’t need any friends. No one ever accepts me for me anyway.”
“Oh please, you know better than I do that a bunch of nonsense,” my cousin replied furiously.
We both decided to end the conversation right there and talk about something else, but inside my head I was at war with the words she just spoke. She knew nothing of my social life. All of the “friends” I had up until then were just liars who covered their true intentions with misleading smiles, words like friend, and phrases like “I’ll never do anything to hurt you”. When I finished my thought, I walked to the door only to be interrupted by our neighbor as I reached for the handle. He frantically slammed the door opened and impatiently requested our help as he rapidly spoke gibberish. Without a second to spare he grabbed my wrist and rushed me over to his home as my newly bought shoes got muddy from the slimy earth caused by the midnight rain. We reached his home and went inside only to see it a total mess as if he had been robbed. I asked what was wrong but he was too out of breath to release a single word. Then suddenly we heard a loud shriek coming from the entryway. To my surprise, it was his daughter, Lexy, who I occasionally spent time with. When her father saw her he began to cry as if he had not seen her in years.
After a few minutes passed on the clock, the father began to explain the situation. He had been out late at night drinking with his friends. When he returned, staggering over his own feet, he ripped the place apart looking for his alcohol which Lexy had hidden in advance. He also forgot that he allowed her to stay by a friend’s house that night. Tired of looking for the drinks, he fell asleep right in the middle of the floor. When he awoke the next morning, today, he could not remember any of the events from the day before. He believed a burglar broke in and knocked him out and took Lexy.
After explaining the situation, both Lexy and I began to laugh uncontrollably.