I sat on my bed, not wanting to leave my room. I didn't want to go out there and look into the eyes of a lady who I knew was definitely not my mother.
I had been through many foster homes, and none of them seemed right. I have no idea who my real mom is, and I've been wanting to find out for years now.
"Dewford Duck, get down here now!" my 'mom' called out. "Come on, sweetheart! Today's a very special day!"
I stood up and walked downstairs. There, my 'mom' was cooking something that looked like an over-sized lollipop soaked with syrup.
Frida, as she's been called, adopted me about a month ago. She claimed to be terrific with children, but that was quickly proven wrong.
"So, Dewford, where do you want to go today?" she asked.
"Somewhere other than here," I said, rather sharply.
Frida looked at me with angry eyes.
"Don't be like that, Dewford,"she said. "I'm trying to make your life happier."
"It would be happier if I didn't have to spend it with you."
Frida turned back to her syrupy somethings and said, "Tomorrow's your 13th birthday. I thought you might want to do something special for today, since we might not be able to celebrate tomorrow."
Frida usually leaves me home alone, as she works at a fancy coffee shop downtown. I don't mind at all, really.
"We could go to that new arcade by the beach," I muttered.
"No, that might be too crowded today, Dewford," Frida said, taking a singular waffle and covering it in enough chocolate syrup to fill the fridge.
"But, I want to! I never really get to do anything fun! You're always telling me not to leave the house when you're not here, and even when you are, we never go anywhere!"
Frida sighed.
"Fine, we'll go. But, I'm only giving you five dollars, I need to save the rest of my money for something more...important."