The Wrong Directions to the Right Path

It was already late at night when I followed the navigation app and stumbled home.

The route Aimee Thompson had pointed out to me on the map took me past an abandoned factory. When I fell, a steel wire had cut my ankle. It might have impaled my foot had it not missed by a mere hair's breadth.

Blood and muddy water dripped onto the floor. I barely had any strength to change out of my shoes, and it was all I could do to grip the shoe cabinet for support as I caught my breath.

Mom was startled to find me in such a state. She anxiously ran up to me and clutched my arm to steady me. "What happened to you, Nathan? Aimee told me she was bringing you guys on a road trip!"

I lowered my head and took in the torn-up skin and flesh of my ankles.

I told Mom the whole story, and her gaze darkened bit by bit until disbelief gradually filled her eyes. She muttered, "That's not like her at all. She'd take the long way to pick you up on her bike and drop you off at school before your SATs so you wouldn't be late.

"And she was so frantic when you got lost in college that she almost called the cops. She even told me she'd buy a place somewhere you could find with your eyes closed in the future."

Hand trembling, Mom wiped the muddy water off my face. "How did Aimee turn out like this? I watched her grow up."

I cut her off, "That's enough, Mom. I want to study abroad."

She carefully tended to my wounds. "Alright. I'll get the paperwork sorted. We'll move as far away as we can."

Later that night, my wound became infected, and I ran a high fever of 102°F. In my feverish daze, I overheard Mom speaking on the phone in the living room.

"Aimee, I only let Nathan go on the road trip with you guys because you promised me you'd take good care of him! He nearly lost a foot because of you! Is that your idea of 'taking care' of him?"

I couldn't hear what Aimee said on the other end of the line, but Mom was so furious that she threw her phone on the ground.

My phone buzzed beside my pillow.

"Janice just gave me a fierce talking-to over the phone. I didn't think you'd be so weak as to run a fever like this, Nathan. I promise I won't abandon you the next time, okay? Get well soon."