I turn over and look at the clock on my nightstand, it reads 6:30am. I lay on my back to stare at the ceiling. I have to get use to not having to get up so early in the morning. About this time at the rehab center we are getting up to get our vitals checked and around 7am breakfast is served, sometimes it's 7:15am depending on who cooperates and who does not. I can hear foot steps going down the stairs, I get up and peek out my room door to see my father tip-toeing around the hallway and going down the stairs. I decide to follow behind him silently and we end up in the backyard.
"How long are you going to follow me, Nubia?" He says without turning around.
I stop in my tracks. How did he know I was following him? "What gave it away?"
"I can hear you sigh." He turns around. "So why are you following me?"
"I just wanted to see what you were doing up so early." I look down at the slightly wet and cold blades of grass underneath my bare feet.
"You could have just asked instead of being sneaky, Nubia. Did you sneak around at the rehab center?" He eyes me with a hint of seriousness.
"Sometimes. It was when the nurses wouldn't let us go outside because one person would mess it up for us. I figured that I was a good patient, so I and a few other teenagers would sneak out, just for some fresh air. That manufactured air they had us breathing in that place, could make a person go crazy. The same smell every single day, no change or anything." I found myself confessing to my father and I would hope that he would understand.
He laughs uproariously his head back and chest bouncing up and down. It turns to a chuckle as he wipes a pretend tear from his eye, "You are my daughter. If you must know, I am going on my morning run and if you want you can join me. But, you have to put some shoes on."
I grin and sprint to my room, put my shoes on, and sprint back to where my father is. Panting, my father laughs at me, "I wasn't going to leave you, Nubia."
"Oh." I sigh. "I didn't know."
We begin to jog and my father makes light conversation but we never really talk about what needs to be talked about. He asks me about rehab and the friends I have made. I tell him more than he needs to know. With the light conversation killing me, I go ahead, "Why did you guys have to trick me into going to that place?"
His jog slows. "Would you have gone willingly?"
I think about it. "No."
"Would you have admitted that you have an issue?"
"No."
"That's why we did what we did. We didn't mean to deceive you like that, but we didn't know how else to change the situation."
We start walking. "I can understand that, dad. I just wish that you guys did it a different way than tricking me."
"Your mother and I spoke about it a few days after we got you there. But, we didn't think you would be open to the idea of going to the rehab center."
He is right. I wouldn't be open to it because I felt like there was nothing wrong with me. But, I guess what I can't see others can. "Well, I am glad that you guys made me go despite how it went down. I am just happy to be better." My smile is genuine.
He grins. "I am too. Last one home is a rotten egg." He takes off running.
"HEY! You got a head start!" I am sprinting after him and pass him. We are both laughing and panting trying to beat the other home. No one wants to be a rotten egg.
After beating my dad back to the house, I grab a shower and meet my family downstairs for breakfast.
"How was the morning run with your dad, Nubia?" My mom ask placing a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes in front of me.
"It was good. At the center, we didn't really get to do much running around. We did more sit down activities, but I guess it depended on your behavior level." I pick my up fork and dig into the eggs first.
"See, Nubia." Zadia points her fork at me. "You are already getting back into the swing of things."
"I guess I am." I look for Zakia and she is nowhere to be found at the table.
"Zakia is still in her room. I am not sure why, but she is."
"She is always in her room, mom. She only comes out to eat and use to barhroom." Zadia says.
"Now, leave your sister alone and eat your food." Mom demands.
Zadia hums and does as she is told. I look upstairs and wonder if Zakia is okay. "I can take her a plate." I offer.
"Great idea." Mom fixes Zakia a plate and hands it to me along with a glass of orange juice. "Be careful."
I steady the plate and glass as I nod. I walk up the stairs carefully. I place the drink in the crook of my arm and knock on her door. Zakia opens the door and I smile. "Breakfast?"
"I am not hungry." She looks down.
"Why not?"
She shrugs her shoulders. "Just not."
"Well, can I come in?"
"Yeah."
I mosey in her room, noting the sad look on her face. I place the plate on the edge of the desk. She closes the door and walks over to her desk and sits down.
"Zakia, what's wrong?"
"I am not too fond of going back to school this semester. All of those kids have some kind of talent and I don't."
"I am sure you do, Zakia. You just have to find it."
Zakia sighs, "No, I have nothing. You can run like Forrest Gump and Zadia can draw like the anime things. I can't do anything."
"Yes, you can. I know you can. You can do a lot of things. You can double dutch real good, you can sing, you can step. You can do a lot."
I can see the look of disappointment on her face. I can tell she is not really buying what I am telling her. Maybe she had already had this conversation with mom and dad.
"Have you spoken to mom and dad about this?"
She slightly shakes her head. "I want to really tell them I want to go to a public school instead. But they don't want to hear that from me. I know they don't."
I can't imagine them not wanting the best for us.
"I think I just wanna be alone for a while. I need to think. Thanks for the food, Nubia."
I respect her wishes and leave her be. I do wonder if it is really because she has no talent or if it is a different matter as to why she does not want to go back. Whatever it is. I hope it gets better for her.
ns 15.158.61.23da2
