Shayn Todd
Hello everyone. My name is Shayn Todd. I am twenty nine years old. I just moved into Wilshire Tower, apartment #1007. I use to live in Virginia, but the reason for my move is a long story.
Everyday, my ex-wife would tell me how i needed to get a job. We had our own apartment together but when I lost my job, she was left paying the rent. I would always tell her how much I loved her and how I would go out and find a job. Then I would be able to take care of her the way it should be; that was until I became accustom to staying at home and not having to work. I would always say that I went to look for a job but no one was hiring. I fell in love with the way I was living. I didn't have to wake up and go to work every morning, I had unlimited time to do whatever I wanted, and I had a home to live in. Life was great.
This went on for about a year until my wife decided she would not take it anymore. One day I decided to go to the bar with a couple of my friends to watch the game. When I returned back to the apartment, I noticed that my wife's car was not in the parking lot. I walked into the apartment to find a letter taped to the refrigerator. The letter read, "Dear Shayn, I really love you with all of my heart but I cannot continue to live this life. You don't have a job and you just go out with your friends all the time. I need someone that will be there for me, someone that would be able to provide for me and the family that I plan to have. I am so sorry that I am leaving you, I just know that it is something that I have to do. I hope you have a great life. Love, Jennifer. P.S. Please don't come looking for me. After reading that my heart immediately dropped. I began to cry and lay in devastation. About two or three hours later, I realized that crying was not going to do anything for me. I needed to do something with my life. I called my mother and told her what happened. I asked her if I would be able to stay with her until I found a job and a place to stay. She said that if I found a place to stay, she would pay first and last month's rent. My mother lives nearby but, but Wilshire Towers is the closest, most affordable place I could find. That is how I ended up in Wilshire Towers.
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High Up
ReplyDeleteTonight, Amber and Marge say, "Kaiya, we're taking you to the carnival down the street."
Mrs. and Mr. James used to take me to the carnivals in England. I remember the bumper cars - Mrs. James and I in one car chasing Mr. James in vicious attempt. The giant stuffed bears, gorillas, and ducks Mr. James would win for me hitting glass bottles and shooting water guns. The apple-green cotton candy and delicious roasted turkey legs. And most of all, I remember riding the porcelain-like ponies on the merry-go-round. The dwindling xylophone music ringing from the speakers above. The loud, laughing children surrounding me, but I stayed shy, quiet, encompassing the details around me. Mrs. James waved to me with her bright blonde smile every time I faced her in the cycle. The merry-go-round was my favorite part.
Tonight is different, though. Amber and Marge have put me in a ridiculous rain suit. "Oh, don't fuss, Kaiya," they say as I pull at the ugly piss yellow material. "It's pouring down. Let's not get sick." I don't see them in this kind of monstrosity.
Tonight, we walk to the carnival down the street. I look up at Amber and Marge in disgust because of the immense lack of rain.
We arrive. The carnival is greyer than the sky. There is a tall ferris wheel on my right, probably half the height of our building. The colored bulbs on the wheel have dimmed from use, I suppose. Bumber cars on my left, scratched and beat up. A haunted house - not going in there. No merry-go-round. This carnival seems much smaller than the ones in England.
"Here, Kaiya, some tickets," says Amber. I take them in my hands. They leave me.
"Well, where should we go first, dahling?" I asked myself, just as Mrs. James would have if she were here. She would place our tickets in her breastpocket. She would hold my hand tight so as not to lose me in the crowd. "How about the ferris wheel, Mrs. James?" I pretend that we are together tonight, and that we are at the English carnivals.
Mrs. James and I walk in our patient way over to the colossal structure. Colossal . She taught me that word. Probably most of the English words I know, actually. We meet the friendly ticketman at the ride entrance.
"Two tickets each, ladies," he says. "Have a nice ride."
Mrs. James and I carefully mount the seat before us. I am scared all over again. "Don't be scared, my little Kaiya," she says. "I would never let you fall." I smile and sit beside her. The ticketman starts the ride. Mrs. James and I soar over beautiful, sunny England. "Look, it's our house, Kaiya. Do you see it?"
"Yes," I laugh. I am not scared anymore.
"KAIYA! Wow! You're so high up!"
It's Marge. I look down to see her with her arm around an awkward man. He must be Shayn Todd, Marge's new "flame." She said, "Well, he's just had a bad break up so I decided why not have a night out with him to make him feel better." That's why we're here, of course. Although, I wouldn't say her plan is working. Shayn looks a bit unneasy, but he waves at me. I wave back with my deepest sympathy.
Suddenly, Mrs. James disappears like a ghost.
I hate Marge.
THE SET EM UP CARNIVAL
ReplyDeleteI can't quite understand why someone would set up a carnival in this rundown town, especially with this type of weather. I am inside of the laundromat and still have to wear some type of sweater of jacket.
This weather is soooo freaking annoying. I don't understand why my dad would live here. He is from the islands where its always hot and complains anytime the weather gets below 70. Now why in the world would he want to be here. There hasn't been a nice day yet. Why am I here.
OMG!!! Sirens. What the hell happened. I hope its nothing too serious. I walk outside to see where the fire truck is going. OH WOW. That old abandon warehouse caught on fire. I look at my watch. It is only 2:33. In the afternoon. Now what could have possibly happened up there this early in the day. Maybe some idiot went up to get high and fell asleep and it caught on fire. Oh well. I could care less. Not my problem.
I go back inside the laundromat, and realize that no one is going to come in to wash clothes, so I decide to close up. These people are so frickin nasty. Nobody washes clothes and I know they don't have any washer machines of their own in this broke down ruins they call a town.
As I walk out the laundromat, someone bumps into me. I've never seen this person before, but they seem lonely. He walks pass me and heads towards the carnival. I don't know what he is going to do there, but I am curious. So I head towards the carnival also. As I walk over, I see him head towards the ferris wheel. Someone near yells for him and I find out his name is Shayn. Cool...
I continue to walk around and view people since I don't want to feel like a stalker. I pass by the stand where you throw balls at a set up of bottles and see this army looking man trucking balls like its nothing. And all the while he is yelling commands like he is about to go to war. I get close enough to see his name is Lt. Rocco Stone. Before I realize it, he is staring me straight in the eye as if he knows me.
That's when it hits me...One of the guys my dad encountered here was never given a name. Just initials. LT. R.S. is this guy. And he must be staring because I look so much like my dad.
Hold one hot minute. Why is it that my dad only had encounters with guys. The few women were given names and the guys weren't... Could he have possibly been...
I turn quickly and walk far away and decide I need to find out why he died and what he was here for.