I Am The Absorber

I am the Absorber Ch 5

     I studied my new craft for weeks, I planned my escape and I planned the life I would live. I decided that the first thing to do would be to get a job. It would probably be low-paying, messy, and definitely off the charts. There was no way I would be filing any tax forms or putting down references. My best bet was probably a kitchen boy in some Chinese food restaurant.

The next thing to do was find shelter. Without a job, there was no way I could pay for anything decent. Unless I wanted to live in the woods, I would need to find a place where nobody would ask questions. My best bet were the worst places in town, the places where people got shot in the streets and shady deals were made with alarming regularity. I could easily blend in and nobody would notice me as long as I stayed nondescript and kept my head down.

     One of the things I did do was steal my birth certificate from the family safe at the first opportunity. The safe was kept in my parent's bedroom closet and the code was written in pencil on the bottom of the left front foot. I had seen my father open it once to get his passport out. He had forgotten the code and had to check it. It was a date, my parent's anniversary. I felt a little sad at this but I knew I had been an accident and they wouldn't miss me that much when everything was said and done.

     As an added bonus, my social security number was written on a Post-it note on the inside of the door. I was especially excited by this because I could get a job when I was old enough. Well, a legal job, anyway. I would have to content myself with low paying ones for now.

     While I waited for the perfect time to go, I heard about John everywhere. He was big news at school; everybody was talking about it. There was so much speculation about what had happened, it was impossible to escape it. I didn't participate in any of the gossip going around, but I did listen to it. He was kidnapped, murdered, caught, burned, mutilated, tortured, in jail, in juvie, he ran away, he got married, he found his true birth mother, he found his true birth father, he was put into child care, and the best one of all, he was now a millionaire living in Las Vegas. My parents asked me about him several times but I just shook my head and then they would be disappointed at the lack of information. Finally, the school held a memorial service for us with grief counselors on hand. I didn't go. I had things to do.

     The day I left, I had everything ready to go. I had my life savings packed into a sock, 3 changes of clothes and my wilderness survival stuff, hygiene items, like a toothbrush and deodorant, plus a few personal items, such as my childhood teddy bear and a magnifying glass that my father got for me when I was still in Scouts. I absorbed all the objects listed above, keeping them safe until I really needed them. Anybody who saw these objects in my school backpack would become suspicious. As it was, I barely had any room in it when I finished packing it full of stuff. I had my favorite books in there, plus as much food would fit in the empty spaces. The books were homework and the food was my lunch. I knew it wasn't perfect, but I also knew adults were less likely to ask questions about books and a lunch than a teddy bear and a magnesium fire starter.

I began my day by showering, brushing my teeth and getting ready for school like any other day. After I dressed, I went downstairs to eat breakfast. I was feeling pretty smug about my escape attempt by now. My parents had no clue, my teachers had no clue, and my friends definitely had no clue.

     But when I saw my parents, my heart dropped. They were peacefully sitting at the table, my father drinking coffee and reading the paper in his suit, my mother eating cereal and reading a book. The sunlight caught every little dust particle in the air, making the image surreal, like a dream. I felt a lump in my throat, an urge to cry over the loss of my parents.

     I refused to cry, instead descending the stairs and crossing to the table. A place was already set for me, with a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice sitting on a cloth placemat. I sat down and began eating. Nobody spoke and I felt my heart jump in my chest. It seemed to speed up and I could feel the blood rushing to my face, making me blush. I cursed my stupid reaction and quickly ducked my head down, just in case they saw.

     Finally, my father stood up and began folding the paper. "Well, I'm off. See you later, Levi. Have a good day at school."

     My feelings of guilt grew stronger even as I replied, "Okay, 'bye Dad. Love you."

     He said goodbye to my mom and then left. I watched him out the front window, knowing that this could be the last time I ever saw him. Instead of dwelling on it, however, I turned my thoughts to other things, for fear I might begin crying right there at the kitchen table. Be strong, I reminded myself as I put on a stony front.

     My mother stood up and I wished she hadn't. What I did want was for us to sit there for even just one more minute. All I wanted was one minute with my Mom.

     That didn't happen. Instead, she rushed off to get something from her bedroom. When she came back down the stairs, she was clipping an earring on. I stood from my chair and swung my loaded backpack onto my back, grunting at the weight. I was a little worried she would notice, and this feeling quickly morphed into panic when she looked at me and said, "How much homework did you have last night? I hope you did it all. Parent-teacher conferences are coming up and you can't have bad grades."

     "Don't worry, my grades are fine. I did my homework, okay?" I rolled my eyes at her jokingly, smiling. She tilted her head at me and glared, pressing her lips together so that they made a straight line.

     I smiled back at her, charmingly and she loosened up a little. "I'm just kidding, mom. I did everything, it's all right."

     "Okay, but don't roll your eyes at me, Levi. I don't appreciate the sarcasm." She turned and walked out the door. I followed.

     "Bye, mom. I'll see you later. I... I love you" I said as I followed her down our sidewalk.

     She turned and kissed my head. "Okay, Levi. Stay away from strangers. I might be a little late today after school, so don't panic.  Have a good day at school. I love you, too."

     Again, I felt like crying. I mentally rolled my eyes at myself, as I choked down the lump yet again. "Okay, see you later."

     As she got into her car and drove down the road, I watched. I watched her until she turned the corner and disappeared. Well, I said to myself, this is it. I took a deep breath and started walking the same direction she had gone. I didn't look back.

     "Well, this is it," I said aloud. "I'm really doing this."

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