» Legacy by Paul the Turtle «

» Chapter One «

Sally

When we scraped up enough money, we left. I'd waited for this day for over my entire lifespan, and now that it was happening, I could hardly believe it. Although Florida was my home, Smelly Gabe tainted the last decent memories of my birthplace, nonetheless that's where we last saw my father. My mother, Sally Jackson, married the disgusting ape after years of recalling my biological father after he disappeared. My mom said she first met my dad on a beach in Montauk. They'd dated for a short time, when he asked my mom to marry her, she said yes with no hesitation. I don't know my dad's name- she never told me- but the rest is history. They moved to Florida and lived there for a year until he was sent back into the marines. She never saw him again.

Our journey began after my mom picked me up from school in a shiny black Chrysler minivan she rented. She claimed the rental place had no regular cars left, so they lent this beauty free of charge for the same price as a regular. I was glad we didn't take Gabe's car; it stunk of smoke and alcohol though I don't know how he'd drink and drive. My mom had packed up all of our things and set forward to Manhattan, where she got me into a school called Goode or something. Her friend from work, Mary Sue, recommended it after she moved to New York herself, and pulled some strings to get me in free (apparently it was a boarding school or something). Sweet on America, the candy store my mom worked at, transferred her to the shop that was a couple of blocks down from our new apartment after they heard the horrific tale of Smelly Gabe. I asked my mom how she was so lucky. She replied with the same thing she always tells me, it's the little things that count, Percy! Cherish them all before they vanish. I didn't quite get this until I turned twelve. She was talking about my dad.

My mom readjusted the rearview mirror to glance at me. I knew I looked like the walking dead. Her chocolate brown eyes met mine, and I could feel the motherly concern that radiated from her. Even so she was still driving, I refused to fall asleep because it almost seemed unfair to her. She's driving all night while I sleep. I wish I could drive…

"Percy, honey?" she asked, quickly locking her eyes on the road to sense her surroundings before checking on me again.

I yawned. "Yes?"

"Why don't you sleep? You look tired."

"I'm not tired, what are you talking about? I'm as awake as I'll ever be!" I feigned poorly, yawning traitorously yet again.

"I'll be fine, if it makes you feel better, I can pull over to a hotel if I get sleepy." Her eyes seemed to soften.

"Okay," I felt defeated. I knew she wouldn't and we couldn't afford if she did. My eyes closed.

» * «

When I woke up, I could smell fresh gas station coffee from the front seat. My mom looked tired, but still awake. I guess that was good. I sat up straighter, adjusting the seatbelt that was strangling my stomach, and looked out the window. The trees passed in flying colors of various shades of green, illuminated by the orange sun from behind it. I turned around to face the general direction of the trunk, where the back row seats lie down to hold the three small bags we bear to Manhattan. I fumbled a bit until I took hold of the ocean blue carrier, opening it up to grab my small blue iPod shuffle. The story of how I got it was fuzzy, but I knew the basics.

We were searching for a car part for Smelly Gabe's- you guessed it- car, when I found it. My mom said the best place to look for items was the dump. When we got there, it was closed off, but Heph, the owner of the dump, let us in (and helped us) because he claimed my father was the noblest marine he'd ever met. I was wandering around, having no clue what to look for, when I spotted a shiny blue square amongst the rubble. I pocketed it, and when we returned home, it still worked with many songs on it. Originally, iPod Shuffles don't play out loud, however I returned to the dump and Heph fixed it up. It was a short and snippy story, but it will forever show the kindness complete strangers can give you.

I turned on the iPod, selecting a song at random when a classic (Elton John) came on and my mom's mouth widened in a smile. Before we knew it, we were singing- horribly I might add- at the top of our lungs while driving to New York. When the song ended, we laughed, not because it was funny but because we'd done it so many times it deserved a good chuckle here and there. I hope that made sense.

It probably didn't.

Whatever.

When we arrived in the busy streets of Manhattan many hours later, my mom arrived at a grimy brick building that resembled a place where you would hide a body. We instructed for me to get my bag(s), and we ascended the many flights of stairs ahead of us, when she unlocked the door to our new apartment. It had mold on the walls, a drippy ceiling, unknown spots on the carpet and a weird smell. There were four rooms total, including the kitchen/living room, mom's room, the bathroom, and my room. When you first walked in all you could see was the yellowing of the wallpaper which revealed my mom's room to the left of the kitchen, and two doors on the back wall that presumed to be the moldy bathroom and my room. Let me tell you- it was wonderful.

I had my own room, and my mom did too. There was a whole couch to ourselves with our own TV (it was a blockish shape with squiggly lines through it when it turned on) and a kitchen where nine layer bean dip was banned forever. There was a round kitchen table with no poker chips or beer stains, and the carpet had no cigarette burns. I dropped my bag, exploring the four rooms which was like Disneyland to me (but better)! I couldn't believe we were free from Smelly Gabe and his cruel pals that gave me beatings and burns on my arms, but we finally were. I hoped this was a start to something new and better, but I couldn't tell for sure. There was only one thing.

I had to start school tomorrow, and I was the new, scrawny kid who joined in the middle of the year. And I had yet faced my biggest challenge: make friends.

» Next Chapter «

Hallways

» * «

This was more of a preview. Don't worry.

There's more to come.

Wishes and kisses,

Paul/Virgo *wink*