Broken Ankle

I was probably eight years old and it was the typical Fresno summer afternoon. I was on summer vacation and I'd been playing all day with the neighbor kids and my best friend Brandon. I was hiding in the tree house like a sniper. I had my plastic M16 that I just loved because when you pulled the trigger it made the automatic rifle noise and it was spray painted in a day glow camouflaged way. I was barefoot that day. And I remember Bill, the neighbor who lived next door came in the backyard or yelled over the fence and told me to come down. I liked Claudine and Bill the neighbors. Their house was right next door and they had a nicer house than ours. It was a brick, ranch style home with a touch of mid-century modern. The carport was always cool on the summer nights and let the breeze through. When my mom and dad would talk to them late in the evening, I remember playing out there catching June bugs and eyeballing the canned sodas for their grandkids.
I used to ride my skateboard all over that street. I was the female ambassador of that street. I was the night watchman all summer long too. Brandon and I would catch as many June bugs as we could in the evening as they swarmed under the street lamps.
That day that Bill yelled for me to come down from the tree house I didn't understand what he wanted. I didn't understand why he wanted me to go to his house. He was a tall man who always wore blue overalls, and suffered from emphysema. He was so tall he just stood above the fence and peered up at me. I came down from the tree house but I was hesitant. He said my mom and dad had left and he and Claudine were to watch me. I was confused and didn't believe him. I had the flight or fight instinct and I ran and hid in my backyard. My dogs, my faithful friends, sensed my fear and immediately barked and protected me from Bill. I hid in the corner behind the deck near the sliding glass door, and when I saw Bill, face red and angry, come around the corner huffing and puffing I ran out the side gate and headed for the sidewalk. I took off to the right, past three other houses, running like I was being chased, running like I had somewhere to go. I was running like I was going to find my parents who had mistakenly left me and forgot to tell me. Bill wasn't following so close behind. Alice and David, our other favorite neighbors just started backing out of the driveway and had to step quickly on their brakes to avoid hitting me. I had to break stride to avoid the car and barefoot I ran on further when "Snap." I felt pain and discomfort and started limping. I stopped, adrenaline kept me from feeling the pain, but I couldn't run anymore. Bill caught me and I started to cry. He took me back to his house. Claudine soaked my foot with ice packs and I sat, sweaty and disillusioned. Bill sat with his oxygen mask, tired and winded from running after me. Claudine was very upset. She spoke to my mom and I saw all their adult faces wondering where I was going? Where had I expected to end up? Was I going to find my parents? All the neighbors thought I had gone crazy.
Mom took me to the doctor that evening. I had fractured my ankle. I was sent home with a cast and crutches. My mom was questioning me more when we got home, but I hadn't any answers. She just decided instead to call everyone, family and friends, to gossip about my "episode".
I ran that day because I just felt abandoned. My sister had joined the Army not soon before this. And my other sister had a life too. Everyone was leaving me, so I felt, in my young mind. But I didn't know how to say those things. I didn't want to stay with strangers, so was running away and I broke my ankle. That was all. I just could never say it till now.