It's My Perfect World

I gasp for air as I walk up to the spot where their house is supposed to be. It’s gone, as if it vanished into thin air. Where would they be if not in their house?

The tumbleweed blew across the parking lot of what once was a Walmart. The “W” was barely hanging on by a single wire. Walking under it could prove fatal. Everything is dangerous now. You cannot walk down a street or if you can find one well preserved, a sidewalk, without running into some sort of trouble.

I’m looking for my daughter and grandchildren. They live in San Diego, CA it’s a long way from where I live in Scottsdale, AZ which is now completely destroyed. The Earth fought back, hard. Our poor treatment of the Earth has made us the enemy. We are the parasites on the face of the Earth and the medicine to wipe us out has been administered. In a matter of time, humans will no longer occupy the world, and I believe that is the right thing to happen.

Tornadoes, volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, every natural disaster possible, formed an Earthly army which simultaneously instilled havoc all over the world. Animals stampeded into towns, attacking anyone they saw. People hid in their closets and basements, fled to shelters. They tried everything they could to escape Earth’s vengeful wrath. The police were overrun, most were murdered in cold blood. Once the panic ensued, riots and looting overtook every city in America. I cannot imagine what was going on in the rest of the world.

I’ve made it through one-third of my journey to reunite with my family. The desert is hot, and global warming has not done it any favors. There are no running cars anymore. And even if there were, most gas stations have been blown up. I walk mostly at night and sleep in the day. The desert sun will cook you alive, I wouldn’t make it very far. Finding water has become very hard. Many in this area have died of either dehydration or heat stroke. You have to be very careful walking at night. The animals are still on guard, and the survivors will hassle, torture, rape, and murder anyone they come across. I keep to the shadows, they are my dark protectors. Hiding me from the certain danger that lurks in the cool desert night.

Yuma. There’s a prison here. The only thing I can hope, is none of the inmates survived this long. There’s no one here to protect me anymore. I’m in my late forties, no longer a spring chicken. I had my daughter, Crystal, very young. In turn, she married and had her children young. The twins Angelina and Isabella, my grandchildren, just had their fourth birthday. Right before it became Hell on Earth. The girls are beautiful, with bright blue eyes, curly long blonde hair, that they never let Crystal brush. I call it mother’s karma. You curse your child to have a child just as they were for you. My daughter, got two who are quite a handful. With her husband, David, on the road for work several months out of the year, Crystal is often alone in raising these two little girls. She calls me at least once a month to come stay with her for a few days. “Mother, Angel is eating crayons, will it hurt her?”, “Bella fell off her chair and has a huge gash on her forehead, what should I do?” There is no manual for raising children, you learn as you go.

As I walk, I look up and see a shooting star. I am reminded of the time we caught Isabella singing in her room, with only a diaper on. We called her our budding star. She is going to be a famous singer one day. Angelina, our Angel, sat in the corner of the room with her favorite book. She can’t read yet, but she sure loves looking at all the pictures while she pretends to read. Those beautiful little girls brighten my life. For mother’s day, I gave Crystal a gold heart locket with pictures of our little angels inside. She cried as she put it around her neck, “I’ll never take it off” she said as she smiled through her tears.

It’s the thought of being reunited with my three beautiful girls that drives me. It’s what gets me through the desert, it keeps me careful, keeps me safe. There is no force on this Earth able to keep me from them. If I lose my feet and have to crawl the rest of the way, so be it. Just as long as I get there.

Crystal had a hard pregnancy with the girls. Carrying twins automatically makes the pregnancy harder. On top of the fact that Crystal is small boned and acquired gestational diabetes. She spent several days at doctor’s offices and hospitals getting test done. She ended up having a C-Section because her frame was too small. But she did it. She gave birth to two healthy, full-term twin baby girls. She just wanted to hold them all the time, but the nurse kept telling her she needed to rest and took the girls back to the hospital nursery. Ever since I can remember, Crystal wanted to be a mother. Even playing with her dolls as a young child, she was their mommy. She changed their diapers, fed them, rocked them, and sang to them. She is a natural born mother and I couldn’t be prouder of the responsible young woman she has become.

At one of our regular weekly shopping trips, she asked me if I think she made a mistake, as she held up the loveliest A-line dress. It was a perfect summer yellow color and made of pure linen. She always had to have top-of-the-line. Just after finishing college, and obtaining a Bachelor’s in Nursing, she married David. She missed working, and never had the chance to be a nurse. She’s a loving, caring person who has a desire to help people. She wants to help the ill feel more comfortable while in a habitually uncomfortable hospital. I told her that her calling is to be a mother. She’s only twenty-six, and has plenty of time to help people when the girls are school-aged. That was before. Now, no one knows what is to come of the human race.

“Welcome to San Diego...America’s Finest” says the sign laying on the ground. I made it. I only have another mile to her house. David is a regional manager for Embassy Suites in the California area. He has plenty of money, buys my daughter anything she wants. But is not very supportive. He often travels on business and leaves her and the girls for a week at a time. I make sure not to be too far away. My girls need me. And they need me now more than ever.

I look down in the dirt at something shining in the bright noon sun. As I pick it up, I realize what it is. As I open the gold heart, I burst into tears. Inside I see the picture of my two, sweet, innocent granddaughters. Their hair finely brushed to the side, matching barrettes to finish the style.

“Grandma!!” I hear from behind. Am I delusional? Am I hearing my little angels, just because I want to, need to? I take a deep breath and turn around. I see both my granddaughters running up to me with their arms wide open. My daughter and son-in-law following behind. I scoop my babies into my arms. Whatever happens in the world doesn’t matter. My world is perfect.