Sarah’s footsteps were heavy, her breaths near frantic. She didn’t care where she was going but all she wanted to do was get away.
She had to get away from her parents’ constant arguments about her future. It was as if they didn’t trust her.
She didn’t want to be a lawyer or a doctor. Heck, she was 14 for God’s sake! She had time to think about her future.
Finally, she stopped and took a deep breath.
Yes, it was childish for her to run off like that and yes, it was a very bad idea. She must now return before she got … lost.
The realisation hit her like a pile of bricks. Oh, God, Sarah’s lost!
How could she have done this? She tried looking for familiar pathways but found none. It seemed like wherever she went, she got even more lost.
She ended up at the parking lot and it was there that she gave up and sat on a bench, knees up to her chest in woeful comfort.
What should she do now?
Suddenly, Sarah felt someone next to her.
‘’Hey kid, are you okay?’’ a man asked
“I’m Jared. Are you lost or something?”
She took a good look at him. He looked like a fairly decent man, quite neat, nothing out of the ordinary.
Sarah then wondered how she should answer his question. Yes, she was not okay. Yes, she was lost. But did she really want to go back?
So she talked. She spoke about her issues, her parents, how she wanted to be a designer and not have some boring high-paying career.
And he listened.
Deep down, Sarah was glad for that. It felt nice to be heard. When she was done, he looked at her with thoughtfulness in his eyes.
And he gave her his opinion, that he went through the same thing as a child, about how he regretted not pursuing his passion and that she should follow her dreams or she might never find happiness.
Her eyes sparkled and she thanked Jared for the advice.
As it was getting warmer, Jared offered to buy her some ice cream. He had seemed nothing but helpful so she followed, it was the least she could do. She felt she could trust him.
They found an ice cream truck in a fairly shaded secluded quiet area. She picked a chocolate-flavoured ice cream and ate it. She looked at Jared who was still smiling at her.
It was at this moment, she realised her mistake. She started feeling dizzy. She asked the sky above of her fate as she felt her hard fall to the ground.
As she felt herself being carried, she asked herself, whose fault this was.
‘’It was no one’s fault but yours,’’ the voice in her mind whispered.
‘’Took you long enough,’’ the ice cream man said to Jared as he placed Sarah on the back seat of the ice cream truck.
‘’Well, it took a lot of work but I guess it was worth it,’’ Jared replied, as he adjusted his seat.
“Poor kid. I could really relate to her but business is business,’’ he added. They then left the area.
And in the distance, an announcement boomed through the loudspeakers that echoed around the car park.
‘‘If anybody knows a child named Sarah Bow, please bring her to the front desk. Her parents are waiting for her.’’
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
To give the younger generation an avenue to express themselves, Twentytwo13 now has a dedicated space called Young Voices. If you are a young writer (aged between 12 and 17) and would like to have your article published on our news website, send your contribution to editor@twentytwo13.my.
All articles must be accompanied by the young writer’s full name, MyKad number, contact number, and the mobile number of the young writer’s parents/guardians for verification purposes.
