Elissa by Keiyanna Johnson

Garbage bags in one hand my little brother in the other I walked down the cold unforgiving streets of east New York. Being kicked out of the house when my mother’s boyfriend came over was normal, which is why I kept some clothes at hand. “I’m hungry Elisa” is what my 6 year old brother Emanuel said as his bright blue eyes looked up at me in the darkness. Felling helpless I had nothing to say except “hold on, well find something” even though I knew it was a lie. Wandering around looking for a place to sleep we came to an abandoned bus stop. I put my bags down and held my brother in my arms. As I heard his stomach growl with hunger I couldn’t help but fight the tears that were flooding my eyes like a river.  “Why does my life have to be so horrible?” what did I do to deserve this”. As I pondered my mind I began to remember the time when I knew what love felt like. When my  mother used to cook dinner and have tickle fights, when my father would pick me  up and spin me  around… my father.. My superman… the only one who understood me was the same man that became ill and left me alone. Ever since he passed there has been an empty place in my heart and a silence in the house. Mommy began to do crack and sleep with men for money. That where my little brother came from. “Accident” was his name in her mind. I honestly don’t even think she remembers what she named him. Men were always coming in the house and leaving with a piece of my mother that I tried to save.  But Manny, the pimp, was always there. He is the reason why my brother and I on sleeping in a bus stop hungry and cold. He controlled my mother and told her to do thing that she knew was wrong. I hated that man with every fiber of my being but mommy says “he pays the bills, so we have to respect him”. How can I respect someone that doesn’t respect me”? As I began to get angry, I closed my eyes and drifted off into sleep.  

   

   I woke up at the sound of the bus pulling up in front of us, the bus driver opened the door and said “hey you, kid, are you okay?” In the back of my mind I wanted t respond “ well mistah , I’m sleeping in a bust stop with two garbage bags full of clothes and my baby brother in my arms, Do you think I’m okay?!” but I simply replied “yea. I’m aight”. See here is the thing about me. I don’t like taking pity form anybody, I aint nobody charity case that they can sit here and say that they took care of me. Nah.  I like to do things on my own but apparently he didn’t know that. “Well you sure don’t look alright, where’s your home? Do you have school? Where is your mother? Do you need me to drop you off somewhere? “Yo Mistah!” I said “You asking alot of question for someone who don’t know me!  I said I’m good aight so just leave me alone” he got out of his bus and picked up garbage bags” “Yo don’t touch my stuff “I said trying to grab my bag.  He simply took my bags on the bus and put them in a seat, so I followed them and then off we went. Back to the hell I call home. When he dropped me off he gave me a card with his number. Call me if anything he said and I just took the card said aight and kept it moving. As I carried Emmanuel, still sleeping, up the steps I prayed that Manny wasn’t there. I knocked on my apartment. 1h or what I like to call it 1 hell.  My zombie drunken mother opens the door and says “Elissa, hey baaaabby where u been?  Baby? She never called me baby! “Come on in, she said I have breakfast. I don’t wanna go inside but my little brother yelled FOODD!! Let go of my hand and ran but as I tried to grab him he slipped from my reach. I couldn’t let him be in this house alone, so I followed to. As I closed the door I set my garbage bags down and allowed my eyes to wander around the house to make sure Manny wasn’t there. As I made sure it was safe I sat at the table in front of this thanksgiving spread she had prepared. It was so much food that I didn’t know what to eat but I was starving so I grabbed a bit of everything. As I’m eating I heard “well good morning baby girl’... my heart dropped as I turned my head to see Manny, smoking his cigar, standing there in his boxers, “how nice of you to join us for breakfast. he flashed that hideous smile filled with grills and yellow teeth at me and winked his stupid brown eyes. All I could do was nod my head, and apparently he didn’t like my greeting. When I turned to continue eating my food he yelled “Don’t you know how to use your words little girl” I could hear his hard footsteps coming towards me from where he was standing and knew that he was charging to hit me. I glanced next to me and noticed a knife sitting next to the loaf of bread, as soon as his hand was on my shoulder I grabbed the knife turned around and stood up with the knife to his neck ad notice his hand was raised like he was going to slap me. My Mother screamed “Elissa no!!!’ and ran over to where we were standing to grab Manny's arms and pull him back. I was shocked and angry “You’re protecting him? he was coming to hit me mom and you holding him”. She just stood there and looked at me almost as if she wanted to say sorry but the words were stuck in her throat choking her. Manny just stood there and then said Get out my house, so I grabbed my brother snatched my garbage bags and left aging for the hundredth time.

     I ran down the steps struggling with my garbage bag and holding my brother, fig hint back tears of anger. “Don’t you dare cry Elisa, do not cry!!! Is what I yelled to myself as the tears came down like bullets on my face and fell to my shirt? Hewn we reached outside I became overwhelmed dropped my bag of clothes and began crying uncontrollably. I never cried, I’m stronger than this, Ellisa get up! Get up now! Although I knew I was capable of getting up, my body wouldn’t allow me. My cries were now getting louder and as I fell to my knees I felt two small hands hold my face, looking up through the tears I saw Emanuel smiling and as I wiped my eyes to get a better vision he whispered “Elisa, don’t cry. It will be ok “. I couldn’t help my smile back at him and give him a kiss on the forehead. “I love you Emanuel , and I promise we are going to get through this” , “ “I know” he replied with a smirk as he tried to pick up the heavy bag, it made me giggle how strong he thought he was so I helped him carry it. As were walking down the street I feel something in my back pocket and go to retrieve to find out it was the bus driver’s card.  I though for a minute if I should call him or not and ten I realized that I had nothing to lose so with the loose change in my pocket I found the nearest payphone and hesitantly dialed the number. After the second to last ring I was ready to hang up until I heard “hello”, I was stuck for a second and didn’t know what to say, he kept saying hello and was getting ready to hang up when I finally choked out a “ hhh-eey Hey, this is Elissa the girl from the bus top”. “O yes, hi Elissa how are you? How’s your brother, are you guys ok? I wanted to lie and say yea I’m fine but I’m just calling to see how you’re doing even though he would know I was lying cuz honestly I could care less. But as I looked at my brother I managed to say “no I’m not okay’ and with that I began to spill my heart out to this stranger on the phone telling him all that has happened to me since my father passed. as I continued  to rant on and on he stopped me and asked “ Elisa’s , Elisa where are you, tell me the exact street” “ “east 8th and fairville by the old deli”  “ ok stay put I’m on my way” Like I really had somewhere to go . My brother and I walked to the corner and sat on a bench waiting for this man I knew nothing about. Twenty minutes passed when I started to question my phone call. Why did I call him, I don’t know this man, what if he hurts me? Or Emanuel? He could be a drug dealer or even a pimp? Elissa you gotta go now! As I was getting up I heard a soft voice shout “Elisa is that you? and I turned around to see the bus driver getting out of a shiny black limo in a crisp black and white tuxedo. “Who are you?” I asked.  He just chuckled said you “friendly neighborhood bus driver” as he approach my brother and I felt my body tense up to prepare for the worst. “Come on” the softly demanded as he picked up my sleeping brother and my garbage bags. We preceded to the limo and I though beyonce and JAy z was gunna pop out at any moment. I sat inside and saw juice candy and sandwiches with the crust cut off. “In case you guys were hungry I bought some snacks” “heck yea I’m hungry’” I said as I stuffed my face with a sandwich. I ate almost the whole ride when the limo stopped and the driver got out coming and opening the door. When he did, I looked out to see this huuuggggeeee house and my jaw instantly dropped “what the….” he giggled and said “welcome to my home Elisa” he got out and walked to the front door with my brother still in his arm. He opened his front door to reveal a palace fit for a king. “O snap” I said as I just stood there in amazement. He began walking up the stairs so I followed him, he put our bags in a room with two beds but ha enough room for 30 people. “ this is you room for as long as you want Elisa, and I know you want to be with you brother so I gave you one with two beds, make yourself at home and come down for dinner when you’re ready”. I looked around as if I was in a dream and as Emanuel woke up he sniffed“I smell chicken” with his eyes half open so we went downstairs to see the dinner. As I was walking down the spiral stair case I allowed my hand to slide down the beautifully polished cherry wood banister. When we reached downstairs instantly our mouths started watering. There was more food on that table than what we had for the past eight thanksgivings. “My King and Queen, your dinner is served” and with those words Emanuel and I began to eat out hearts out. Soon after dinner was finished he ran a bubble bath for each of us and had pajamas on the bed waiting for us. We got dressed and tucked ourselves into bed as he came in told us “ have beautiful dreams my royalty. “ and smiled as I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep on a cloud.

 A few weeks have passed and my brother and I couldn’t have been happier. Breakfast every day, new clothes, toys, cookies, pillow fights, bed time stories and the whole 9. I loved being here and never wanted to go back home. However my wish would soon be thrown into the garbage along with all the others that never came true. On Monday morning I went downstairs to see Mr.johnson reading his morning paper and smoking his cigar.     “O good morning Eissa”... he said as the cloud of smoke left his mouth. “ you hungry?” , he got up and folded his paper so he could fix me a plate of pancakes , bacon and grapefruit but I wasn’t hungry, I had too much in my mind. “Nah “, I said “I actually want to talk to you about something’’. A troubled look came across his face as he said “okay, let’s talk”. I sat down in the huge chair that was taller than me and my brother combined and began t gather my words. “Well, I just wanted to know, you know, if my brother and I, well we uuhhhh, were not sure if your gunna, you know send us back, so I mean yea… are you?”  He grinned revealing the beautiful straight pearly white teeth I loved to look at. “Elisa, you don’t have to be afraid to talk to me, but that actually what I was going to talk to you about today”. O no, this is it, goodbye dream house, goodbye amazing food and beds made from clouds, goodbye happiness. “I think that you and you brother need to go back to you mother house and… “No please no, don’t send us back there I promise that well be good, well go to school and help around the house we won’t break anything we'll be perfect I promise!!!!!” “Elisa!” he shouted, “wait, you have to let me finish my sentence, I was going to say that you guys should go back to her and talk to her about allowing me to adopt you”. Adoption?!! That was the last thing on my mind. “Would you like that?” he smirked, “like it?! I screamed “I would love that “. I jumped down from the high chair I was on, ran into his arms and yelled“you’re the best dad!!!!” Immediately I jumped back and covered my mouth in shock from what just came out of it. “Oh God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I mean is not that you not great and all, but u know ur not him, ur not HIM, I’m so sorry, oh gosh”. in a calm voice he whispered“ Elissa, I know I will never be your father, but I hope to be the best one I can possibly be”         .already I felt the tears swelling up in my eyes but they went away when he said that we had to go back to the house to get my mother to sign the adoption papers. Noo Nooo Noooo, I don’t want to go back to the place I never wanted to see it again. But just as I opened my mouth to protest he demanded “get dressed, you and Manny.” “What Manny?! He’s here? Why? Where is he? Ho… “ woooo woo woooo elissa I was talking about Emmanuel your brother, what gotten into you” with the puzzled look on his face he began to walk out the door into the car as I walked up the stairs dreading what was to come next.

    we reached the steps of the place I once called home ad as I looked up at the building it seemed to grow larger as I got smaller I took a deep breath as I began to face what was going to be a long night. As I exhaled Mr.johnson put his hand I my back and whispered "don't be afraid, I'm right here” and with that we began to make our way upstairs. My hand started shaking as I reached up to ring the doorbell and the familiar faint sound rang in my ears. Mr.johnson cleared his throat and began to straighten his jacket and tie but I simply giggled and said" trust me there not worth it “he gave me a puzzled look but he soon understood what I meant as my birth giver answered the door. Her eyes were bloodshot red, she look pale and skinny and her hair seemed as if it hadn't been combed in weeks. She sniffled and looked at me as if I was her long lost sister. "Elissa is... Is. That you" she croaked "where have you been, where your brother is, and who is this handsome man “she smiled as she tried to fix the matted mess on her head and straighten her clothes as if Mr.johnson was interested. "Hello mam, my mane is William... William Johnson and I would appreciate it if you would incite me in so that we could thoroughly discuss your children's we'll bring “wow... He was so proper but by the look on my mother’s face I wasn't sure if she understood. Yet, as if she was just awoken from a trace she replied "o, yes. Do come in” I slowly walked in behind Mr. Johnson afraid that the demon was here. "It's not much considering where you from but sit" she shuffles some papers around for us to sit but then I noticed something I wish I hasn't. I'm the Ash tray was a cigar but the flames were still faintly there which means that it wasn't lit to long ago. He's here. “ Well Ms, I have been giving both Elisa and Emmanuel a  place to stay for quite some time now and they seem to enjoy it and it has come to my attention that they are not happy here with you and that you are not happy with yourself, and so, if we could just cut to the chase .. I would love to adopt them”. Good. He didn’t waste any time. “Adopt” she said as if she really cared. “Well these are my only children, why do you want to take them away from me?” “Well, you are unable to take care of or feed your children, they do not receive the love they deserve so why keep them miserable? “Well I…’ she muttered as he door creaked open and I heard “Yo, who was that at the door?” As the demon waked forward wiping the crust out his eye he dropped his hands and got defensive while yell “And who the hell is this?!”  “Some man that had the kids that’s all... he just wanted to talk “stuttered my birth giver... “Aint no talking my man leave the kids and bounce”.  “well, Mr. Johnson said, I’m afraid I cannot do that see, in few moments they will be my kids and they will never have to deal with your disgusting, ill mannered, disrespectful sorry ass” As Mr. Johnson turned around to pullout the adoption papers Manny leapt over the couch and tackled him with his fist cocked back and ready to blow like a bullet. They both came crashing down on the coffee table shattering glass everywhere. My mother and I both screamed and jumped back as I grabbed Emmanuel and held him close. They were fighting as if they in a cage fight and just as Mr. Johnson went for another punch Manny grabbed a piece of broken glass and put it up to Mr. Johnson neck saying “ swing again, and I will slit your throat “ Mr. Johnson put his hands up as if in surrender and began to back up . “ Yeeaaaaaa” snickered many, “you Aint so tough now are...” his words were cut short and everything happened so fast that I didn’t realize Emmanuel stab many in his side with knife I tried to use before. He dropped the glass, clenched his side and fell to the floor like goliath when he was slain by David. “Emmanuel “I screamed as Mr. Johnson picked him up to protect him. “ My mother just stood there mute and still and as a tear began to roll down her cheek she simply asked “where are the adoption papers?” I quickly ran to the place where the fell and brought them over to her and her words to me were “Elisa, is this what you want” to which I simply replied “More than anything in the worlds. As she signed the papers Mr. Johnson called an ambulance for Manny and Elaine that it was an accident and if he says otherwise he’s laying. She handed me the papers with shaky hands and told me “Good Luck with everything, but don’t forget to visit”. As I snatched the papers she turned away and began to wipe her eyes. “Come on Elisa” he said softly as he held Manny n his arms. I turned to walk towards him when I feud myself running back to my mom, wrapping my arms around her and whispering “find the piece of yourself I was trying to safe mom, find the woman dad wanted you to be” and with that I walked out of the front door leaving my past completely behind .As I left the apartment building adoption papers in hand I felt a burden being lifted out of my heart an happiness taking it place. As I grabbed Mr. Johnson’s hand I walked into my happily ever after never again having to face the cold unforgiving streets of East New York.