America the Poor: A Wanderers Tale, Vol Two

CHAPTER 7: A Lost and damned place, for Lost boys

     I woke up early the next morning, a bit too early for me personally, but bright fluorescent lights suddenly exploding in your sleeping face will certainly wake you up. Not my roommate across the way of course, being completely blind as Tim was, but a staff member stopped by soon and loudly kicked on the door, that got his attention of course. I laid there, tired as hell, and buried my eyes under the covers, as I was inclined to do regardless. I'd lay there until I had no friggen choice. Even on that first morning, I remained defiant.

It was just my way, I didn't wish to be there, I was a prisoner and would resist in any way I could. So if that resistance resulted in more sleep, I was more than willing to pay the price, at whatever cost, I didn't really care, but I was also damned tired that morning.

After the loud kick, I could hear my blind roommate stirring, but I didn't really give a crap. I intended to lay under the dark warm covers till I was forced to give them up.

Tragically, this moment came within around 20 minutes. By this time my blind roommate was long gone, but I remained in bed trying to sleep some more, and totally uncooperative obviously. I was wrapped in my single blanket and sheet like a human burrito, warm and toasty. Eventually a staff member entered the room to evict me. As tired and defiant as I was, I wasnt yet ready for attempted murder.

I forget exactly who it was that roused me, but I was pissed. At first he kicked my bedframe a few times which I of course ignored, snug and comfy as I was, maybe he'd get tired and leave. I was a tender 13 years old , and naive.

Sadly, he didn't leave, and had no intentions to, till I was fully ousted fully from my comfy nest. A tragedy certainly.

After a few hard kicks, he came to the side of my bed, and I got a few hard prods. After the fourth prod, I reached out suddenly, and he jumped back. Remember this was my second day, they hadn't a clue as to who or what I was,

All they knew by then I was a psychotic young boy, possibly dangerous, nothing else. So when I suddenly grabbed the staff member's hand from my comfortable warm nest, he was a bit nervous, but he had a job to do. He wouldn't leave tilI I left my comfort zone, and was out of my room, away from my warm bed.

At some point, he started pulling on my coverings, and I knew my rest was at an end. In that moment, I finally unrolled myself slowly, and sat up to stare at my enemy, giving him the Evil eye, but also sadly awake, as I had no choice but to be.

He stood there, somewhat distantly, and mentioned he would only leave when I finally did. However, he also said my morning breakfast awaited me, didn't I wish for something good to eat? Like a low class bribe I suppose. Being that going back to the realm of rest and dreams was totally out of the question, breakfast seemed a good alternative at the time. I slowly got dressed with him watching, since he refused to leave my room, but he stood at the door, instead of within my reach. Understandable I suppose.

I'm sure he didn't want to stand too close to me, it made perfect sense. I was small, but madness seems like an unpredictable thing, as I was then.

Who truly knew what I was capable of? Insanity has a strength and power beyond measure. I wasn't really insane then, not at that moment, but as far as they were concerned, I could have been, therefore a loose cannon. He watched me carefully, as I dressed in the grey drab clothing, and I unhappily followed him out of my room, and down the hallway towards my first breakfast in the loony bin.

When I and my escort arrived at the cafeteria, pretty much everyone was already seated, eating, again silent and grim. There was a small coffee in a plastic cup, with 2 sugar packets each and one small creamer. A half pint of milk, cow's milk hopefully. On the tray was a single hard boiled egg, one piece of greasy and quite rubbery bacon, and one piece of toast, barely browned, with a tiny pad of margarine(not butter, guess they spared no expense right).