Left Behind

LEFT BEHIND

BATHROOM STALL BY TIM EVANSON  CREATIVE COMMONS   WWW.FLICKR.COM

      The marble walls boxed me in and the black and white floor tiles made me dizzy. I leaned  over and pressed my chubby cheek  against the cool marble.  To keep from falling into the water I had to wiggle forward constantly since my feet didn't touch the floor.  Bright light from a corner window  peeped over the stall door and made me shut my eyes.

    Weary from exhaustion I let my sweaty head fall into my wadded up dress and scratchy petticoat in my lap. When it got quiet I realized I was alone. I jumped up, pulled up my panties and pushed down the metal handle. The thunderous flush echoed off the walls of the century old restroom as if scolding me for my pokiness. Surely, my class was waiting for me in the hall.  I turned on the faucet and waved my hands through the water. On the way to the exit I used my dress as a  towel.

   I peeped out the restroom door and looked down the hall.

It was long and empty. No students. No teacher. No noise, No

clue as to which way they went.

   How could they leave me behind?

I held back my tears while fear lodged in my throat.

I coughed loudly but nobody heard me. The water fountain

took care of my dry throat but not my ego. 

Somebody will surely miss the quiet girl in the pretty turquoise dress…wouldn’t they?
    

Nobody hardly noticed me so  how  would they remember me? I hadn't spoken a word to anyone. I didn’t know what to say to one person let alone so many.  Maybe my teacher, Miss Hope, was mad at me. I should have obeyed her and sat on the floor during the Tiskit a Tasket game. But, my Mommy told me to not sit on the floor and get my dress dirty.

      I turned around and saw the sun rays coming through the open doors that exited to the playground. That’s when I figured it out. School was over! Everyone had gone home. I looked further away and noticed something familiar.  The buildings were fuzzy but one of them stood out. It looked like my dark red brick apartment building.

4005 LENOX APARTMENTS IN OAKLEY ON THIRD FLOOR PHOTO BY KATHY STORRIE 7-27-14

     Like a big girl I walked out the doors and I didn’t look back. Walking home alone didn’t feel right.  I remembered Mommy had picked me up yesterday. I couldn’t stop my determined feet from going home.

ALCOVE INTO LENOX APARTMENT  OAKLEY, CINCINNATI  PHOTO BY KATHY STORRIE

     I forgot how dark and scary it was in the hallway entrance of our apartment building. To make sure nobody was hiding under the staircase I waited by the mailboxes to let my eyes focus.  When it looked safe I ran down the hall and up the steps to the second floor.

APARTMENT HALLWAY ON FIRST FLOOR     PHOTO BY KATHY STORRIE  7-26-14

Is this my floor I wondered? I looked at the door on the right. It was different from my door. I looked up the second set of steps to the third floor.  It looked familiar. After the climb I banged on the third floor door on the right because this was my door. I don’t know how I knew it was my door but it was.

     Mommy opened door wide and I sheepishly walked in.  While she talked on the phone in the living room I stayed in the kitchen.  Pollyanna paced on her perch inside her cage excited to see me.  I opened the door and she jumped on my waiting finger and started talking gibberish. My mommy asked somebody on the phone if she should send me back to school.

I cringed and listened.  When I heard her say she wouldn't bring me back until tomorrow I smiled and kissed Pollyann on her soft head. I crept into the living room and put the yellow parakeet on the window sill. She walked over to the five Crayola crayons I left for her.  One by one she picked them up in her thick beak.  She carried each one to the edge of the window sill and dropped them over the side.

      Mommy and me couldn't wait to see the way the bird turned her head sideways to watch the crayon roll across the linoleum floor. That little bird cracked us up everyday with her feistiness and fussing at my Daddy's toes sticking out from under the sheet.  One time we forgot the window was open and she flew out. My mom opened the window all the way and leaned out so she could see her. Mommy called and called for her to come back. We watched Pollyanna fly around in two big circles and then she flew back through our window. Mommy shut the window with a sigh of relief.

      “Kathy, I was talking to your Principal, Mr. Martin, when you got home. He said everyone was looking for you at school. Why did you leave school before it was out?”

     "Mommy, my class left me while  I was still in the bathroom.”

     “You couldn’t find your classroom?” Mommy asked

     “I didn’t know where my room was. I waited but nobody came back.”

     “How did you find your way home?”

     “There were open doors right by the restroom. I looked out and saw our apartment and walked home.”

     “So you looked both ways before you crossed the street?”

     “Yep! Just like you teached me.”

     “Good girl!” She smiled.

One day in the near future hundreds of millions of people are

going to disappear off the face of the earth. Only those who

believe in the Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will be raptured

or “caught up” to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air

and forever be with Him.

This will cause much fear and chaos on the earth for the

people who are left behind.  It will be a sign to the world that

the worst time on earth has started.

Now is the time to repent of your sin and receive Jesus

Christ  as your  personal Savior so you won't be left behind .