What Took You So Long



Beep… Beep…Beep. My alarm goes off. Great, it is Monday again. Beep…Beep…Be. It goes off once more, then with a SLAM! It is no longer singing. I get up rapidly.

“MOM!” I yell in fright.
“You could sleep through a decade if you wanted to,” she snaps at me, “I do not want to be the one to turn your alarm clock off for the rest of your life. Start being responsible Lucas.”
Its either I get up now or face the consequences later.
I’m up. My mother walks back into my room 10 minutes later thinking I would be doing round 2 of my snoozing.
“You see, I am responsible,” I tease her.
By this time I am already dressed. Besides basketball, my other talent would definitely be the Worlds Quickest Dresser. 7:50, I glanced at the clock.
“S***,” I moan. Late again. I run into the kitchen, grab my car keys, a bottle of water, and race to my car. While I am about to pull out of my parking spot, a book in the passenger seat reminds me that I have left my book bag on my desk. Nice.
****
“Nice of you to join us today Mr. Daley.” My math teacher already starts to annoy me.
“Long story,” I whispered.
****
The day goes by quickly. Thank you Lord. I get to my favorite part of the day, Basketball Practice. Stella, my best friend in the entire world has already met me at the gym with my duffle bag.
“You left this in History class Lucas,” She laughs and her smile is all I can stare at.
“You seriously are amazing,” I tell her gratefully.
“You think?” She teases.
Allow me to tell you a few things about Stella Anderson. Stella Anderson has been my best friend since 2000. She is the most beautiful girl I know. She is the most independent, intelligent, and supportive person alive. I have been there for her for as long as I can remember and she has always been by my side. She has this beautiful long light brown hair, with these shining hazel eyes that can make any one fall in love with her, and she has the body of a goddess. OH! I can’t forget about her personality either, that too is awesome. If I had one negative thing to say about Stella, it would be that she is in love with an asshole that goes by the name Emilio. Stella has not only been my best friend but the love of my life. I have loved Stella for as long as I known her. The problem with me is that I will never tell her.
Ever.
****
6 months later
“Sir, I just need a few more months, I beg you! Please!”
My mother gets off the phone. The look on her face is nowhere near elated. I think I know what this is about; I’m just trying to make myself believe it isn’t true.
Let me take you back: My mother was laid off her job six months ago; she worked as an elementary school teacher. My dad was fired because they had found someone young to replace him. Ever since the loss of my parents jobs things have been so difficult. We have been putting up with things the best we can.
My mother walks into the living room; of course she’s wearing that hideous cat sweater her mom gave her when she was like 20. She sits on the couch.
“How long do we have Jillian?” My dad asks rubbing my mother’s shoulders.
“Two days Will, two damn days,” She begins to cry. I walk over to the couch and give her a hug for comfort. I’m shivering and I think she notices it.
“Mom, what do you mean two days?” I’m trying so hard not to believe it. I close my eyes.
I knew we were behind with our rent. Maybe two, three, four, or yeah six months but I didn’t expect it to escalate this far.
“They’re kicking us out Lucas, that’s what,” She leaves the room. My dad slowly walks towards my direction. I try not to stare at him, but I can tell he is clenching his jaw, and his white face looks paler then it already is. “Hey son, when you finish up that math homework of yours, can you grab some boxes from the closet and begin to pack up your belongings?” He walks out quickly, thinking I didn’t notice a couple of tears. This is the first time I realized true men do cry.
I’m glaring at the clock. 8:30pm. I look down at the blank sheet of math homework in front of me. I don’t want to finish this. I don’t want to leave. This is when I start to get frustrated. Why us? What did we ever do wrong? Everything was coming together somehow. As my thoughts eat me alive, a list of questions start to circulate my brain almost to a point where I’m choked out.
Where am I going to stay? Why did this happen to us? What is my mom doing at this very moment? But lastly, what do I tell Stella? Or do I even tell her? I didn’t have to think about that. NO. The answer was a flat out no.
****
The day was finally here, my dad has shipped off about 20 boxes to the Salvation Army the day before leaving us with one box each full of clothes and pictures we thought were important to keep. School was the last thing on my mind, I knew I would be absent for a while. Stella knows nothing about this situation and I think it is better that way.
****
We have no relatives in the United States therefore we have nobody but us. We make a trip down to every shelter near us. Just our luck, some were all women shelters and that doesn’t benefit my father and me at all. Others would only take women and children. Therefore we decided to hit the streets. That night it was us against the harsh winds of New York. As we slept under a bridge where the only heat provided was the ones of our bodies. Stella on my mind as always. The word homeless then popped into my head, that’s when I realized that’s what I was. I in fact was homeless but better yet, hopeless. I had nobody, I was alone. Expect for my family of course. I start to think about America and how many people wander the streets looking for a home since they were 5 or some 17. I start to think about how shelters are overcrowded and how America should really do something about this. I start to reflect on my past experience with the homeless. Too bad I’ve never acknowledged one. That’s me now. Do people walk past me and not know who I am?
“Are you all alright?” That was the phrase we heard from my father for the next week. I close my eyes until they can’t open anymore.
****
1 week later
“It really is hard for me to be mad at you right now Lucas.”
That voice, I must be dreaming. I feel a sudden warmth pressed against my body.
“Can you wake up? Please?” The voice is in my ear now.
I’m up, “What the hell, how did you find me?”
It’s Stella, she’s found me and I have no idea how and why. My parents are awake and conversing with Stella’s parents.
I stand. “Emilio left me, so I needed someone to vent to, you didn’t answer your phone so I walked to your house.”
Oh how I love hearing about Emilio the asshole.
“You walked?”
“Once I saw it wasn’t you who answered the door, I knew something was up” She said.
“Then what?” I was so curious.
“That doesn’t matter, what does matter is that I’m here and you need to be taken care of.” She puts her hand on my shoulder. I want to tell her there, I want to tell her the way I really feel about her. I want to kiss her, but I don’t.
“Stella, thank you, I… I…” I’m stuck.
“Hush, come on you must be freezing.”
She takes me to her car, this is so embarrassing. What kind of MAN sleeps in the street, how cool do I look now. I can’t believe Stella saw me like this. This is what is going through my head as I fall asleep on the ride to her house.
****
I am finally all cleaned up and well fed. I have never said that so gratefully. Luckily Stella and her family has let my family stay in her house for as long as we want and until we get completely recovered. I tell Stella all that happened and she tells me all that happened with Emilio the asshole.
She continues,
“He was just so rude to me and disrespectful! One time he even…”
“Stella!” Holy crap, I had cut her off. Oh no, Lucas what has gotten into you.
I move closer to her on the couch, she doesn’t move away so I think that’s a good sign. “What is it?” She asks.
I kiss her. A sharp instinct just led me to it. As if I wasn’t in control of my body. I felt so stupid after. She kisses me back. Another good sign right? “Lucas why?” She’s teary.
This is my chance. “10 years is enough. I am tired of holding my true feelings. 10 years of being with you but not WITH YOU has been killing me. I love you Stella, I’ve always have and if you don’t feel the same then that’s fine! I just needed to get that off my chest.” I’m out of breath; I throw my hands over my face. What have I done? “Stella, I’m so sorr…” She cuts me off.
She takes my hands and whispers these sweet words into my ear:
“What took you so long?”