When They Found Out
Gabe Lawrence
By Elena Ridgeway
spunkie_2003@yahoo.com

I go to bed around 8 every night and wake up around 8 every morning. My son says it's healthy to get sleep and keep a routine. I guess he's right.

Valentine's Day was depressing. No one to celebrate with. I watched re-runs on tv all day. Then I went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I found my son on the phone. He held his hand up to let me know not to disturb him. I went and sat on the couch, clicking on the TV. I saw a familiar building. It was the hospital, where I had worked. I don't remember it's name. But I know what it looks like. They said two people had been stabbed. I was shocked. I hoped it wasn't Kerry Weaver: she was a good kid. I also hoped it wasn't that bald guy, Greene, I think. He looked like he had been through enough. They took forever before they said the names. Lucy Knight. I couldn't put a face with the name, but I knew it. I think she had pigtails or something. Blond pigtails. Then they said she had died. That was sad, because I remember she was young. The other name was John Carter. I remember he was a nice young man, who gave me hockey tickets. He had woman problems. I hoped that the woman came and helped him. Because he would need help.

It's really sad that people I know are sick. I hate it when that happens. I flipped the channels and continued watching re-runs. My son asked me what I thought of the whole thing, and I was half-way through explaining Gilligan when he told me he wanted to know about what had happened where I used to work. I told him for the thousandth time I forgave them for firing me, and he stopped asking. Then I remembered and said it was sad.

"Yeah dad. It is sad."