“Sarah, get your shoes on now; the baby is coming!” I hear my dad practically yell at me while I was sleeping still. I moan feeling very tired. I try to open my eyes past the blinding light that was my room’s bed-side lamp. “Daddy, I’m tired; why couldn’t the baby come tomorrow?” I complain at my dad while he stood there at my doorway with his hand on the light switch. He wore wrinkled cloths and he was half dressed with the look of excitement in his eyes, for my baby brother was coming… and he could’ve picked a better time.
“Quit complaining Sarah, you need to get your shoes on now you can sleep in the car.” He said quickly, just then my mom cries in pain from downstairs. Sure I’ll sleep in the car… that is if mom could stop her complaining. I slowly rose from my pink covers in my pink room decorated in pink furniture, with pink flowers.
I hate my room, I hate pink, and I hate flowers. Seriously, I’m five years old; I should be able to pick my own room’s color and decorations. I didn’t like being too girly, it was just too bleh and I hated it, but no matter how much I complained about my parent’s impulsive decision to make my room a girly paradise, I still didn’t get what I wanted and I was stuck with pink and flowers when I wanted purple wallpaper originally. Nothing else, just purple. I know I don’t sound like a five year old girl but who cares, I am my own self.
I rub my eyes together and bluntly reply to my father on his statement about me sleeping in the car. “Looks like I won’t be sleeping in the car.” He just glares at me and shakes his head in disapproval. “Don’t sass me little lady, get ready, NOW!” Whatever; mommy shouts the f-word from down stairs and I unhappily pull myself out of bed and put on my Barbie step & glow shoes (Once again I hate this stuff, they really shouldn’t assume that just because I’m five it means I like girly stuff).
In less than five minutes we are in the car and on the freeway toward the hospital. Of course daddy exceeded the speed limit to get to the freeway. We were all still in pajamas, except daddy, and I sat in the backseat behind mommy who was in the passenger seat. She was screaming and breathing heavily and quickly; it was giving me a headache.
“Ah, Keith, hurry please!!!” shouts mommy.
“I am trying darling, it’s just that there is this fucking Subaru in the way!” Daddy says, he sounded angry and honks his horn. Mommy scream in pain and daddy tries to calm her by making shh noises. Mommy then tells him: “No swearing in front of Sarah, goddammit!” Which was ironic cos’ she swore just then. For five am the freeway was filled with traffic; this felt weird to me because I never saw traffic like this, since the sun was barley coming up. Daddy quickly apologized and mommy turned to look at me. Her face was sweating and her hair was wrapped up in a ponytail, her pregnant belly was visible from the back seat and she was grabbing at it like it hurt her; I know this is random, but why have a baby if it hurts so much? It makes no sense.
“Honey, are you ok?” she says to me through gritted teeth, her bright blue eyes are bloodshot and reflect pain as her face also becomes red.
“I’m tired, and hungry.” I complain. Through strained frustration and gritted teeth she says to me, “Okay, then you can eat and sleep in the hospital ok?” I hated hospital food and the chairs there were highly uncomfortable. But I would deal with it anyway because it doesn’t matter what I say.
“Okay.” I groan and we continue on to the hospital and make it through the five am traffic and finally get to the hospital after ten minutes of mom yelling and swearing and dad’s anger at other drivers… my headache was still there.
Once we got there we are all rushing into the front doors of the hospital; mom and dad held each others hands and they were both walking into the front entrance and I kinda sulked behind, I really didn’t want a baby brother. Ultimately I was forced to walk faster when dad yelled at me to do so, I groaned and continued on.
I can actually give you a list as to why I don’t want a little brother:
First, boys are gross and they are even worse as babies.
Second, mommy told me one time that it will be part of my responsibility one day
to take care of my baby brother, and I hate responsibility.
Third, I have dealt with mommy’s whining and screaming and swearing for nine months straight; I can only imagine how much of a pain in the butt Carl will be (that’s what they are naming him, I know I hate it too).
And finally, I should be the only kid in the house, and I know that the exact moment Carl is born that mommy and daddy won’t love me anymore. I will be just another kid in the background waiting for attention while Carl is treated like a king.
I sat in the set of chairs alone in the hallway hearing mommy scream from inside the delivery room. “Take him out please!” she shouts at daddy, “He’s coming Abby stay strong okay!” Daddy tries to encourage her but she then swears at him angrily shouting that he did this stuff (she really said the S-word) to me.
I was bored and was not encouraged at all, but then I started to think.
What if this baby was the one daddy and mommy really wanted. I knew they didn’t like when I would talk back or when I wouldn’t listen. I just did it because it was the only way to get what I wanted. I just wanted them to notice me, just to let them know I am here too you know? Like what am I, chopped liver? I did not like to be ignored and it always made me upset, that is why I acted like this. I would always get chastised about it because it was supposedly not right to shout over other people talking or to try and steal stuff from Toys R’ Us in my pocket. I just wanted to make them notice me because half the time it seems like they hardly think I am here anymore.
I looked down at my lap in my purple pajamas and I start to cry, I was going to be gone to my parents forever and all I could do was cry. I would soon be dead to them… I wish Carl was the dead one here.
“Sarah.”
I gasped and looked to the source of the creepy sound that came from the end of the hall. It was a sort of whisper in the wind type thing. Goosebumps appear on the back of my neck, arms, legs and face. I was kinda scared.
“Sarah.”
It was louder now, and it was calling me. That’s when I saw it. It was a darkened shadow figure hiding in the corner at the end of the hallway. It was just about the darkest corner of this grey and gloomy place. It was tall, black shadow smoke stuff poured from his arms, his eyes were white with nothing else but white. He had no other features but his scrawny boney arms and the rest of his body remained shadows.
He then reached into the distance toward my direction and curved its hand toward itself as a sign for me to come over.
I was scared but it seemed friendly enough. Reluctantly I got up and wiped the
tears from my face.
“Sarah, come to me.” It said, it sounded like a man almost, a weak elderly man.
I slowly walk toward him, feeling curious. He didn’t look harmful I guess, what’s there to be afraid of?
It took like three minutes but I finally reached him. Up close he was insanely tall and he stood just tall enough to reach the base of the red exit sign next to him. The shadow stuff that poured from his arms seemed to disappear before it ever could hit the ground, he had to look down at me but his eyes seemed to have been little friendly, at least they weren’t red, like a monster’s eyes.
“What’s the matter, Sarah? Why are you crying?” He asked, his voice sounding very raspy and weak, as if he had just ran a marathon.
“My mommy is having a baby and I am afraid that they will love him more than me.” I said without hesitation, for some odd reason I felt comfortable around this… thing.
“Oh, I know how that feels, my parents loved my younger sibling more than me.” It told me. I somehow felt bad for this man and held some kind of common ground with this guy.
“Really?” I ask him. “Yes, they hurt my feelings, my heart aches when I am not with them; I had run away from them once I was old enough. During these dark times I could really use a friend.”
I couldn’t help but take the opportunity on being his friend. I felt bad for him and I am sure that I will get really lonely once Carl is born.
“I’ll be your friend.” I said nervously. “You will?” He asked hopefully. I nodded.
“Why thank you Sarah, you have been most kind to me.” He said blinking slowly and holding out his long extensive black fingers to shake my hand. I tried gripping his big hand but my tiny one couldn’t wrap fully around his so I just shook his index finger.
But I could not help but wonder how did he know my name?
“How do you know my name?” I asked. He was slow to respond but eventually he did.
“Let’s just say I have been around and I have heard your parents call out to you.” He says, I guess it made sense. “Okay, then what should I call you?” I asked letting go of his hand (or index finger).
He pauses and lowers his hand to his side till he finally responds. “Jacob, call me Jacob.”
I smile and put my fears aside at least I now know I won’t ever be alone, not with Jacob around. I’ll admit he looks a little creepy but he seems really nice.
“I must go now your parents will call you in soon.” I gasped in horror at the thought of him leaving me.
“No, Jacob, please don’t go!” I plead, I was about to cry again. “Don’t fret Sarah, I will be around… always watching… Don’t you worry.” He said slowly, it was almost creepy the way he said it, as if he had always been watching me. I shrugged the thought off as paranoia and relieved him. “Okay, bye Jacob.” It took so much out of me to finally say that, I really never wanted him to go.
And just like that his entire being vanished like black smoke dissipating into the thin air. I am now alone in that corner when the Nurse calls to me from down the hallway with terrifying news:
“Your baby brother is ready to see you Sarah!” She says happily, whereas I feel the exact opposite. I turn around and slowly trudge my way to the nurse.
Dang it. Looks like my wish didn’t come true.
Hells Reject 