Respect All, Trust Few

The rain started to pour down like a cold shower, beating on my back. I sat down on the wet soil, looking at my friend's gravestone. It’s been twenty years since they passed away. The only person I have is my husband Ren, who I knew since childhood.

   We now have two small children to take care of. For the past eighteen years, Ren is still hurt from two of his very close friends betraying him, which is normal in Lockwood city. Lockwood City is known for its lies, regrets, and betrayal. 

    Every night, Ren would cry in my arms, tears falling from his eyes like wax dripping from a candle. I understand his pain because I was in his shoes once.

    For example, I was betrayed by my parents. They were only twenty when they gave birth to me. They would abuse me in every worse way possible. We lived in a rusty old trailer, nestled by trees. The abuse stopped when I was four, they abandoned me.

   As a young kid, I didn’t know why, I couldn’t wrap my finger around it. My stomach would growl like a hungry lion being threatened. The only thing I survived on was mice and bugs. Why was this happening to me? I don’t understand. 

    On a cold December night, I was trying to find more food since I was all out. I looked left and right. That’s when I heard a noise, almost like a baby crying. 

     I turned around, looking at the dirty white door that was smeared with dried blood, my blood. I gingerly opened the door, my body shaking from the coldness. 

     I looked out the door, the only thing I saw was trees and orange streetlights, spreading its lights to the road. Maybe I was imagining things. 

     But that’s when I looked down, it was a baby car seat with a silk blue blanket.                Curiosity took the better of me. I unwrapped the blanket to see what was in there. Inside was a small young baby, crying her eyes out at home. I looked at her, hope filled my eyes. I was going to make my first new friend. I know she was just a baby but when she   gets older, me and her would be the best of friends, it's something I always wanted.

      Since I had the baby, I didn’t have a choice but  to steal. That’s what friends do. She was still crying, I assume she was hungry. I couldn’t leave her by herself.

      I took her with me. I started to speed walk since I had her in my hands. I headed to the supermarket since there wasn't any security. The place was empty as an idiot’s mind. The only people that were here are the people that work for the cash registers.

       Their cruel laughs were making me feel bitter. It makes me angry when people talk about one another. I know I’m down and out but you don’t have to talk about it.

       I turned my head, trying to find the best foods for the baby. I looked up at the dairy aisle where the milk was. I grabbed some strawberry yogurt that was in a food pouch.  

       I put her seat down on the floor and crouched down to her. I opened the tube and put the yogurt in her mouth.  She spit it all out, crying even worse. 

       God, this is why I will never have kids. I picked her back up, placing the yogurt back to where it was. Maybe those girls wouldn’t laugh then and do their job.

       Walking past the cheese aisle, I saw a young woman and her husband holding hands while pushing their baby in a shopping cart. The sight of that made me feel like I got punched in the stomach. Everytime I see a couple with kids, it makes my stomach turn.  It reminds me of my parents, I never felt loved in any way.

       I cleared my mind, trying to figure out what the baby wanted. I tried every baby food that I would think of but the baby does not want it. I took a deep breath, the last place I checked was the sweets. What moron doesn’t love sweets? I know she’s just a baby but I have to give something a try. Giving a baby sugar could give her blood sugar level.

      But I need to give it a try. I grabbed the chocolate chip cookies and put them in her mouth. Surprisingly, I don’t know how, but the baby took a bite of the crunchy cookie.

      The thing that surprised me the most was, she stopped crying. That’s when I  decided to nickname her Sweets, due to her addiction.  Her actual name is Nina, named after a friend of mine that died when I was eight, which brings me to Mina.

      Mina is a sweet, kind girl that is covered in dark secrets. She loved Nina with all her heart. Nina was like a guardian angel to her. Before, Mina was bullied by almost everyone, especially this girl named Vera Ross. Vera would bully her before Mina died.

      Mina was bullied by mostly everyone at school since she was different. Mina told me all the time about how she wants to become popular one day. The thing about popularity is that you still get bullied either way. Let me explain. Most of the popular girls stay in drama since that’s their thing. They like talking about other girls, and like to hang out with those “cool boys”. I care about Mina too much, more than I care about myself.

      She was like a puppet on a string. Mina lives in a green world, which means that      she feels like she needs to help everyone around her and be kind.

       Maybe that’s why she loves green so much. Green symbolizes health, growth, balance, new beginnings, and success. After Nina died, Mina has worn the color green to honor her.