Anthony Derschon

Left Behind

When the big man and nice lady picked me up from school, she said that my grandpa couldn't come to pick me up. I was nervous cuz Papa always picks me up after school. He would carry me on his shoulders into the gas station every day for a soda pop on our way home, and I would tell him all about my day as I tugged at his bushy white beard. It always felt super rough in my hands. We would go home and he would tell me stories of his adventures from his little black book. There wasn't anything on the front of it and he would never let me look inside. But he always had so many long stories about magical adventures, I figured it was magic too. There was no other explanation. I asked the nice lady why my Papa wasn't here, but all she would say is "He just couldn't be here right now." and put on a plastic Barbie smile. Her eyes did not carry the same energy though, they seemed dull or shallow. The big man was driving us somewhere now and he hasn't said a word at all the whole time. Maybe he was mad that he had to pick me up today. Maybe it would just be better for all of us if my Papa just picked me up.