Ditched

Painting Pictures

Every time I get banished to The Basement, Asher always finds some way to get himself in trouble so we can go together. And then when I have nightmares about it, whether I'm back in our room at night or in The Basement, he tells me stories of a beautiful fake family. That we belong to. He paints the pictures in my mind and I slowly drift to sleep.

Asher laughs. "Picture you and me in a house. Our mom is amazing. She's a beautiful person inside and out. Our father....he's hysterical. He's so funny that every time we sit down for dinner, our faces hurt. Our eyes shine with happiness. Red with joy, our cheeks glisten with tears of enjoyment. Our little sister, Kenna, sits across the table, her fork poised an inch from her mouth, her smile so big, you can see her missing molars."

Asher continues painting a beautiful picture in my mind. "Hmmmm....oh! Our dog, Duke, lays happily at your feet, warming your cold toes. His eyes are closed, he's fast asleep. Our hamster, Mello, after Carmelo Anthony, runs nonstop on his wheel. He squeaks with joy, his legs moving insanely fast on his soft, tiny body. A college brother, Rory, only comes home on holidays and when he does, you jump into his arms. I don't think you've ever been closer to anyone in your life; even though he's never home. "

He pauses. "After dinner, you and I sit on a rooftop, staring at the beautiful purple and black night sky. We're gazing at the stars, shining and twinkling brightly. We're on a house that's ours. Ours forever, in a family that loves us."

He takes a deep breath. "You lie in my lap, like you do now, looking up at me. We're now brother and sister and we've never been happier. We've never been loved more. We've never had so much freedom, so much opportunity."

A tear slips down his cheek and lands on mine. "And we love it there. We sit on the rooftop every other day, eating Carvel. We never miss a day, no matter what we have going on. You star on the varsity basketball team at the local high school averaging ten points a game and I have the Coach Record for fastest sprinter. We have the life we always dreamed of after we got ditched here by our families."

"You fall asleep on the roof, in my arms, and I carry you back inside through the secret passage we built. You sleep soundly in your top bunk, Kenna curled in the sheets underneath you. I sleep across the hall, with a neat and empty bunk below me, waiting for Rory to come home. And we sleep happily ever after. Until tomorrow."

And at that point, I close my eyes and picture that beautiful scene. Knowing that I'm safe with Asher, and one day I'll be safe at a place I can call home, I fall asleep. Asher mumbles three quick sentences before I drift off completely.

"And every night, as I lay you down in your bed, I whisper four measly words that mean the world to both of us. And I know you hear them every night. 'I love you, PJ.'"