Chasing Valerie

6: Everyone's Lucky

I'm a pretty lucky guy if you ask me, lucky to be alive, to have a girlfriend, pizza on Friday nights. I'm also really lucky to end up half dead, you might think that's unlucky, but there's also bad luck you know, I'm really uh bad lucky for all the things which happen to me, so in a way everyone's lucky whether its good or bad.

That's just my way of expressing things, call it a piece of my mind.

. . .

"Eric, I know it's your birthday and all and I'm sorry but I got to go."

" Is it because mom is mad at you?"

" That's one of the reasons, i'm really sorry, but I promise I'll send you a present when you turn seven."

"Okay dad, will it be my own chess board, mom promised to buy ine when I won the school competition but she never did."

"Maybe, Eric I have to leave now okay."

"Bye Dad."

. . .

I wake up. Everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours is a sad blur. I notice three things, one I'm not in my own bed or Valerie's, two I'm not breathing, at least not on my own and three something is very wrong.

Some woman in a white uniform and squeaky shoes enters the room, even though I'm sure that I've never seen her before in my life, she smiles real big when she sees me. "I see you're awake, that's good." I'm only able to make a small noise which kinda served as a yes. My mind is still too foggy to understand where I am and how I even got there.

I'm still lost in my thoughts when I see my mom come into the room. This time I have enough strength to speak properly. "Mom, what happened?" She doesn't respond until she's seated on a small stool next to the bed. "Our house, everything burnt down." her voice is cracked and its easy to tell she's trying really hard not to cry. "It's all my fault and I let you get burnt too. I'm so sorry Eric." then she starts crying.

Suddenly I'm aware of every pain and discomfort in my body." Mom, are we in a hospital?" It's pretty obvious now, but I still want to make sure. "Yes but now they'll take me from you." What does she mean no ones taking me anywhere any more than I already have. I need someone to explain everything cuz my mom is clearly in no shape to do so.

"Mom please come back later."

"No Erico, don't you understand, those social service people, you've been in an accident because of me. They'll take you all the way to Mexico to be with your dad."

"Dad is alive?"

"Yes bu-"

"What the fuck mom!"

"Langua-"

"Why are you even fucking talking to me now mom you know what I will go with Dad, but don't expect me back when I'm 18."

"Eric, listen you have 2nd degree burns all over the left side of your body, you're not even breathing on your own. You're not going any where any time soon!"

"Okay, don't come back here though."

"Fine."

When she left, the world suddenly seemed a lot brighter. Even though I am confined to a bed probably for the next few weeks, how ever long it takes to heal.

Someone else walked into the room and I swear my heart skipped three beats.