The Girl

What to do next

The Girl POV

After the cop’s aunt finished showing my drawing to the detectives that showed up, I was feeling very tired.  I laid down to sleep and for the first time in a very long time fell asleep with no dreams.  When I woke up again the lady was still there.  She was holding my hand so I gently squeezed it to let her know I was awake. 

“Dear Girl! We need to figure out what to do with you now that you are awake.  You can’t stay here forever,” she said.  I looked at her and thought about it.  I really had no where to go.

“Where was he going to send me that day?  Do you think whoever it was would let me stay with them?” Suddenly I was nervous and scared, in all the years I lived on the streets I never felt like this.  “I can’t go back to where I was?  Please, I beg you don’t make me go back”

She was clearly shocked by this show of emotions and stayed silent for a while, then suddenly she smile, “ Of course the person will take you in.  He was sending you to me in the first place.  I was the only person he could think of to trust you with.”

“Oh thank you ! Thank you.  You will never know what this means to me.”  I will finally have a place with someone to care.  I hugged her suddenly.

*cough cough* 

Startled I looked at the door, there stood the officer from my dreams with the 2 little girls that had been in my dreams also.  My eyes grew big and I wanted to hide.  I looked down at what I was wearing and hid myself under the blanket feeling exposed.  I broke eye contact with him and looked at my hands.

“ Aunt Nellie!  Why didn’t you call me as soon as you knew she was awake?”

Nellie looked a little embarrassed and replied, “ Sorry my boy,  I was a bit distracted once I got here.  Now that you are here though I should let you know that she wants to come home with me when the Dr says she can leave.” 

I snuck a peek at him after she said this, and discovered that he was looking right at me.  He looked a little hurt but hid it well.  “That is fine.  I can still count on you to watch the girls right Aunt Nellie?”

My heart aches to say that I wanted to care for them, but who would let me anywhere near young impressionable children.  I looked down again ashamed of what had become of me.  I had dreams of being a Dr when I was young but now I don’t even have a high school diploma.  I sigh and look out the window.

As if sensing my distress Aunt Nellie says, “Of course you can you fool boy.  I have no doubt this lovely young lady would like to help out, but for now let’s let her rest.”

“She is welcome to come and help with them, and of course we should let her rest.”

I felt a small hand tug on my gown.  Looking over I see the smallest daughter.  She looked at me longingly and said, “Mommatu?”

I looked from her to her father and back again.  I didn’t know what to say.  He took her hand and said as he lead her out the door, “ Let her rest Sweetheart.”

I knew that one day I would be her Mommatu but not yet.  I needed to heal and grow up some more.  I would help Aunt Nellie with babysitting for now.