“Lser” that stole my house key

When I was a kid, I was very attached to my dad. He would always come in to kiss me goodnight, and close my bedroom door before turning the hallway light out and going back downstairs to bed. One morning I woke up and walked out of my room to find my dad already gone to work and my mom already getting my brother ready to go. She reminded me that tomorrow was the last day of school, and we were going to the beach next week with my grandparents. I was busy being excited for my beach vacation. <br><br>I went down to the kitchen (our front door was in the kitchen) and walked out. When I was in the backyard I realized that it was too early for everyone to be gone. I walked around the house, and saw that all the blinds were closed. I walked to the front door, and saw a note. It said something like “I’m sorry -J”. I was confused and a little worried. I walked back to the kitchen, and to my surprise, the back door was unlocked. <br><br>When I walked in, I saw the note on the fridge. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but it told me how to get to my grandparents house, and where to find money if I needed it. Essentially, it said that they left me behind. I’m not sure why I didn’t call the police, but I just remember not being very clear headed. I walked through each room, just to see if anyone was still there. My room was probably the most disturbing, as there were wet sheets on the bed, and water on the floor as if the night before had never happened. All of their stuff was gone, but a television, a desk, and some random things were left. <br><br>I took a little over an hour to wander the house, but it probably felt a lot longer. I left the house, locked the front door, and walked almost a mile to the nearest intersection where I could catch a bus. I got off at my grandparents house, and walked up to the door. They were crying and my grandmother hugged me tightly while my grandfather explained that I was very “clever” but I had to understand that their house was just for a little while, and that I had to get along with the other children. I was so confused. I had no idea what they were talking about, because my dad never said anything about living with them. <br><br>They tried to calm me down, but I was just getting more and more frustrated and upset. I told them that my parents had abandoned me, and my grandmother started crying. I started crying too. My grandfather took me into his office and showed me a paper that my parents had signed. It was a foster care contract. I didn’t understand what that meant. I started screaming for my parents. Eventually my grandmother calmed me down. My grandfather left to go pick up my brother. I never saw any of them again. <br><br>I was very “clever”. I had made up a very thorough story. People don’t just disappear like that, unless they are answering. My grandfather called the police, and they started doing interviews. I think they interviewed every kid in my school. One of my teachers asked me directly if I had ever seen my parents leave in the night. The police asked me who was “J”. <br><br>My grandparents took me out of my school and put me in a different one. I got a couple new baby siblings, and my life was pretty normal. They never made a big deal about my acting out, but they just understood it was part of my trauma. <br><br>They say that sometimes brain trauma can be a blessing. I’m grateful to my “lsers” who stole my house key and taught me how to be strong.