A bulky backpack lies by the front door. The white bars trap me. There is shuffling coming from above me. All I can do is sit and wait behind these white bars, helpless. Before I know it, a big figure comes bounding down the stairs. My mother appears in front of me with fear in her eyes. Picking me up in her loving arms she gives me one last hug before she grabs the bag and runs out the door.
My eyes flutter open as the bell rings for the end of class. A white piece of paper is flipped over on my desk. As my mind wakes up, I turn the paper over to reveal in big red letters “75%.” I crumple it into a ball and shove it in my backpack. Above the rustling of papers and zipping of backpacks, Terry shouts about her parents letting her take a trip to Paris this summer. We shuffle out the door as Terry continues to talk about how well she did on her test. We continue down the hall to my locker together.
“Welp, I must get ‘er goin’ to mah next class. See ya, Daisy!”
“Talk to you later, Terry!”
Grabbing the books for the last class of the day, I walk down the hallway. Drew appears around the corner. His face lights up as I approach him. Striking up a conversation, Drew offers to walk me to my next class. As we near my class, Drew wraps his arms around my shoulders and gives me a friendly wave goodbye. As the teacher lectures about the importance of commas, I drift back into a dream. I’m at home. The face of my mother appears as she opens the front door. A smile fills my face. She reaches me and gives me a giant hug. Running her fingers through my curly blond hair she whispers in my ear “I should have never left.”
“I miss you, Mom.” The words spill out of my mouth. Tears of joy fall down our faces. I never want to let go.
“Daisy! Wakey- wakey. This isn’t nap time!” My teacher yells. I wipe the tear off my cheek and shift upright in my seat as the teacher pounds my graded test in front of me on my desk. A “72%” covers the top right of my paper. Red marks cover the sheet. The bell dings and the teacher lists off our assignment due on Friday. I shove the paper into my backpack next to the four other crumpled pieces of paper. Excitement fills my body as I race out the door and down the hall to my car. I throw my pink backpack to the back seat and start the car. I’m speeding down the highway to the Investigation building. Swerving into the parking lot and parking my car as close to the building as I can, I grab my folder and run up to the glass doors of the small building. I pull the handle and step inside. Jenna begins to walk to the front desk.
“Oh, Daisy, you’re a bit early.” Jenna looks up at me from her folder.
“Sorry, I just didn’t want to be late!” I say, breathlessly.
“Alright, follow me to my desk, please.”
We walk down the narrow hallway to a small cubicle. I offer myself a seat and she places a manila folder on top of her desk.
“I have some good news. “ Jenna takes a seat in her cushioned chair.
“Well, after a year of searching we have found out where your mother lives. She has been in Nebraska for the past 15 years.” A smile appears on my face. The thought of seeing my mother for the first time in 15 years crosses my mind. She continues to tell me about how they are going to try to get her to come back to California to visit me. With hope in my heart, I begin to carry on back home. Giving her a friendly hug goodbye, I thank her for all she has done in the past year.
“It’s my job!” She smiles with pride.
As I drive home, I think about the day I told my father I wanted to find my mother. My mind shifts back to 5 years ago.
“There’s a reason she left you. You would always cry. You were a needy child so she left me with you. She won’t want to come back. I suggest to just not even trying, you’ll never find her.” My father yanks the refrigerator door open and grabs a beer from the top shelf. He cracks it open and carries on to his recliner to watch television.
“Please, Dad? I need to find her. I just want to know if she’s still alive.” I plead as he blankly stares at the television.
“Daisy, it’s been a long day at work, my feet hurt, and I’m tired... Just go to your room and do your homework or something.” He tells me as he watches the TV. Not once does he glance up at my face. I wipe the tear away from my face as I walk up the stairs to my bedroom.
Before I know it, I arrive home from the Investigation building. Grabbing my backpack, I climb up the front steps and walk through my bright red front door. Immediately I run up to my room and set my backpack down. I turn my computer on as I pull out my homework from my backpack. Four messages appear on my screen. I click the first one.
“Daisy, its Terry! I can’t wait to tell you more info about my trip to Paris! Message me back as soon as possible! Ugh, I can’t wait to tell you everything! LOL”
I open the next message. It’s from Drew.
“Hey Daisy, I just wanted to talk to you about something real quick. You seemed a bit distant today. Usually you’re so… upbeat and talkative. I hope nothing’s wrong. Just… message me when you get the chance, please?”
I click the message closed. Opening another from Tammy it reads: “Daisy, I need to talk to you about something! Nobody else will listen to me! But I know you will listen. It’s just what you do!”
The last message stands on my screen and I click it open. “How’s it going, Daisy? It’s William. I was wondering if you would like to sit with me at lunch tomorrow. I haven’t talked to you in a while and I’d like to catch up. Hope to see you then ;)” I close up the message and attend to the piece of paper in front of me.
Finishing up my last assignment I place it in my purple folder and place it in my backpack. Emptiness fills my stomach and I travel down to the kitchen. Reaching into the fridge I pull out a frozen dinner. I place it into the microwave and the front door clicks open.
“Daisy!”
“Yeah, Dad?” I yell back
“Grab me a beer!” a large thud shutters the house as he closes the door. Kicking his shoes off I hear him walk to his recliner and flip the chair open. The TV flashes on and I grab a beer from the top shelf of the refrigerator and pop the cap off. I walk to hand it to him and the ding in the microwave goes off. I place it on the side of the table and he doesn’t seem to notice. Grabbing a fork from the drawer behind me I walk out of the small kitchen and up to my room, hoping he won’t call my name again. I reach my bedroom door and silently click it open. I place my food on top my desk and close the door. Sitting at my desk, I attend to the messages.
“Terry, I can’t wait to hear about it! I’m so happy for you. I wish I got to go to Paris for the summer! You’re a lucky girl!”
“Tammy, I would love to hear what’s happening. Send me a message or talk to me during lunch tomorrow. I’ll be sitting in my usually spot! You know where it is. I hope nothing too bad is going on!”
“Drew, nothing is wrong. I was just tired and I woke up with this major bad headache. Tell me though; what did you need to talk to me about?”
“Will, I can’t sit with you tomorrow, sorry. But just send me a message; we can catch up online or something.” A message pops on my screen. It’s from William.
“You need to stop being so stuck up all the time, Daisy. If you don’t want to sit with me at lunch or talk to me just say so. You don’t have to pretend like…” Another message pops in front of Williams. I click it open. “OMG, Daisy! Andrew totally cut it off with me today! I’m, like, really upset right now! He told me he loved me and we were going to get married and stuff…” Drew’s message wipes over Tammy’s message and I click it open. “I just wanted to ask if you would like to go bowling with me and a couple of friends tomorrow after school. Hope you can come!”
“I would love to go bowling after school tomorrow! Tell me the details tomorrow at lunch!” I reply to Drew. After I respond to Tammy’s message I take a hot shower and go to bed. The week to come flies by and before I know it, it’s Thursday and I have another meeting with Jenna.
“So, any good news today, Jenna?” I ask as I place myself in a seat in front of her desk.
“Well yes, great news. We have contacted your mother. You have a meeting with her on the 26th of this month so it would be… February 26th!”
“That’s just a week away! Are you being serious?” Hope washes over my body and joy fills my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m serious!” I can’t help but cry. Tears fall down my face. Bliss fills my heart. I jump out of my seat and hug Jenna as tightly as I can, wrapping my arms around her tiny but tall body. She wraps her arms around my shoulders. I look up at her and notice a tear falling down her face.
Days click by as I impatiently wait for the 26th to come. Every night I dream of what she looks like or sounds like. I wish for us to have a flowing conversation. I’ll tell her all about everything good in my life that has happened and she will tell me about her life in Nebraska. Maybe I will get to ask her the question of why she left when I was just a baby.
Finally the day has come. It’s the 26th. It seems like this day would never have come. I have dreamed of this for almost 16 years since she left when I was 8 months old. I drive to the bus stop where Jenna has assigned me to meet my mother. I sit for what seems like hours on the white bench next to the bus stop sign. Buses come and go with each stop, my hopes of seeing my mother deteriorates. My mind begins to fly though the questions of whether she will show up or not. What if Dad was right? What if she left because of me? She never loved me. What did I do? As I think to myself, the next bus comes around the corner. A small flash of faith travels through my body. The bus stopped in front of me. People climb out, one by one through the narrow doors. A beautiful woman steps off the last step. Her eyes lock with mine. Curly blond hair flows through the wind our green eyes lock into each other’s.
“Are you Daisy…? My Daisy? The admirable woman asks. I leap into her arms, assuring her that I am her Daisy.