The Day I Ran Away

I had always feared being stuck. Being paralyzed. So immobile you

couldn’t move or talk. I also feared being left behind. Being abandoned. I
was so afraid of it; That I didn’t think about the past at all, or go over
what had happened in that particular moment. Thus, I had a lot of
memory gaps. I was named Bethany True; even though I hated it. I was
sixteen when this incident took place. I used to live in the UAE with my
four brothers and parents. I had no idea where my older brother was or
how he was doing. All I knew was, he had gone away when I was 14. My
younger brother was away in a cadet school, becoming an army officer.
My other younger brothers and I used to go to school. But I didn’t want
to be here anymore. You see, my family was this messed up one. After
my brother went away, my mom has not been all that good. I mean she
was never great, but then her temper became even more dangerous than
it already was. She was always on edge. My dad worked from dawn till
midnight. I admired him for that and I still do, but his temper was not
that good either. My younger brothers got whatever they asked for while
I got treated like garbage. It was their belief that it had been my fault that
my older brother had run away from home. So, I kept to myself and did
whatever I could to steer clear of my parents and brothers. I used to do a
lot of things to get some bucks. I made jewelry with paper, wire and
beads, I baked, I even did other kids’ assignments: apart from all this I
painted and sketched. I always studied very hard and I scored excellent
marks. I used to spend a lot of time online trying to get hold of as many
scholarships as I could in countries like the USA or Canada. I was very
successful at that. Being smart and able to do multiple things really gets
you anywhere. I know you’ll be thinking why couldn’t I just get a
scholarship in UAE. It’s like I said before, I was afraid to be stuck and left
behind. I had gotten a few scholarships and I rigged up enough money
to afford me a one-way ticket to Washington D.C. Only thing is I had to
escape. Run away and disappear like my older brother. Be Free. I know
you’re thinking I’m insane to even think about that. But I had decided a
long time ago. I was gonna go away, live on my own in a place I barely
knew, See people I didn’t know but that couldn’t stop me. I was probably
gonna end up on the streets maybe begging, maybe working my ass off
but I didn’t care about the risk if it got me out of there. It was worth it.
The following day, I went and bought my ticket. My flight was for three
in the morning, which meant I’d had to run away at midnight. That day,
my parents and brother were out and I grabbed that opportunity to pack
up my stuff. At first, I wasn’t sure what to pack, so I just grabbed some t-
shirts, a few pants, a pair of pajamas, some sweaters and hoodies, two
winter and summer caps, my pair of glasses and sunglasses, two coats,
some sneakers and a pair of sandals. I also got the money I had left, it
wasn’t much but I was gonna need it. I packed all this in one suitcase. I
got another from mom’s cupboard and carefully packed my paintings,
brushes, paint and all that stuff including some camping gear, my craft
and bake supplies, some of my photography equipment and all of my
writing stuff (I had some songs, poetry and stories written ). I packed
most of my books too. I also packed my laptop, my camera and a few
things like that along with some snacks and water bottles in my
backpack. I even packed a cushion and a small blanket. I kept these along
with my guitar case under the bed in the room where no one used to
sleep,( we all slept in the same room).
That evening I went to bed at 8 and I woke up at exactly 11:30. I sneaked
out of the room; my mom and dad were sound asleep. I took a shower
and wore a lot of clothes. A vest top with a t-shirt and a hoodie, a black
jeans with black boots. Everything I wore was black, even the coat that I
wore on top and the hat with sunglasses. I must have looked comical but
I was pretty recognizable with my short pixie hair and blue contacts. My
heart thudding, I took my bags, called a cab, opened the door with my
spare key, stepped out and locked it. I thought I would keep the key with
me. As I walked out of the apartment building; I didn’t dare look back. A
tear clung to my eyelash but I didn’t let it drop. I wasn’t gonna cry for
being free at last. I was gonna go away for good. I was free and was never
coming back. With those thoughts, I dropped the key in a drainage hole,
put my suitcases in the cab’s hood and got in. I turned in the back of the
cab for one last look, at the prison I had called home for 16 years. The
cab drove into the night and after turning a corner the building had
disappeared from view.

➔ Bushra Nadeem