was beautifully restored to all its glory.
“I’ll be back in a half hour to pick you up. I don’t want to linger and make you nervous.” My stomach was doing flip flops as I got out of the car.
“Ask for Judy Michaels, she is the manager.” I nodded as she pulled off.
I walked the few steps into the diner. It was almost a perfect replica of the diner in Texas where I met Drake. I walked up to the counter and got a whiff of cigarette smoke. It gave me an eerie feeling. Over to my left was a woman in what looked to be her mid-fifties. My legs began to feel like jelly beneath me and I was warped back to a dark place, a very dark place. She reminded me so much of Miss Donna, my very first foster mom. She was so warm and loving at first glance, but there was darkness in her that most didn’t see. She was a pudgy little blonde woman with deep blue eyes. When I first arrived at her home the children there seemed like zombies. I met a little boy named Ryan who warned me not to cross Miss Donna. I didn’t believe him, how could a woman so jolly be mean. On the second night there I learned just how wrong I was. We were all summoned to dinner and we were having chicken and broccoli casserole. I tried to tell Miss Donna I was allergic to broccoli and she made me eat it anyway. It landed me in the emergency room to get an Epi shot. The doctor shot it right into my left leg. I still had the dark brown spot on my leg as proof. I guess Miss Donna thought she was going to get into trouble for taking me to the hospital.
“You ungrateful little brat. I take you into my home and you do this. I’ll teach you.” The tears started streaming down my little face.
“I am sorry. I tried to tell you I was allergic.”
“This is not my fault. Get in the car!” she screamed. I quietly opened the door and slipped into the back of her rusted out Toyota. I couldn’t remember my arrival to the hospital probably due to the fact that I thought I was going to die.
Miss Donna drove us home in silence. I was so scared of what was going to happen. When we pulled up in the drive way, it took me what felt like an eternity to get out of the car.
“Get your little ass in there.” I had never been talked to like that in my life. My parents always used kind words with me even when they were mad.
“Mr. Todd will have words with you when he gets home,” she said as she lit up a cigarette. “Get up to your room and get ready for bed.” I ran up there as fast as I could and then burst into tears. I changed my clothes and lay in the tattered, squeaky bed. After about an hour I heard footsteps outside my door and saw a shadow. I curled up into a little ball. It was already late when we had arrived back home. The door opened and a tall, slender man stood in the doorway.
“So Donna tells me you’re the little trouble maker. We don’t tolerate trouble makers.” He closed the door and locked it behind him. I couldn’t see his eyes. All I could see were balls of black walking towards me.
“Please don’t hurt me. I didn’t mean it.” He said nothing.
I smelled the cigarette that was dangling from his fingers. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. “You sure are a pretty little girl.” The way the words “pretty little” rolled off his tongue sent shivers down my spine.
I’ll never forget that night for as long as I can remember. Mr. Todd came to visit me almost every night that I was with Miss Donna. I hated it there. Mr. Todd would put his cigarettes out on my skin when he was done with me.
“How can I help you?” A woman said, bringing me back to the present.
“Cindy, get out of here with that cigarette. You know you can’t smoke in here.” The woman nodded her head and put the cigarette out.
“Sorry you know I need my fix,” she said as she passed us to go outside.
“The nerve of some people. I have told that woman over and over again she can’t smoke in here, yet she does it anyway. What can I help you
“I’ll be back in a half hour to pick you up. I don’t want to linger and make you nervous.” My stomach was doing flip flops as I got out of the car.
“Ask for Judy Michaels, she is the manager.” I nodded as she pulled off.
I walked the few steps into the diner. It was almost a perfect replica of the diner in Texas where I met Drake. I walked up to the counter and got a whiff of cigarette smoke. It gave me an eerie feeling. Over to my left was a woman in what looked to be her mid-fifties. My legs began to feel like jelly beneath me and I was warped back to a dark place, a very dark place. She reminded me so much of Miss Donna, my very first foster mom. She was so warm and loving at first glance, but there was darkness in her that most didn’t see. She was a pudgy little blonde woman with deep blue eyes. When I first arrived at her home the children there seemed like zombies. I met a little boy named Ryan who warned me not to cross Miss Donna. I didn’t believe him, how could a woman so jolly be mean. On the second night there I learned just how wrong I was. We were all summoned to dinner and we were having chicken and broccoli casserole. I tried to tell Miss Donna I was allergic to broccoli and she made me eat it anyway. It landed me in the emergency room to get an Epi shot. The doctor shot it right into my left leg. I still had the dark brown spot on my leg as proof. I guess Miss Donna thought she was going to get into trouble for taking me to the hospital.
“You ungrateful little brat. I take you into my home and you do this. I’ll teach you.” The tears started streaming down my little face.
“I am sorry. I tried to tell you I was allergic.”
“This is not my fault. Get in the car!” she screamed. I quietly opened the door and slipped into the back of her rusted out Toyota. I couldn’t remember my arrival to the hospital probably due to the fact that I thought I was going to die.
Miss Donna drove us home in silence. I was so scared of what was going to happen. When we pulled up in the drive way, it took me what felt like an eternity to get out of the car.
“Get your little ass in there.” I had never been talked to like that in my life. My parents always used kind words with me even when they were mad.
“Mr. Todd will have words with you when he gets home,” she said as she lit up a cigarette. “Get up to your room and get ready for bed.” I ran up there as fast as I could and then burst into tears. I changed my clothes and lay in the tattered, squeaky bed. After about an hour I heard footsteps outside my door and saw a shadow. I curled up into a little ball. It was already late when we had arrived back home. The door opened and a tall, slender man stood in the doorway.
“So Donna tells me you’re the little trouble maker. We don’t tolerate trouble makers.” He closed the door and locked it behind him. I couldn’t see his eyes. All I could see were balls of black walking towards me.
“Please don’t hurt me. I didn’t mean it.” He said nothing.
I smelled the cigarette that was dangling from his fingers. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. “You sure are a pretty little girl.” The way the words “pretty little” rolled off his tongue sent shivers down my spine.
I’ll never forget that night for as long as I can remember. Mr. Todd came to visit me almost every night that I was with Miss Donna. I hated it there. Mr. Todd would put his cigarettes out on my skin when he was done with me.
“How can I help you?” A woman said, bringing me back to the present.
“Cindy, get out of here with that cigarette. You know you can’t smoke in here.” The woman nodded her head and put the cigarette out.
“Sorry you know I need my fix,” she said as she passed us to go outside.
“The nerve of some people. I have told that woman over and over again she can’t smoke in here, yet she does it anyway. What can I help you
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