One by One

 

Sarah went first, well before the sunset, but it wasn’t a surprise. She was sick. The sick never lasted very long.

Then it was Kevin, snatched away so quickly he didn’t even finish his beverage. It sat, half drunk and quickly warming on the table, forgotten.

Taylor and Thomas were next. It was fitting, since they rarely left each other’s sides. They were twins, after all. Fraternal, not identical, but they still seemed mostly the same to me.

There were five of us left when the sun started to set, and it was decided we should probably go inside. 

For a long time, nothing happened, then Katie had to go to the bathroom. Katie was my best friend. We both had blonde hair and blue eyes, and we were both only children, so we had a lot in common. And just like Taylor and Thomas, we rarely left each other’s sides, but Manny thought it would be safer if he went with her to the restroom. So, I stayed behind with the others in the relative security of the room.

When Manny returned, he was alone. As he walked back through the door without Katie, my heart dropped. We locked eyes, and then I looked away. He didn’t say anything to me, he didn’t need to.

Now there were just three of us left. Me, Manny, and Chaya. We sat quietly in the room, alone together. Manny was behind the desk, writing. Chaya was at the table, reading a book, or at least pretending to. And I was on the floor, with a puzzle, that just a few minutes before I had been working on putting together with Katie. I looked at the picture on the box, a horse. Katie loved horses. With a sigh I started pulling the pieces apart and putting them away. There was no point in finishing it now.

I was trying to shove the puzzle box back on the overcrowded shelf when there was movement by the door. In the blink of an eye Chaya got up and ran, and before I could say anything, she was gone. I couldn’t believe it, now it was just me, left here alone with Manny.

At the front of the room Manny sighed. I could tell he was upset. He stood abruptly, the chair scraping across the floor as he did. Then just as suddenly he sat again.

“Sorry,” he said, “it’s not your fault.”

I just nodded.

Time seemed to be passing slower now. I watched the hands of the clock march around it's face. It was nearly 6:30. Manny was now tapping on the desk with a pencil, an outlet for his exasperation. Then, just as the minute hand settled on top of the 6, the door flew open. It was my mother. A wide smile spread across my face, and I stood to run toward her.

Manny stood too. “Mrs. Cockcroft, this is the third time this month. Daycare closes at 6, if you can’t pick up your daughter on time, you will have to find somewhere else to take her after school.”