After-School Alarm

Eleven.

"I'm here to pick you up. Let's go...for a walk."

She practically dragged me off the school grounds. It was clear I had no choice, as well as no idea what was going on. She didn't say a word the whole time. We walked for nearly 20 minutes, passing building after building, until we finally stopped. I looked up to find that we were standing in front of the police station.

"Why are we at the police station?"

"I was told to bring you here. Go inside."

Auntie shoved me through the door. It was a small police station. There was a small desk near the door which was currently being occupied by one lone officer. There were stacks of papers everywhere. To his left, towards the back of the station, two cells--one empty, one not. The person in the cell was hunched over and crying.

"Ah, you must be Kim. I've been expecting you," said the officer.

He gestured for me to take the seat in front of him. Hesitant, I sat on the edge of the chair. Auntie sat in the only other chair, toward the back of the station.

"I'm afraid we have a little problem and only you can help us. Do you recognize her?"

I got up and walked toward the back of the station toward the woman sitting in the cell. She was still hunched over and crying. When she heard me walking toward her, she tried to hide her face. Even Auntie started to look uncomfortable. As I got closer, a dreaded feeling came over me. I knew who it was. Mother!

"We need you to call your dad and talk to him for me, okay? Your mom can't go home until he comes to get her and the only way he'll do that is if he knows that you're here, too. I'm sorry."

He waited patiently for me to respond. I looked up at him and abruptly lowered my eyes back downward when I realized he had been watching me, pity in his eyes. I could feel the hot tears threatening to form and trickle.

"What did she do? Is she in trouble?"

"Not too bad. She can go home tonight as long as your dad is willing to come right away."

"What about me?"

"It would be a good idea if you stay here until you and your mom can go home together."

I called father and told him that mother and I were at the police station. He agreed to come get us as soon as he was off from work, but I could tell that things were not going to go well. Auntie left to go home once she found out that father was coming to get us. The officer and I waited for nearly two hours until, finally, father arrived at the station. He gave me a half-hearted hug but didn't look at mother. He shook the officer's hand and they began a long discussion about mother--mostly about her problems and what needed to be done to prevent future arrests. We got in the car to go home.

"I can't believe you dragged her into this. She's only eleven!"

"If she hadn't been there with me, you would have left me there to rot!"

"And that would have served you right. You and your stupidity."

Mother started to cry again. Father let out an angry sigh and we rode the rest of the way home in silence. I sat there wondering what the real reason was that I was even born.