Sadie swirled around her room, utterly euphoric at the possibility that she might be able to see Dillon again. It’d been so long – too long. No matter though, she’d make up for their lost time together. She would’ve done anything for him. In fact she already had.
Sadie almost twirled herself to the ground when the phone rang. “Terrie?” She answered, as she promptly planted the receiver next to her ear.
“Well I thought they were coming here.” Terrie said.
She wound a few strands of her hair around her finger as she listened intently to Terrie’s instructions. She swung her foot back and forth, impatiently, as she listened.
“Okay Terrie, I’ll be right down. No more changes to the plan though alright? Otherwise I might have an episode.”
Sadie was prone to her ‘episodes’ when she got too anxious or fretted uncontrollably, often over things she couldn’t control.
“I’ll be there in less than fifteen minutes,” she said while smiling into the receiver.
Sadie threw on her winter coat, woolen hat, scarf and mittens. She grabbed her purse and a glittery blue bag to fit the occasion. She beamed as she walked down the stairwell, sidestepping a splintered and broken hole in the staircase the superintendent had yet to repair. It’d been nine months and counting.
Sadie stepped outside into the icy chill of the winter air on Dumphrey Avenue. As she stepped off the curb to cross the street she shouted, “Mikey! I’m finally getting my Christmas wish!”
Mike had been getting his tools out of his trunk and was still rummaging when he heard his neighbor’s familiar voice. He looked up from the trunk with a big toothy grin and saw Sadie heading his way. “You’re glowing,” he said. “Congratulations Sadie. You worked hard for this day. You both deserve to be together.” Mike had a Brooklyn accent, though he’d been raised in Queens.
“Thanks Mikey. Wish I could stay and tell you all the details, but it’ll have to wait until I get back. I’m coming home with a big surprise for everybody.”
“You’re a mess,” Mike laughed. “I think seeing Dillon again is good enough for me.”
Sadie smiled over her shoulder and winked. “Laters baby.” Sadie hurriedly scooted toward the underground trains . Terrie had been a godsend when she’d first tried to get her son, Dillon, back. She’d been in Sadie’s corner after Sadie had successfully completed all the rehab and parenting programs they’d asked from her and then some.
Sadie breezed through the turnstile. She hopped on the train and took one of the seats facing the aisle. She and one another man sat on that row of seats. The train swayed and the lights in the car flickered. For a moment Sadie closed her eyes and imagined Dillon’s little face and how much he would’ve grown since her last visit with him two months ago.
“Hey lady, was that your bag?” Sadie was momentarily startled back into reality by a robust Asian woman motioning toward Sadie’s glittery blue bag, which was now weaving through the crowd toward the back of the car.
Sadie instantly sprung up from her seat. She lunged forward too quickly and almost landed squarely in the lap of some teenager with his jeans belted at his thighs, clearly visible skull and cross bones boxers and an oversized hoodie that wasn’t oversized enough to cover his boxers.
Sadie recovered from her near fall, only to glimpse the man going through to the other car. She swayed with the train as she tried to move quickly, before the next stop. She burst through the door to the next train yelling, “Hey asshole! What the hell you doin’ taking my kid’s gift?” A number of people looked up, but most remained unmoved by her cries. Although the man with the bag didn’t turn around, she could tell she’d gotten his attention because he started to speed up.
Sadie was in an all out run as she weaved between passengers and around poles, stepping over seats where the aisle was too crowded. She didn’t care.
Just as she was about to follow him through the next door the train screeched to a sudden stop. Sadie lost her balance and fell between the cars. Full of adrenaline she hopped up, mildly injured with scrapes and bruises, and attempted to climb back onto the platform. Four passers by saw her fall and rushed to her as she got up and almost pulled herself up onto the platform. But then the train began to move.
Stop! Stop!” There was a great deal of yelling and commotion near the train operator’s car. The train stopped instantly as the emergency chord was pulled.
Sadie barely conscious hung wedged between the platform and the train car she’d passed through just moments earlier. “Get the bastard with Dillon’s bag,” she moaned.
“Just hang in there Miss. The paramedics are on their way.” She could feel a man’s hand on her shoulder, trying to sound reassuring. However, his facial expression failed to reflect the same assurance offered by his words.
“Didn’t you hear me she?” She repeated in a harsh whisper. “He has my boy’s bag. I got him a gift and I need it for when I see him.” Suddenly her eyes brimmed with tears and a small cry escaped as she realized where she was and what had just happened.
“He’s waiting for me. I gotta see my son, my son, my …. ”
Sadie awoke to a group of emergency rescue personnel surrounding her. She had an IV in her arm and was wearing a neck brace. She looked around her. It didn’t seem like a hospital. She looked down, horrified, as she realized she was still lodged between the train and the platform.
