Across the Bridge

Across the Bridge - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Waking up in that bedroom was surreal. It felt safe and good, yet also too new and uncertain. I left Asa asleep and snuck into the hallway, to the bathroom. I washed my face and when I was finished, back in the hallway, I heard someone talking down the hall.

   "He was in some trouble, and in a detention centre until a month ago," the woman was saying.

   "Yes, but he's been doing great. The P.O. said he's expecting no trouble from him," a man's voice continued.

   Obviously, they were talking about my brother. I realized then that it was going to be harder than I thought for Asa to get past this. Was he always going to be the kid who had been in Juvie? Would people be able to see him as Asa, a smart, funny teenage boy and let him prove himself? 

   "Does she want to be his guardian when she turns eighteen?" the woman asked. "I mean, she'd be giving up a lot."

   I didn't wait to hear the answer because I went back into the bedroom and shut the door. What they didn't know was that I'd already given up a lot. And I'd do it again, for Asa. I would have done anything for him.

   Asa kept quiet all day, but he did as he was told. He washed dishes after the meals and sat next to me that afternoon in "group", which was the entire household sitting together, plus two social workers - Mary included. We were supposed to ask questions or talk about what we were feeling.

   I had a lot of feelings. I knew that Asa did, too. I listened as Kylie talked about how she was missing her sister, who died two years ago. She explained that her mom went crazy after her sister died, so she was taken from her and put into foster care. Maxine spoke about how she was looking forward to Christmas dinner. Peter didn't have much to say, but no one seemed to mind. They really wanted to hear from Asa and I.

   "So, how're you two feeling today?" Mary asked, smiling big.

   I took a deep breath in. "I'm good. I slept well."

   "That's good to hear. Are you worried about your mother at all?"

   "Uh, well, no," I answered slowly.

   "She's never worried about us," Asa piped up, surprising me.

   Everyone was listening, waiting. I didn't know what to say.

   "So, you're both feeling okay about being here?" Mary went on.

   Okay? We weren't okay. We were ripped away from our home, our life, our friends. We were broken. 

   "We're fine," I answered, looking at Asa. "My birthday is in a few weeks."

   "Right," Mary nodded. "We will talk more about that soon."

   I wanted to know more now. I wanted my phone. I wanted - no, needed - to tell Lex that I was here, and, well, okay. I kept thinking about Winston and how I had blindsided him by leaving the party. And not being able to call him now, I wondered if he was worried, or mad, or both.  Winston had been there for me leading up to this, and now I had no idea what was going through his head.

   I put in some laundry that evening, three loads. I half-watched a movie with Maxine and Peter, while Asa sulked in our bedroom. I tried to be okay. I wanted to be. 

   "You'll get your phone on Wednesday," Peter told me. "Not sure about your brother, though."

   "He's allowed to be mad, okay?" Things had just gotten good for him, and then this happened," I snapped.