Author's Note –I have no excuse on why this took me so long. So, I am very sorry.
Chapter 40 - It's Not Your Fault; It's Mine – Part 2
The next morning, Kelly goes and knocks on Sammy's room.
"Sammy," said Kelly still a little sleepy.
"Time to wake up," said Kelly opening Sammy's room.
Kelly walks into Sammy's room, surprised to find him all dressed and ready to go.
"Hi mommy," said Sammy.
"Hi honey. Wow, you're already up," said Kelly.
"Yes. I'm ready to go," said Sammy.
"I can see that," said Kelly.
She goes to him.
"Honey, I'm sorry we couldn't get in touch with daddy last night. We'll try again tonight, ok?" asked Kelly.
"Ok," replied Sammy.
"Are you ok? Do you still feel sad?" asked Kelly.
"No, I'm ok. Daddy will talk to me when he's ready," replied Sammy.
"I'm sure he'll have time tonight. He's probably just out with Uncle Steve and Aunt Janet," said Kelly.
Kelly notices that Sammy is staying silent.
"How about after daycare, we'll all go to somewhere special for dinner?" asked Kelly.
"Is daddy going to be there?" asked Sammy.
Kelly looks at Sammy not knowing how to answer his question.
"We'll try to call him, ok?" asked Kelly.
"Ok, you ready to go?" asked Sammy trying to change the subject.
"Well honey, it's still a little too early. I'm not dressed yet...so can you give me about another 30 minutes?" asked Kelly.
"Ok," replied Sammy.
"If you want, you can go wake up Aunt Silver," said Kelly.
"Ok," said Sammy who leaves his room to goes to Silver's room.
Kelly drives up to the day care center. Sammy and Kelly get out of the car. Silver is listening to music on her iPod.
"C'mon honey," said Kelly.
"Wait," said Sammy.
"What is it?" asked Kelly.
Sammy knocks on Silver's window, getting her attention. She lowers the car window and takes off his earplugs.
"Yes?" asked Silver.
"Goodbye, Silver," replied Sammy.
"Goodbye Sammy," said Silver with a confused look.
"Can I have a goodbye hug?" asked Sammy.
"Ok," replied Silver who gives Sammy another confused look.
She opens the car door and gets out of the car. Sammy goes and hugs Silver tightly.
"I'll miss you," said Sammy.
"I'll miss you too," said Silver who is looking at Kelly confused.
"C'mon honey, we're gonna be late," said Kelly.
"Ok," said Sammy.
Sammy raises his hand so that Kelly can hold it. They both walk into the day care center together. Silver goes back into the car and resume listening to her music.
They walk to the entrance to the door.
"You don't have to come in," said Sammy.
"You sure?" asked Kelly.
"Yeah, I'm a big boy now," replied Sammy.
"I know you are, honey; but you'll always be my special little guy," smiled Kelly.
Kelly kneels down and gives Sammy a big hug.
"Goodbye mommy," said Sammy hugging Kelly tight.
"Goodbye Sammy. I'll pick you up at 4, ok?" asked Kelly.
"We can try calling daddy again," added Kelly.
Sammy nods.
Kelly stands up and opens the door so Sammy can walk in. One of the staff members sees Sammy and smiles.
"Hi Sammy," said the female staff member.
"Hi," said Sammy.
The staff member sees Kelly and waves. Kelly waves back.
Sammy turns around and looks at Kelly once more. Kelly smiles and waves at Sammy. He waves back with a sad face.
Kelly leaves and walks back to her car. She opens the car door and gets in.
Silver takes off his earphones with her music still playing.
"So what was that all about?" asked Silver.
"What as what?" asked Kelly confused.
"Sammy. Is he alright?" asked Silver.
"Yeah, I was asking myself the same thing. He was acting kinda odd," replied Kelly.
"And sad when he hugged me," added Silver.
"I'm sure he's just missing Brandon; that's all," said Kelly.
Kelly starts the car.
"And how are you dealing without Brandon?" asked Silver.
"Worse than Sammy is," replied Kelly.
They drive off.
Sammy is in daycare. He sees Brian and goes to him.
"Hey Brian," said Sammy smiling.
"Hi Sammy," said Brian.
"I got my stuff in my backpack. I'm all ready to go," said Sammy.
"Oh, about that. Sammy, I'm sorry but my parents said no," said Brian who gives Sammy a sad face.
"What?" asked Sammy surprised.
"I'm sorry. I thought they would say yes since you're my best friend but they said that you should be with your family," replied Brian.
"Did you tell them that my mom and dad are really mad at me?" asked Sammy.
"Yeah, but they said that they'll get over it," replied Brian.
"Oh man...now where am I gonna go?" asked Sammy who looks down.
"Can't you just go home?" asked Brian.
"I can't. I'm scared they're gonna send me somewhere tonight," replied Sammy.
"Did they tell you that?" asked Brian.
"No, but my mom said that they're taking me somewhere special for dinner...and it's not even my birthday," replied Sammy.
"That's how they tricked my brother. They had these two large guys come in the middle of the night, dragged him out of his room, put him in this big truck, and drove off," said Brian.
Sammy looks really scared.
"So where can I go now?" asked Sammy.
"Wherever you go, you can't go back home," suggested Brian.
Brian sees that Sammy is really sad and getting teary.
"Dude, don't cry," said Brian.
"I can't help it. I'm scared," said Sammy.
"I know. Look, sneak out later before your parents come and meet me later tonight when my parents are asleep, I'll let you in," said Brian.
"Really? How are you gonna do that?" asked Sammy.
"You can use the doggy door," replied Brian.
"I'm not a dog," said Sammy.
"I meant you can fit through the doggy door without making a sound," said Brian.
"Oh ok," said Sammy a little relieved.
"But...," said Sammy.
"But what?" asked Brian.
"But if your parents don't want me there, it'll be the same thing as me being at home," replied Sammy.
"But you'll have me," said Brian.
"It's too hard," said Sammy.
"But where are you gonna go?" asked Brian.
"I don't know. I will try to be on my own," replied Sammy.
"You don't have any money," said Brian.
"Yeah, but I see people all the time without money on the streets. They are doing ok," said Sammy.
"Sammy, they're homeless. They don't have a home and they stink," said Brian.
"I don't have a home either," said Sammy.
Brian looks at Sammy for a moment.
"I guess you're right," said Brian.
"Thank you," said Sammy.
"For what?" asked Brian.
"For being my only friend," said Sammy.
"I'll miss you," said Brian.
"I'll miss you too," said Sammy.
"Now we just gotta figure out how you are gonna get out of here without Miss Nelson knowing," said Brian.
They both take a moment to think.
"You wanna try the window?" asked Brian.
"It's locked and I think she's going to see us trying to get it opened," replied Sammy.
"Well, you can't go out the door. Miss Nelson's desk is right next to it," said Brian.
"Well, I don't know what else to do. I need a way out," said Sammy.
"Sorry man, I'm out of ideas," said Brian.
"It's ok," said Sammy who looks like he's given up.
"I have to go to the restroom," added Sammy.
"Ok," said Brian looking at Sammy who goes to the restroom.
Sammy goes to the restroom. He turns the knob of the bathroom door. But it wouldn't open. He shakes and pulls the knob trying to get the door open.
Miss Nelson notices Sammy trying to get the door open.
"Sammy, honey. The restroom is broken," said Miss Nelson who goes to Sammy.
"Miss Nelson, I really have to go to the bathroom," said Sammy.
"Ok, you can use the restroom down the hall," said Miss Nelson.
"Ok," said Sammy who hurries out the door still sad.
Miss Nelson follows Sammy to the door. She realizes that she can't leave the kids alone.
Sammy walks out of the room. He turns around to see Miss Nelson looking at him.
"Sammy, it's the furthest door to the right," said Miss Nelson.
"Ok," said Sammy.
"Ok, I'll be here waiting," said Miss Nelson.
"Ok," said Sammy as he opens the door and goes into the restroom.
Miss Nelson turns her head and focuses her attention back on the kids in the room.
Inside the restroom, Sammy flushes the toilet and turns on the sink to wash his hands. He then washes his face. He looked in the mirror afterwards. He does not know what to do next. As he continued looking at the mirror, he never felt more scared of what might happened next. He felt alone and unwanted.
Worrying that he was going to be sent away soon, he started to sweat. The more that he thought about it, the more he sweats. Realizing that he's perspiring all over, he takes off his backpack. He opened his backpack revealing clothes, some food, and a few toys inside. He took out a new t-shirt. While changing into a new t-shirt, he suddenly realized something. He has an opportunity to get out. Before, he wanted a way out of the center. Now, he' got it. All he has to do is get out of the building. He has his backpack with all everything he needed. This was the first time, he felt confident and proud all day. But knowing that he was still in the building, he knew that he is not out of the woods yet. He then realized that Miss Nelson was watching the door so his chances of getting out of the building were next to impossible. There was a window to the outside in the restroom but it was way too small for him to squeeze through the bars and get out.
Sammy stood there for a few brief moments before finally giving up. He opened the restroom door, looked to his left, expecting to see Miss Nelson looking at him the same way when he went into the restroom. But this time, something was different. Miss Nelson wasn't looking at him or the restroom door. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen. Could it be that she waited too long and gave up?
He knew that he had to think fast. He saw a back door straight ahead. Seeing that the coast was clear, he dashed towards the door, opened it, and left the center. Not knowing where he was going to go, he started running. He just ran and never looked back. He wanted to leave all his troubles and fears behind. Sammy ran to the end of the block, made a quick turn to his right, and stopped to catch his breath.
He put his back against the wall as he slowly takes a peek behind him. Still breathing heavily, he smiled as he sees no-one following him.
Back at the center, Miss Nelson had already returned to the door still waiting for Sammy to come out of the restroom. She takes a glance at the clock and started to have a worried look on her face. She turned and looked at Brian.
"Brian," said Miss Nelson.
Brian looked up at Miss Nelson.
"Could you come here for a minute, please?" asked Miss Nelson.
Brian goes to Miss Nelson at the door.
"Did you see Sammy come back from the restroom?" asked Miss Nelson.
"No, Miss Nelson," replied Brian.
"Ok, could you go to the bathroom to see if he is alright?" asked Miss Nelson.
"Ok," replied Brian.
Brian leaves the center and goes to the restroom. He opened the door and walked in. Seconds later, Brian comes out.
"Is he ok?" asked Miss Nelson worried.
"Sammy's not here, Miss Nelson," replied Brian.
"What?" asked Miss Nelson with a shocked looked on her face.
"He's not in here," replied Brian.
"Did you check everywhere?" asked Miss Nelson.
"Yes, he's not here," replied Brian.
"Oh no," said Miss Nelson.
Brian walks back to Miss Nelson.
"Do you know where he might've gone to?" asked Miss Nelson.
"No," lied Brian who tries to keep a straight face.
"Ok, stay inside, please," said Miss Nelson.
"Yes, mamn," said Brian.
Seeing how worried and scared Miss Nelson is, Brian felt guilty of lying to her. He was glad that Sammy got his chance to escape but the poor lady didn't deserve this. But now that the damage is done, there was nothing left for him to do but to keep his mouth shut. Otherwise, he would be in trouble.
Brian sat back down at his table. As he sat there, he could see Miss Nelson calling someone on the phone, probably the police.
Meanwhile, we see Sammy playing at a nearby playground. He's playing with another little boy. The other boy is trying to chase Sammy. They both laugh as they run around the slide.
"Jimmy," said the little boy's mother.
The little boy stopped and looked at his mother. Sammy notices Jimmy wasn't chasing him and stops too.
"Time to go, honey," said the mother.
"Ok," said Jimmy.
Jimmy waves goodbye to Sammy as he runs off to his mother.
Sammy sat down at a bench. He looked from side to side trying to figure out what to do next. Occasionally, he would look up to see a few mothers playing with their kids. That reminded her of the way he and Kelly used to play with him. He could literally picture Kelly tickling him and them eating lunch together. Those were good times.
Still lonely, he opened up his backpack and takes out a small cupcake and starts to eat it.
Kelly and Silver are eating lunch in Kelly's office.
Silver notices Kelly is barely eating her lunch. Kelly moves her fork around her bowl of soup.
Silver decides to break the tension.
"So, have you given any thought about your wedding dress?" asked Silver.
"Not really...not that it matters anymore," replied Kelly.
"What do you mean?" asked Silver.
"Brandon called off the wedding," replied Kelly.
"C'mon, Kel. No, he did not," said Silver.
"He might as well. He said that he doesn't want to get married with the feeling that I may be cheating on him with Dylan," replied Kelly.
"So, once he gets over this so-called feeling, he'll be back," said Silver.
"I don't know if it is that easy anymore," said Kelly.
"It's easy when you're in love," said Silver.
"Exactly," said Kelly.
"What?" asked Silver confused.
"It's easy when we were in love," replied Kelly.
Silver has a shocked look on her face.
"What are you saying? You don't love Brandon, anymore?" asked Silver.
"I dunno," replied Kelly.
"I can't you're actually saying this," said Silver.
"I didn't that I don't love him. It's just been so difficult lately. And it's not only affecting me; just look at what it's doing to Sammy," said Kelly.
"I had thought that when Brandon and I got engaged, we would closer than ever...and now look what happened," added Kelly.
"Kel, every couple goes through problems," said Silver.
"Not like this. I tried to be optimistic but this may not be fixable," said Kelly.
"No Kel; No...I refused to believe that you two don't love each other anymore. You two are so good together," said Silver.
"Thanks but it's not up to you to decide," said Kelly.
"Then, look at me, and say that you don't love Brandon anymore," said Silver.
Kelly looks at her in silence.
"C'mon. Let's hear it. If you can say that to my face, I'll believe you," said Silver looking at Kelly.
Kelly looks at Silver and started to open her mouth when her phone rings.
Kelly answers her phone.
"Hello?" asked Kelly.
"What?" asked Kelly with a shocked look on her face.
Silver looks at Kelly with a scared and confused face.
"Oh my god; ok...I'll be right there," said Kelly who panics and starts to get up.
"What happened?" asked Silver.
"Sammy's missing," replied Kelly grabbing her stuff.
"What?" asked Silver.
"I gotta get to the police station," replied Kelly.
"How did this happened?" asked Silver.
"I don't know. But I gotta go...will you tell the office it's an emergency for me?" asked Kelly.
"Wait, I'm coming with you," replied Silver.
"Silver...," said Kelly.
"Please...," said Silver looking at Kelly with a sad look.
"Ok ok...let's go," said Kelly.
They both hurry out the door.
Meanwhile, Brandon, Steve, and Janet are in the kitchen catching up and laughing.
"You guys are too much," said Brandon still laughing.
"He's only allowed to act like this when you're around, Brandon," said Janet.
Brandon looks at them with a weird look, then realizing that Janet was just joking. They all laughed again.
Brandon's cellphone suddenly rings. He takes out his cellphone, looks at it, and gets a confused look on his face.
"Hello, this is Brandon," said Brandon still with a smile on his face.
"What? What do you mean he's gone?" asked Brandon with a shocked look.
Steve and Janet look at Brandon with a worried look.
"Ok, I'm coming right now. I'll be there as soon as possible," replied Brandon.
Brandon closes his phone and gets up.
"What is it?" asked Steve.
"That was the police," replied Brandon.
"Oh no; what happened?" asked Janet.
"Sammy's missing," replied Brandon.
"How did that happened?" asked Steve.
"I don't know. But they can't find him," replied Brandon.
"Steve, can I borrow the car for a little while longer?" asked Brandon.
"Yeah, of course; go ahead," replied Steve.
"Ok guys; I'm sorry but I gotta go," said Brandon.
Brandon starts to go towards the door to leave.
"Brandon, let us know if there is anything we can do," said Janet.
"Thanks guys," said Brandon.
Meanwhile, we see Sammy continuing to walk around the park and the playground. He had played with a few more kids during the day. But, now that it is getting late, he finds himself alone and nowhere else to go. All the kids have gone home. He started to think a lot about how he was going to get through the night. But as afraid as he was, he knew that it was for the best. Him leaving was for the best for him and his family. He felt that he tore his family apart. With him gone, his mom and dad would happily reunite knowing that their son who caused so much trouble and their breakup was gone for good. He manly wiped the tears in his eyes with confidence that he can survive alone without the need of his family. He stood tall and confident as the sun started to set.
Little did Sammy know, but someone was looking at him from afar. An elderly woman in the building next to the park who had been watching Sammy since he arrived at the park is convinced that this little boy was indeed lost. Knowing so, she reached for her phone and dialed 911.
"Hello 911. What's your emergency?" asked the operator.
"Hello, this is Marla Simpson at 716 Santiago Blvd," replied Mrs. Simpson.
"Yes, Mrs. Simpson. How may I help you tonight?" asked the operator with a depressing voice.
"Yes. There is a young man at the park. He's been there for hours," replied Mrs. Simpson.
"What is he doing?" asked the operator.
"He was playing with the other kids. Right now he's just sitting there by himself," replied Mrs. Simpson.
"Mrs. Simpson, we go through this every night. Unless it's an emergency, please do not call us," said the operator.
"This is an emergency. He's alone," said Mrs. Simpson.
"How old is he?" asked the operator.
"I'd say about 4 or 5," replied Mrs. Simpson.
"Do you see his parents?" asked the operator.
"No. They were never there," replied Mrs. Simpson.
"Ok, we'll check it out," said the operator.
"Thank you," said Mrs. Simpson.
"Goodbye Mrs. Simpson," said the operator.
"Goodbye," said Mrs. Simpson.
Mrs. Simpson hangs up the phone.
"Yeesh. What does it take for them to take me seriously? This kid is all alone and nowhere to go. If that's not an emergency, then what is?" asked Mrs. Simpson to herself.
We see Brandon in his car driving towards home. He takes out the car-phone and dials a number.
"Hi," said Kelly sadly.
"Hey, I heard what happened. Any update?" asked Brandon.
"I'm not sure if this is Sammy but someone just called in about a kid being lost at the park. So we're heading there right now," replied Kelly.
"Ok, which park?" asked Brandon.
"Ridgepoint," replied Kelly.
"I'm sorry, the phone cut out on me for a moment. Which park did you say?" asked Brandon.
"Ridgepoint, you know the same one that you proposed to me in?" asked Kelly.
"Ok, thanks. I'm driving as fast as I can. I'll be there soon," replied Brandon.
"Ok...be careful," said Kelly who is disappointed that Brandon didn't show any empathy about his proposal.
They both hang up the phone.
We focus on Kelly and Silver who are in a police car.
"Was that Brandon?" asked Silver.
"Yeah," replied Kelly sadly.
"What happened?" asked Silver.
"Umm...he's driving back to help find Sammy," replied Kelly.
"Oh, that's good. At least you'll get to see him," said Silver trying to cheer up Kelly.
"Yeah," said Kelly who gave Silver a brief smile.
"What's wrong? I thought that was a good thing," asked Silver.
"It is. I just wish it was under better circumstances," replied Kelly.
Silver looks at Kelly silently and nods to show her that she understands how she is feeling.
To be continued…
