Lucky Rebel

I never listened to anyone. My mom told me that one day I would learn my lesson for being so rebellious. I didn’t want to listen to that either, but for some reason it always replayed in my head. Her voice popped in my head as I took an evening walk around our subdivision. My mom had told me a million times not to walk without my older sisters if the street lights were on. I attempted to listen this time but when I ran upstairs to ask my sister if she wanted to walk with me, the sound of her professing her undying love to her boyfriend was enough to make me vomit everything I ate for dinner. I walked to my other sister’s room and I saw a green light coming from under the door. My sister got migraines and my mom told her that she read an article about how green lights can help with headaches. I decided not to bother her because lately when she had her green LED lights on, she ignored me. I didn’t want to risk getting rejected so I decided to go on about my business. It wasn’t my fault that my mother only had three girls so I ran out of sisters to ask. I knew my mom had left to pick my dad up from the airport so I didn’t have to sneak out the backdoor. I grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen before I started my stroll.

Walking was peaceful, especially at this time of the day. The sun was setting but dim sunrays still lit the sky. The goldish-pinkish hue that covered the neighborhood was therapeutic and the silence gave the night a dreamy feeling. My mom’s words popped into my head so I started humming my favorite song to block out her voice. I loved my mom but if I listened to everything she said, I would be living in a bubble for the rest of my life. My mom didn’t understand that I was a free spirit and I needed different rules than my sisters. I let my thoughts take me down the rabbit hole of how different my sisters and I were, then I noticed a huge white house with black shingles and a bright red door. There was a long walkway leading up to the house with bright pink and red tulips lining both sides of the walkway leading right to the red door. It almost seemed never-ending. My mom loved fresh flowers so I did a quick look from side to side to see if anyone saw me before I gently, but firmly plucked a pink one closest to the sidewalk. If she was home by the time I got back, I would give her the flower before she had a chance to yell at me.

The sun had almost completely gone down so I decided to make my way back home. Our subdivision was rather large and I didn’t want to walk too far. I turned the corner and I was on a dead-end street with homes that were still being built. I turned around to go back the way I came and an eerie feeling came over me. There was a white car parked on the street that wasn’t there at first. I would have noticed it because it was on the wrong side of the street. The windshield was tinted so I couldn’t tell if anyone was in the car. Why didn’t I hear it? Why didn’t I see the headlights? Was the car already there and I just didn’t see it? No. I notice those kinds of things. I looked around and there was literally no one else around. I would’ve given anything to see a couple walking their dog or a woman jogging. I felt alone.

I started walking slowly when a voice in my head told me to cross the street. I NEVER listen to anyone but that voice was mine. I crossed the street and I kept my eye on that car. Although I couldn’t see anyone through the dark windows, that voice in my head said, “someone is in the car”. I reached the other side of the street and just as I did, the driver side door opened and a tall man with dark sunglasses and a huge mustache appeared. His hair was dark and pulled back into a ponytail and he had a black baseball cap on. He stared at me as I walked away without saying a word. Once I reached the white house where I picked the tulip, I sped up. The man got in the car, started it, and did a U-turn without turning on his headlights. The voice in my head screamed, “RUN!”. I ran faster than I ever ran and I thought he changed his mind so I looked back and I saw that he was getting closer! Why was his car so silent? My heart was in my stomach but I found the strength to run faster. I turned the corner quickly and noticed that I was on my street. The only thing better than seeing my house was seeing my parents car in the driveway and seeing my mom and dad getting out. They must have just pulled up from the airport. “MOM!” I yelled out and she must have heard the fear in my voice. She turned around and at that moment, I looked back to see the man turn down another street. I ran even faster until I got to my mom and I hugged her tighter than I had ever hugged her before. My dad came around and hugged us both even tighter. We went inside and I told them the whole story. I was so frightened that I didn’t realize that I still had the pink tulip in my hand. I handed it to my mom as she wiped the tears from my face. The look we gave each other in that moment was a mutual understanding that I had indeed learned my lesson.