Banana Bread by Alice Flynn
“I’ll see you when I see you!” I greeted my friends before we all went our own ways. Even though we’ve graduated just a few months ago, and some of us are already working their full time jobs, we all still feel that we’re in college and we’re working on the next big project or thesis for class.
I bought a few pre-packed slices of banana bread from the bakery inside the mall for snacking while cooking dinner as it was my favorite. Since it was cheap, I bought almost a full loaf’s worth, since I know I’m going to be eating at least a slice or two on the way home. I ended up eating one slice before I even got out of the mall and started my walk home.
The skies started to get cloudy, and massively dark clouds were forming visibly across the city, so it was going to rain sooner or later. I wasn’t in much of a rush though as my apartment was also already visible from a distance, and all I had to check was whether or not my keys were ready. When I passed by the playground though, I saw someone wearing a hooded jacket and a dirty uniform seemingly down or possibly even crying on one of the swings, all alone. It was a somewhat familiar uniform too, until I realized that they must be a student from the nearby school. Seeing no one else with them, I took a turn and went to talk to them.
I slowly approached them so as to not scare them.
“Hey there…” I said, but they won’t reply. I had a glimpse of their ID and face, so I knew that they were a female student graduating in high school the next year, since the school year barely began.
“Hey…Billie?” I said, trying my best not to look suspicious. Of course, she still looked at me confused. There were clear marks of dried up tears on her cheeks, and some weird marks on her neck to shoulder area.
“Wh-who are you? How do you know me?” she asked.
“My name is Gail, and I saw your name on your ID. Sorry if it surprised you,” I replied. She looked at her ID before grabbing it and hiding it inside the jacket.
“What do you want?” she asked. Her tone of voice was stiff, but I can tell she’s a bit stressed and afraid.
“I want to know what’s wrong.”
“That’s none of your business.” As she replied, she looked away from me, but she held onto something else on her chest.
“You sure you don’t want to let a stranger in? Maybe I could help give an unbiased opinion, or at least I could lend an ear.”
As I was about to leave, I heard her stomach rumble, as I knew it wouldn’t be mine.
“Alright, but take these,” I said, putting two slices of the banana bread on her lap. “These are definitely not enough, but it should at least help for tonight. If you’re still here later I can bring you some water as well.”
There was no reply, so I walked off and left.
“Thank you…” I heard her speak in the faintest manner, along with the sound of plastic crumpling.
As soon as I got into my apartment on the 2nd floor of the building, I was exhausted from all the walking, so I just dropped my bag off on the table and lay face down on the bed. Unbeknownst to me, I actually ended up falling asleep for a short nap, and as soon as I woke up, I heard the rain loudly pouring down outside the room. I quickly changed into my house clothes and got started with my dinner while listening to the news.
There were loud crashes of thunder which were surprising, since the news didn’t say anything about a storm happening today. I also thought I heard some sounds of knocking, but I kept thinking that it might just be the thunder adding to the noise of me chopping stuff or cooking. However, when I heard it on my front door while waiting for the food to cook, I finally decided to check out what’s outside or who it might be. To my shock, Billie was outside of my apartment, fully soaked from the rain.
“May I come in…?” she asked.
“Yes, of course, come in quick!” I said, pulling her in the apartment and closing the door quickly.
She was shivering from the cold, so I immediately tried to help her take off her hoodie, only for her to hold on to it.
“N-No! Don’t take it off!” she angrily said.
“I understand you’re worried, but you’re the one who went into my apartment. If anything, I should be asking you how you found me. Besides, you’re fully soaked. I can get these clothes dried up for tomorrow in a few hours if you really need it, but right now, I need you to take it off.”
She looked at me confused, before looking sad and nodding, carefully taking off the hoodie. I realized at that moment why she didn’t want to take it off - her arms were covered in scars and some bruises that look like they were very new. As soon as I got the hoodie from her, I pulled her into the bathroom and gave her a big bath towel.
“Go dry off,” I said, putting the hoodie in the dryer and leaving it open. “And put all your wet clothes in here. I’ll lend you some of my old underwear as well, just in case. If you want to take a warm shower, feel free, but I’m leaving the change of clothes outside the bathroom. Once you’re done, join me at the dining table.”
She gently closed the door as I left while I rummaged through my box of old clothes for stuff I could lend to her after turning off the stove in the kitchen. I found some underwear, shorts, and a big shirt that somehow still kind of fits me but I’ve grown out of. I left the clothes by the door and went back to the kitchen to serve up dinner. I always cook enough for a few days, so I’m confident enough that I could feed her. She came to the kitchen dried up, but still smells a bit of rain.
“Come now, let’s eat,’ I said, sitting down on one end of the table. She doesn’t look at me or the food suspiciously, but rather, she looks scared.
“I-Is it okay?” she asked.
“Yes, don’t worry,” I replied, and she sat down on the other end. I served her some rice and the dish I’ve cooked for dinner before serving me. I then quietly ate while glancing at her every now and then, making sure she’s eating. Before I even realized it, she’s eating fast, and even with some tears in her eyes. She almost ended up choking on the food from how fast she was eating, which made me think that she might not have eaten in a while.
“Slow down, there’s plenty of food for the both of us. You can also eat as much as you like, I don’t mind,” I said, giving her some extra food. “I just need you to slow down.”
She looked at me and nodded slowly. After drinking some water, she slowed down her eating, but still ate quite a lot. It brought me a bit of joy to see someone else eat my food, but I can’t shake off the anxiety and curiosity over who hurt someone like her this much. She looks like those horror movie protagonists by the end of a movie, battered and tattered, beaten and traumatized - except she’s here, right in front of me.
“Thank you for the food,” she said, finally finished eating.
“You’re welcome,” I replied, grabbing the plates and bowls for washing.
“A-and thank you, for the clothes…”
“You’re welcome for that too.” I put the dirty dishes on the sink then went back to the table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I want to hear your story.”
She was hesitant, as expected.
“You don’t have to force yourself to talk about it, I can tell you’ve been through some really rough times,” I said. “I’m just curious as to what exactly happened that led you to me. You can call me ‘big sister’ if you want, or if that makes you more comfortable.”
“C-can I sit closer to you?” she asked, which surprised me.
“Of course,” I replied with a smile. She pulled her chair right beside me, and though still looking down, she started talking.
“I-I didn’t want to go home…because it’s like I don’t have a home anyway…” She started crying, so I stayed quiet and comforted her while listening.
“My parents are divorced…my mother works in another country, and my father is an alcoholic…I-I get the money but my father always spends it on alcohol and my mother doesn’t care…the only reason i’m still in school is through a scholarship…but at this point even that is on the line…even my classmates don’t like me, they always bully me, but when I fight back somehow it’s still all my fault…I-I don’t want to go to school anymore, or even go home, because either way I’m getting hit or punched or slapped when I talk back…”
I hugged her tightly while continuing to comfort her in other ways, and she cried over me. Her story ended there as as soon as she stopped crying, she had fallen asleep already. I carefully carried her to my bed and tucked her in, also using a damp towel to wipe the dried tears off of her face. I then washed the dishes and set the washer for the night before going to sleep on the sofa, thinking of what else I can do to help her.
I woke up early the next morning from the sunlight directly glaring through my eyelids coming from a gap in the window curtains. After drinking a glass of water, I took the newly washed clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer for use throughout the day, before going to my bedroom and checking in on Billie. When I opened the door, I saw her seemingly sweating, even though the fan was breezing. Putting the back of my hand on her forehead, I learned that she actually was having a fever.
I quickly went through my drawer of chaos in the kitchen to find a thermometer as it’s been so long since I have last personally used it. Making sure it still works, I took off most of the blanket covering her and put the thermometer on her armpit, before going back out to grab a small basin with some tap water for a wet towel. I then sat down beside her and slowly wiped her body with the damp towel to try to help her ease up. The thermometer beeps, showing her temperature of 39.2. Checking the time, I knew she was already late for school, so I prioritized getting her medicine.
After giving her a second wipe down, I picked up my wallet and jacket and went to the nearest convenience store around the apartment, since it was too early for over the counter pharmacies to be open and there’s no hospital pharmacy nearby. Luckily enough I was able to get some fever medicine, a pack of cold patches, a bottle of some kind of special rehydration drink, and a box of quick cook congee. Since I was already there, I also got myself some coffee and snacks for breakfast.
On my walk home, I wondered why I’m doing so much for her. I met her yesterday, I gave her some bread, I even let her stay in my home and sleep on my bed. However, I also wondered what would happen to her if I didn’t let her in, or if I forced her out. She’d probably be in the playground, soaking wet until the morning, or a random bus stop nearby and just shivering throughout the night, unable to have a comfortable sleep. Maybe she’s been doing it for a while, maybe she hasn’t eaten for days, maybe she’s had that same uniform for years because she can’t afford to get a new one or she’ll get abused by her father again. It was a little too early to think of too many depressing reasons, so I stopped thinking and focused on getting home.
As soon as I got home, I just dropped off my own food on the table and went to her with the medicine. She was already awake, still shivering, and still a bit too hot. I put a cold patch on her forehead before checking her temperature once again.
“You can call me Gail, dear. I’m a big sister, not a stranger,” I said. The thermometer beeps, showing 38.9. She desperately needs the medicine.
“W-why are you doing this to me…?”
I opened up the drink bottle and poured her a glass before helping her sit up a bit and giving it to her along with the medicine.
“I asked myself the same thing…a while ago, when I was going home after buying these things. But after giving myself a few reasons, I thought that doing the right thing was more than enough of a choice for me to act.”
After giving the medicine, I opened the windows slightly but kept the curtains closed so as to not let too much light or dust or rain in the room, only the cold wind to help cool her down. She tucked herself back in bed as well, so I left the drink on the bedside table.
“I’ll be calling your school about your absence today, so don’t worry about going. I’m also going to cook some congee so you have something warm to eat. Where’s your ID?”
“You don’t have to call…”
“I’m going to give them a call. Where’s your ID?” I asked. She went quiet, fully hesitating, but still complied in the end.
“I won’t tell them much, don’t worry. I’m going to come back later after cooking the congee.”
I left the room and went straight to the kitchen. I boiled the needed amount of water for the congee based on the box instructions, and while waiting, I had some breakfast of my own. I also went through her bag to find the id, only to see some other wet clothes, notebooks, a phone, and many other different things, all of which I laid out to dry except for the clothes, which I put in an empty clothes basket for later drying. After getting the school’s number from the ID, I called them while continuing to prepare the congee.
“Hello and good morning, this is Silver Valley University. My name is Grace, may I know who I’m speaking to?” they said.
“Um, yes, hi, my name is Gail. I’d just like to inform you about one of your students?” I replied.
“One moment please, I’ll be moving you to Guidance and Counseling.”
“Hi, this is Andrea from Guidance and Counseling.”
“Hello, this is Gail, I’d like to inform you about the status of one of your school’s students?”
“Do you know the adviser of the student so that we may inform them directly?”
“Sadly no, but I do have the name of the student as I have her id with me. Her name is Billie Fox, one of the graduating students.”
The line went quiet, then I heard a sigh.
“Of course, it’s Billie.”
“You…seem to be familiar with this call.”
“No, but I am familiar with Billie. I’m not saying she’s the best student, but she’s also not the worst. Did she get into a fight again?”
“Um, no, I was just going to inform you that she has a fever, and she’s unable to go to school today.”
“Oh? How surprising, she’s actually calling in sick instead of staying with the nurses. May I know your relationship with Billie, Miss Gail?”
“I’m merely a stranger to her until yesterday, if anything. It was storming, and she came knocking on my door, so I let her in. I’ve already given her medicine, so she should be able to come back tomorrow.”
The line went quiet again.
“Ah, yes, sorry, I was trying to check who her current adviser is for today. I’ll tell them about her situation, and I can also send you the number of this office in case there are any issues tomorrow.”
“No, Miss Gail, thank you.”
“That girl…ugh, there’s no easy way to say this, and I believe we’re both adult enough to have this conversation. I don’t know if you have seen it yourself, but she’s been through a lot - far too much for her age. She’s been in this school since grade school so I know her well, but even then, it took us months to have her comfortable enough to open up to us. She also only talks to me, and doesn’t really stay with the other counselors. She’s with me at the start and the end of the day, from when the school opens until its gates close. I know she’s lived with her friends before, or at least slept with them, and I don’t know if this is the first time or one of many she’s slept with strangers, but I know that she will do anything other than go to her own home. So, thank you for taking care of her, to say the least.”
“I…see. Thank you for telling me.”
“No problem. Please call this office if there are any other problems.”
The call ended, and I was speechless. I finished cooking the congee and served enough for now, just so she doesn’t accidentally spill the hot food over her. I helped her sit up before leaving the congee on the table beside her. I then took my own breakfast into my room and ate with her quietly. I don’t know what to do, or what to say, or why my mind’s even gone blank. All I’m thinking about is getting her fed well for today, and helping her get back to school the next day.
Once we were both done with our breakfast, I checked her temperature again. Luckily, it was lower this time, around 37.8 only, so the fever was nearly gone.
“What time is it…?” she asked.
“Around 10…10:15 am,” I replied. She suddenly started getting out of bed.
“I can still catch up to class-”
“I called your school and talked to Miss Andrea, she knows you’re not coming to school today. You still have a fever, so stay in bed for now,” I said, cutting her off and tucking her back in. “I’m also holding on to your other clothes that got soaked yesterday, I’ll have them ready by tonight. Until you’re no longer sick, you’re staying here in my apartment with me.”
She stared at me speechlessly, then rolled to the side of the bed.
“S-Sorry, thank you,” she said faintly, as if almost whispering.
I started cleaning up the apartment after making sure that I have food to cook for the day. I was running low on rice and meats, so I planned to do a quick grocery run after setting up the rice cooker. Before leaving, I replaced Billie’s cold patch with a new one and made sure she had water as well on the bedside table. I then left the apartment and got a ride to the mall.
By the evening, her fever was already gone, and she was able to eat dinner with me on the table again. It was a quiet dinner like I’ve been experiencing all the time, other than the sounds of cutlery hitting the plate and each other. She ate twice as much as I did like yesterday, but it made me happy that she’s eating well and she’s enjoying my food.
“What time’s your school tomorrow?” I asked as we finished eating.
“8 am, big sis,” she replied.
“I-It’s a 15 minute walk.”
“I see. All your clothes are still in the drier, I’ll fix them up tonight.”
“N-no need, I can just get them myself later.”
“Well, I’ve also left the notebooks in the bathroom to dry, not sure if it’s fully dried now. Maybe this weekend we can go to the mall and buy you some new pens and notebooks. Your phone also got soaked in the bag, but last time I checked it was still working, so I hope it didn't get much damage from the rain.”
“I hope so too…it’s the last gift I received from my parents before the divorce…it’s very important to me…” She started to tear up a bit.
“You can check it later or tomorrow yourself. For now, I have one last question, before we go to bed.”
“What is it?” She said, wiping the tears off her face.
“What time does your school end tomorrow? It’s my payday, so I’m kind of thinking that we could eat out for dinner.”
“I-It’s 4 pm, but there’s no need to bring me with you. I-I’ll also pay you back some day for the medicine you gave me, once my mother sends me my allowance.”
“Y-Yes?” She looked at me a bit scared.
“I don’t need you to pay me for the medicine. I want you to save that money for yourself. If you’re already running away from home, save up as much as you can, so that after graduation and while looking for a job, you can at least have some money ready to get yourself your own apartment.”
“E-eh?” she said, looking confused.
“If you tell the others what I said, they’ll probably tell you I’m a ‘bad adult’ or a ‘bad person’ and you shouldn’t listen to me. Because, well, who would directly suggest to a teenager ways to stay out and tell them to not come back home? If you told them your story, they’d probably just avoid answering and try to talk about something else somewhat related to your story, as to whether they help you or not isn’t really their problem. The best they will probably tell you is that they and you should ‘hope it gets better’. But…I’ve seen your scars, bruises, wounds. I’ve heard of your story from you, your counselor, your body. I know you’re scared - so scared you’d rather live alone soaking in the rain than go home where you know you have a roof to protect you from the rain and walls to protect you from the cold wind. I don’t know what made you choose me, or what made you stay, and frankly, I don’t think I want to know. Personally, I’m satisfied enough to learn that you’re still doing well, and you’re trying your best despite the challenges you’ve been encountering, and I’m very proud of you for that.”
She stared at me quietly for a moment. Just as I was about to leave the table, she got up from her own seat and suddenly hugged me tightly, crying over me, so I comforted her. I don’t know exactly what I said that made her cry, but I’m somewhat happy that she chose me for comfort. When I woke up the next morning, she had already left for school, but she did leave my clothes neatly folded on top of the washing machine. I was a bit sad I wasn’t able to cook breakfast for her, so I was determined that we get to eat out tonight.
After taking a quick bath, I went to the mall for the job fair with little expectations in mind. My small online business is still thriving, but it doesn’t feel like it’s the best option for me, since there’s many other people doing the same as I do. I’d go back to my online entertainment persona as well if only I wasn’t so busy with looking for more stable work.
While looking for somewhere to eat lunch since the job fair’s also taking a break, I received a call from Miss Andrea, so I promptly answered it.
“Hello, Miss Gail, it’s Andrea,” she said. “Can you come to school today? We…need to talk about Billie.” I can hear some faint crying in the background.
“She’s got into a fight with one of the students, and although admittedly it’s been common, she also had a fight with one of the teachers over her phone.”
“I see. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Miss Gail. I’ll tell the guards that you’re coming so you can quickly get a visitor’s pass.”
“Yes, that would be ideal. Thank you.”
I went to the bakery inside the mall and bought some banana bread again before calling for a taxi and going to Billie’s school. The job fair’s going to last a few days anyway, so me missing out on being able to submit a few more resumes to other companies isn’t that big of a deal. Billie’s school was pretty close to the mall, but definitely not just a 15 minute walk from my apartment. I got dropped off by the main gates of the school, and after a short walk to the inner gate, I met with the guards.
“Hi, good morning. I’m Gail, Miss Andrea from Guidance and Counseling had called for me,” I said.
“You’re Miss Gail, huh?” the guard said, opening a big book and giving me a pen. “Please sign here on the visitor’s log book.”
After signing the log book, I gave the pen back and I was given an ID saying “Visitor’s Pass” on it.
“Thank you as well, for taking care of Billie,” the guard said.
“Oh? You’re also familiar with her?”
“I’m usually the one doing rounds before the school closes, and she’s the last student to come out of the school, whether I call her or not. She’s a good student, studying and working hard in the library. She’s been in a few fights, or probably far more than I personally know, but she’s…she’s like a stray cat, you know? She’s just defending herself, she doesn't really want to fight if there’s no need for it.”
“An…interesting analogy to say the least, calling her a stray cat.”
“It’s a personal opinion, nothing I can really prove myself. Anyway, you shouldn’t waste your time with me, Billie needs you. Just go up the stairs over there, and go straight down the hall. You’ll see the Guidance and Counseling office just before the stairwell.”
Following the instructions, I managed to get to the office immediately, hearing Miss Andrea comforting the crying Billie. I knocked on the door before opening it.
“Hi, I’m here for Billie?” I said, peeking through.
“Please, come in,” Miss Andrea said. As soon as I got in the office, Billie was already on to me, hugging me tightly while crying, so I ended up sitting down immediately to comfort her.
“I…have never seen that before,” Miss Andrea said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get any closer,” I said.
“It’s alright, I understand,” she said, closing the door then offering her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Gail.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Miss Andrea,” I said, shaking her hand. She took a chair and sat down in front of us.
“Before anything else, I’m going to tell the bad news first. I’m sorry to say this, but Billie’s getting a 1 day suspension from school today, meaning she’s not going to be attending her classes anymore,” she said, before sighing. “The school year has barely started, but it’s the school’s rules, so I can’t really do much about it.”
“What happened, exactly? Why does Billie fight?”
“Billie…is being bullied by some of her classmates. And, as you can probably already tell, this isn’t the first time it has happened.”
“What? Were her classmates at least apprehended equally?”
“Yes, since they’ve all been caught personally by one of the teachers. The other students are currently being lectured for now, while the main bully is in the other office, and my co-counselor’s already talking with her parents about her suspension.”
“I remember you saying something about Billie fighting a teacher as well over her phone. What happened?”
“Well, the teacher confiscated Billie’s phone, since it’s what the bullies were playing around with. According to them though, as soon as her phone was taken, she immediately went to fight the teacher themself, trying to grab the phone from her, which ended up falling on to the ground. We reviewed the CCTV footage closest to the scene, and we have sadly confirmed that although it was the bullies that started fighting Billie, only Billie took charge against the teacher.”
“Big sis…my phone…i-it’s broken…” I heard Billie say.
“Do you have any idea as to why the phone would trigger such a reaction from her? Because of all the times I’ve received a report of Billie fighting, not once has she fought a teacher over a confiscated item. I’ve also received her phone a few times before, and this is the first time she’s fought over it.”
The air was heavy, but I talked about what I know while comforting Billie.
“A few days ago…Billie came to my apartment, fully soaked in the rain. The contents of her bag - some clothes, notebooks, and her smartphone - were all soaked, as if everything had been left in a swimming pool for hours. Yesterday, she told me that her smartphone is the only remaining gift she has received from her parents before they were divorced, so you can probably tell she holds an extreme sentimental value to the item. It being broken whether intentionally or not seems to have triggered her heavily, causing her to break down and focus on holding on to her only remaining treasure.”
Billie stopped crying and hugging me, quietly sitting down beside me. I gave her some banana bread and some water while Miss Andrea and I continued to talk.
“I don’t mean to insult, but, you have seen Billie’s phone, right?”
“You mean it being heavily scratched on the front and back? And having buttons that are so cracked it feels dangerous to use? Yes, I have. But it’s never about the phone, no. It’s about what it holds - the memories stored in it, something that reminds Billie of the good times, and something she wishes to have once again. It’s probably good to tell someone to ‘let go’, but it’s better to not tell the child to ‘stop dreaming’, right?”
Miss Andrea stared at me quietly, before looking at Billie and smiling.
“I’ve been on this job for 10 years, and been taking care of Billie for 6 of those years. Needless to say that this is the first time I’ve talked with someone that Billie clearly trusts, and someone more realistic than any parent with their children. *Ahem* The next time she gets a suspension will be 3 days, then 5 days, and the last will be an expulsion from the school. Let’s hope she doesn’t reach that point.”
Before we could leave, Miss Andrea started to chat again.
“You know, I’ve heard from some of the guards that Billie’s kind of like a stray cat. She stays where she’s used to, or where there’s safety. I’m starting to see it now,” she said. I looked at Billie confused just as she also looked at me, which made me giggle a bit.
“Please contact me for anything else,” I said.
“I will,” Miss Andrea said. Billie and I then left the office and the school, going back straight to the mall.
“Billie, can you show me your phone?” I asked. Without hesitation, Billie gave it to me. The front screen itself was missing a piece on the bottom, so I can’t tell myself if it’s turning on or not.
“I’ll keep this for now, okay? Let’s eat lunch, then later we’re going to a phone repair shop so we can get this screen replaced.”
We ended up spending the rest of the day at the mall, since the phone repair took so long we also had the dinner I promised her yesterday. We also played at the arcade, and although she doesn’t seem too relaxed or happy, she’s at least smiling more than the last time. We were able to get the phone fully repaired and working by the end of our trip, though it was a bit too expensive even for me. She paid for it as soon as she got the phone, and she looked a lot calmer than before as well.
“Big sis, can we take a picture together?” she asked, which surprised me.
“Sure, why not,” I replied.
I got down to her level as she opened her phone’s camera. When I saw her smile beautifully right beside me, I can’t help but smile as well, since it was the first time I’ve seen her smile that much, if at all. I don’t know what prompted her to ask me about taking the picture, or what she did with it afterwards. What’s important to me is that she's slowly getting happier.
I woke up the next day once again with her having already left the apartment, so I went on with my personal day as well. Unlike yesterday though, today was actually my online shop’s payout, so after spending half the day in the job fair, I also did grocery shopping before going home, filling up my refrigerator and cabinets with food enough for the two of us for the month. Before 4 pm, I already had some rice cooked for dinner, since I planned to pick up Billie from her school.
I got to her school to see a lot of students coming out of the gate. To my surprise, I saw Billie chatting with the guard in the inner gate, who immediately went and hugged me as soon as she saw me.
“Good afternoon, Miss Gail,” the guard greeted.
“Good afternoon,” I replied.
“In all my years of work, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Billie this excited to go home.”
“I’m pretty happy too that she’s a lot more comfortable with me now than she was a few days ago.”
“She did say that you only met a few days ago, that you gave her some food when she was starving in the playground, and that you let her in your home when it was storming.”
“I did what anyone would have done.”
“Big sis, can we go to the mall first before we go home?” Billie asked.
“Sure, Billie, let’s go,” I replied.
“Take care out there, you two,” the guard said.
“We will, thank you,” I replied.
When we got to the mall, we stopped by an atm. Right before she was about to withdraw, I stopped her after noticing that she was going to take out around 5,000 .
“Billie, do you really need to take out all that money?” I asked. She seems to have come to her senses before she pressed the button.
“S-sorry, big sis. I guess I’m just…used to doing this…” she said pitifully. I temporarily canceled the transaction, took the card from the atm, and pulled her away from the people.
“As much as I’d like to say I didn’t see anything, I know that the money you were about to withdraw was the majority of whatever was in that account, leaving yourself with barely anything.”
“B-But if I don’t give it to my father-”
“You live with me though, right? And I’m not your father.”
“S-still…he’s going to find me somehow…and he’s going to make me give him the money…”
When she started to tear up, I comforted her.
“It’s the weekend tomorrow, right? Let’s go and spend your money to buy you some few new clothes, and those things you need for school. I will be by your side the whole day from this hour until I meet your father and have a talk with him.”
“I promise,” I replied. I gave her the card back and we went home, holding each other’s hands along the way.
The next day at the mall, Billie was very wary of everyone around us. One of her hands clutches her bag and the other holds my hand tightly every time someone gets a bit too close to us. We did come to the mall near lunchtime on a weekend so it’s kind of my fault she’s a bit panicky, but since we’re also a bit hungry, we went to the restaurant one of my old classmates was working in.
“Yo, Gail!” she greeted as soon as she saw me.
“What’s up, Clara,” I replied, high fiving her across the counter. The restaurant itself was a bit empty, so we didn’t have people behind us in the line.
“How are you doing? You got a job yet?”
“No, sadly. I did try the job fair, but so far, no emails.”
“Yeah, I feel you. I’m here since my parents own the franchise, but they said I’m allowed to leave once I get an actual, stable job for my own.”
“At least you got a paying job, I’m barely getting orders from my shop.”
“Are you keeping up with the trends, though? I don’t remember seeing anything new in that shop. Then again, the last time I checked was whenever I had free time. Anyway, who is that girl holding your hand?”
“Her name’s Billie, and I’m taking care of her for now.”
“And you said you don’t have a job.”
“No, no, I still don’t have a job. If you have time, maybe we can all eat lunch and I can tell you her story.”
“Sadly I don’t, my lunch break isn’t in another hour. It looks empty now, but in a few minutes, a lot more people will be coming in.”
“Well then, long story short, I’m taking care of a runaway.”
“Wow, how bold of you. Before I forget though, since I know you didn’t come here just to chat, what do you want to eat? I’ll toss in some extras for my treat.”
“Can we pick what extras?” I bantered.
“Not today, no. I know what you’re pulling, and you’re not getting a full meal as an ‘extra’. Last time I did that I had to pay for the thing instead of using my employee privileges.”
“Haha, alright, I’ll take what you have.”
We got ourselves some burgers and drinks, while Clara seems to have given us some chicken nuggets as the ‘extras’. It was a closed restaurant with glass walls, so I sat down beside Billie to make sure that she can’t be randomly grabbed by anyone unnoticed. I also noticed some suspicious looking man wearing a black jacket seemingly looking for someone based on his movement around the area. Maybe I’m just better than him at hiding the fact that I’ve seen him glance at us a few times already, but I’m certain that he’s out either for me or Billie.
“Billie, do you trust me?” I asked her as soon as we finished eating.
“I trust you, big sis,” she replied.
“There seems to be a bad guy outside the restaurant waiting for us to finish. Whether or not that’s your father is unknown to me, and should be unknown to you too, meaning you don’t need to think about it. When we leave this restaurant, we’re going to stay close to the entrances of the other restaurants, since there’s going to be a guard nearby at any time. Hold on tight to my hand and never let go, no matter what happens, okay?”
“I-I’ll do my best, big sis.”
“Can you give me your card as well?” I asked. I hid the card exchange between us two, then got up from our table and went back to the counter.
“What’s up? Want some more?” she asked.
“Can you hold on to this for us for now?” I said, giving her the card.
“I believe that her father, the someone she’s running away from, is right outside of the restaurant if not nearby. She says he’s here for the money, and the money is in that card. Just in case anything happens to us, I need someone else to keep it safe.”
“You really have taken full responsibility of her, huh.”
“If you know what I know, you’ll do the same.”
“No, I did notice a healing bruise by her collarbone, so I think I have an idea of what’s going on.” She took the card and pocketed it.
“If we don’t get to come back within the hour, please return it to my apartment if you can, or tell me when the mall’s closing so I can meet you.”
“Also, thank you for the nuggets. Maybe the girls can go out again someday and eat out together.”
“Let’s hope that ‘someday’ we both have our own jobs, so we can go somewhere a bit more fancy, if you catch my drift.”
“We can plan it out for sure.”
After waving goodbye to each other, Billie held on to my hand as we got out of the restaurant. The department store was nearby, just a few feet away, but the suspicious man was also nearby, so I planned to go on a big turnaround to try to get to the customer service area where there were active policemen in uniform to ask for help, if not at least get somewhere where there were a few more guards outside of the store.
Right before we could reach the customer service area, Billie tugged hard on me. When I looked back, I saw her tearing up with the suspicious man trying to pull on her.
“Billie, we’re going home,” he said.
“NO! I DON’T WANT TO GO HOME!” Billie screamed. I quickly turned around and kicked the man down. Billie hugged me tightly from the front, and I put my arms over her as well.
“You bitch! Give me back my daughter!” he said.
“So you are Billie’s father, the man loitering and stalking us for hours,” I said. I noticed a few bruises on the man’s body along with a ton of scars, and one of his eyes was bloodshot even before I kicked him.
“And so what? You took her! I could sue you for kidnapping!” he shouted.
“I have more than enough evidence to prove that Billie came to me. On the other hand, I also have enough clear evidence to prove child abuse,” I replied angrily. We ended up causing a scene in the mall.
“Look, Billie, let’s go home and eat somewhere nice. Your mother gave you the money already, right? Come on, let’s go-”
“I DON’T WANNA GO HOME! NOT WITH YOU!” Billie cried.
“COME WITH ME, BILLIE! LET’S GO HOME!” he shouted, getting a hold of Billie.
“NO!” Billie cried. I forcibly pulled the man’s hand away, but he managed to immediately grab Billie again. His face looked older than his probably age, and with his eyes being bloodshot, I could tell he’s not just a smoker or an alcoholic.
“What’s going on here?” A few police officers finally came to us, and Billie’s father quickly let her go.
“This woman took my daughter!” he shouted, pointing at me.
“And this man is a drug addict who abuses his daughter over money,” I said. His father looked appalled and angry.
“You bitch!” he said. Right before he could attack us, one of the police officers subdued him from the side and immediately handcuffed him.
“Hey, isn’t this the same suspicious man reported yesterday at the mall as well?” a police officer asked the other.
“He does fit the description,” he said, before facing us. “Did you also say he’s abusing his daughter?”
“Yes, officer. This is her daughter on me,” I replied. They had a glance at Billie, then looked back at him.
“Sir, you’re under arrest for drug and child abuse. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning.”
“Ma’am, I’m gonna have you come with us to the precinct for an official statement,” the other police officer said.
“The daughter’s gonna have to come as well.”
“Billie, let’s go. We’re going to serve your father justice once and for all.”
“O-okay…” she cried. She held my hand tightly the whole way to the precinct.
Her father ended up getting ID’d for actual crimes, such as stealing and fraud, along with child abuse and usage of illegal drugs. After hearing Billie’s statement about me, they completely declined his statement about me kidnapping her, and we left the place with an angry man behind the bars.
“Is it over…big sis?” Billie asked as we walked out of the precinct to grab a taxi back to the mall.
“Yes, Billie, it’s over. You can now go home safely, and no one will be going to look for you or hurt you or abuse you. From this day onward, you’re free.”
There was a moment of silence between us. In my heart, I feel like I want to keep her, and maybe spoil the little sister I never had. But in reality, we’re not even in any way closely related by blood, and she has a life of her own to lead, so I can’t keep her forever. I at least wanted to treat her one last time today after returning her card to her.
To my surprise, she held my hand.
“Can I…stay with you, big sis?” she asked in the most innocent tone.
“I-It’s fine if it’s not…I’ve burdened you enough…”
“No, no, it’s okay. I was just thinking about what we have to buy so we can live together,” I said. When I looked at her, her eyes were wide open with joy and excitement, and her smile was the biggest I’ve ever seen since we’ve met.
“Thank you, big sis!” she happily said, hugging me, right as a taxi pulled over to us. She rode in first and I followed, telling the driver to go to the mall.
“Billie, before we go home, I have to know something.”
“Why…why did you choose me? Out of all the apartments, you specifically went for me. You could have gone to the police, or to a friend’s house, or anywhere else, but you chose and stayed with me. Why?”
“Because…” she said, before giggling. “You gave me some banana bread.”
“Did I really lure you in like I fed a stray cat?”
“I’ve been on that playground many times, sleeping, crying, playing…but never once has anyone paid attention to me, until you did. You gave me food, shelter, love and care. You can all keep calling me a stray cat, but from today, I’m no longer a stray. Maybe…just a cat who found her forever companion.”
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