opportunity |H.S|

• twenty two •

"if you let me, I'd be there by now

close to you"
______

Dorothea Abram

Eight Years Old

"Cmon Dory, the car is waiting to take you home!" Elly calls after me.

Elly took me to the park all day while Mother and Father were at a meeting but I don't want to go back home yet. I run to the top of the slide giggling but I don't go down because I know once I go down then I'll have to go home.

"One last time down the slide and then it's time to go okay?" Elly came to stand at the bottom of the slide once he saw me and I watch as he squats to what would be my level, waiting for me to come down.

I look over to the circle of girls playing with their new dolls together further away from the playground.

A frown makes its way onto my face and all of a sudden I no longer want to be here either. I plop myself to sit before allowing myself to come down the slide.

"You ready to go?" He asks, reaching his hand out for me. I only nod, placing my hand in his much larger one and we begin to walk towards where the car is parked at the entrance for me. Noticing the shift in my demeanor, Elly asks "What's wrong?"

"Do you think the girls will let me play with them if Mother or Father get me the new doll they have?" I ask shyly, looking up at him. None of the other kids ever want to play with me when I come here.

Elly tries to tell me it's because I'm extra special and I'll get to play with other extra special kids when they come but so far there haven't been any and I just want to play with someone who isn't Elly.

I don't want to stay here and watch everyone have fun but I also don't wanna go home either. Mother and Father never play with me either and once we get home Elly will be leaving too.

I always have to play alone.

"I don't know if they are special enough to get to play with you even if you did have the doll." He says just like he always does. It used to make me feel better but now it just makes me feel more alone.

We get into the car where our driver begins to take us home. The whole ride I talk to Elly about anything and everything. He's the only one who likes to listen to me so I like to talk to him.

He leaves to go to his own house shortly after we arrive home, promising to be back first thing in the morning.

I can't stop thinking about the dolls all of the other girls were playing with today. I could hear them talking about the different dresses they bought for them and I wondered how they would dress them tomorrow.

Father is in his office right now, I think that means he's busy but I'm getting bored doing nothing. Mother and Father don't like to buy me a lot of toys because they say I'll just start leaving a mess everywhere but it's almost my birthday and I always get new things for my birthday.

I'm almost nine, Elly told me that's one step closer to reaching double digits.

Father must be just as bored as I am, always alone in his office so I decide to skip over and keep him company. The door is open when I get there so allow myself in. I see him sitting at his desk looking through some papers with a pen in hand.

"Hi daddy!" I greet, since he must not have heard me come in.

"Father." He corrects me without looking up from his papers.