What might have been

 

The day was meant 

To be bright 

And a good one

Her husband had just gotten

A new job for which 

He was hiring staff

While she went out shopping

Get the kids out of the house

It was Christmas time.

They had campaigned 

He had won

He was too young 

To be sworn in until

His birthday which was 

After the new year.

They had gone around 

The tree lots after 

Getting some gifts 

For him on his new job

The two boys were excited

They saw some kids

From the new neighborhood

Who lived just down the street

The big brick house with a tree

They climbed it and could

See the new office from the top

The Capital building was just 

Over the expanse from their house

Instead of their place.

They were going to be regular

Guests at this place 

Where they could keep 

An eye on dad's place.

She was taking care of 

Her year-old daughter

Picking out some ornaments

For the new place

There was going to be a tree

For them and one for the office.

She was not paying attention 

To the others who were there

They were curious about her wallet

And then the boys were upon her

The kids' mother had disappeared

The car was gone but their mother

Would not leave them behind.

Their sister had shown up

She only came occasionally

Some old argument with the mother

Grandpa had her living with him.

She was here and mom had disappeared

Could they get a ride home

Yes, yes get in the car

And then she saw them 

The couple were keeping an eye on her

They were the same ones 

From California who kept after 

The family who also had a place

In DC and would no stop

Causing trouble

She got in the car

With care and told them

To put on their seatbelts

As she thought about

Where the nearest safe phone

Was to call her husband

It was not far from the tree lot

She parked next to the phone

And attempted to get through

These new rules were frustrating

She had somehow not passed 

She could only leave a message

For the newly elected Senator

Her own husband.

The girls had been walking

They had been caught

Having hot chocolate

And then she had disappeared

They had looked everywhere 

Now they had to make a call

The phone was busy with a woman

They waited for her to get done

And then they tried to put through 

A call to the house 

No one was home,

So, they called grandma

But she was not answering

Really, she was waiting at the train station

If they had only known that then

Instead, she told them to get in

She already had a car full

There were presents in the back

But they could squeeze in behind her

And was as she was driving away

That she realized that the new boys

Were brothers with the girls

She knew the girls from before

They were a nice family

With a few troubles from outside

Now their boys for hers to play

That was going to be good 

For her husband to know

That his kids had made friends

With the same family he had visited

There were squeals in the back

The one had made everyone 

Put on their seat belts

But the one kept pulling 

On hers as she was sharing.

It came out of the seat 

She sighed it would have to be 

Resewn when they got back

There were some places that did that

As it was not uncommon to have

The stitches come loose 

And the seatbelt does not stay in place

Meanwhile her daughter sat in her lap

Waiting to get home to daddy

The couple stepped up to the phone

They made a few calls

One of which called back

And spoke the location 

Of the first call that had gone through

The capital building 

The little rats had found

Someone with connections

To a senator!

That had to be stopped.

They wanted those kids

For themselves to raise

They came from the type 

Of families where they stooled

The kids of the rich or those with clout

To have them in their homes

Then when they got older

They would not do what their parents

And grandparents wanted

These were military families

With access to the radio rights

Must be dealt with was the answer

Meanwhile a few motorcycles

Came into the filling station

The girls wanted the toilet

It was occupied 

By the missing mother

She had been shoved into her own car

And then escaped when they got to the first light

Now she was trying to figure out

 what to do next.

Pound, Pound

Get out of there

I want to use the facilities

Laughter from the crowd

The man leaned his bike up

And stepped up to the door

My sister wants you to vacate

The toilet so she can use it.

Now! I need it now!

Please! come out.

A mad mother opened the door.

She was standing in the doorway

Blocking it from entrance

And was in the process of giving

The motorcycle group member

Her mind when she was bumped

The sister really had to use the facilities

She bent down and twisted around

The door block and pushed

She got her toilet and the woman

Feel into her brothers' arms.

He turned out to be a Peter.

Traveling incognito 

But too late

This was a former neighbor

Hey Jane gets out here.

An altercation occurred

Then they pulled out together

Another motorcycle group

Heading down the highway

One of them had an extra large

Body on the back 

As they sought a way of getting

Her car back from the thieves.

All good in a day's job.

He was working on a new movie

And did not mind the Radio girls

Daughter needs to find both 

Her car and her mother.

They wound up at the train station.

Leaving the two women behind 

On their way to elsewhere

On a holiday season when they

 We're not going to be caught.

Long gone they were 

Streaming through the cars

As the couple were seeking

A way of sneaking up on the car.

Out of nowhere a semi got caught

Through the stream of cars

The motorcycles had cut a fine line

They were not his problem

It was the other two cars

They kept bumping in and out

Of traffic and were annoying 

Everyone like a wild bee 

Inside your car 

These highway interstates

Were tricky things to deal

He closed his eyes for a moment

To get clarity 

To deal with these bumpers 

Who were obviously out 

To get someone 

So common to single 

Out a car and get it to pull over

And then they would come along

Pretending to offer help

But really to cause harm.

They had various uniforms 

In their trunks from police

To fire fighters 

And everything in between

They were often after people

They robbed and then home raided

Always swinging into their hometown

As if they had just been out fishing

Or something.

Screech went his wheels

Out from under him.

His eyes flew open.

They were sitting under

His tires the family car

With a bunch of kids 

Spilling out on to the tarmac

The couple came up 

And attempted to get them

They grabbed one of the wrong ones

And then took off while 

The other car stopped long enough

To check on the one that had shot

Out from the back seat

Her seatbelt had not held

And she flew headfirst 

Straight through the windshield.

After bending down and checking

On her they got back in the car.

They did not even try to see what

The woman behind the wheel 

Was dead or alive.

She was not as the other girl

Found out as she awoke

With a really bad ahead ache.

She quietly crawled over her 

On her way out 

The last one to get out

The boys were gone 

Or at least running around

Trying to find a phone

And there she was lying

There limp and dead

Sadly, she picked up her siter

Cradling her in her arms.

While one of the boys made 

Contact with her

He stopped and looked down

And then swallowed

And took off in a run

He never did come back

Meanwhile the ambulance 

Finally made its way to them

She recognized the driver

Yelling for a cop 

To double check the woman

But instead, they were trying

To get her sister

So, she picked her up and walked away

Carrying her on her back

It was not the first time

No adult knew the amount

Of trouble to get into the wrong

Ambulance 

These people drove to garages

And barns not hospitals

Eventually she found someone

Who had a different type of face

While she stood there holding

Her against a car 

The police took over

The woman was already in the 

Ambulance but it no longer 

Had a driver as he had disappeared

It was the tow truck driver 

Who put them up on the bench

He took a few together as well

To the emergency room.

He was going back for the car

But not until they moved 

The semi off of it.

There they were running around

Inside going crazy 

While they took they woman

And her sister away

She had made the phone calls

Including the number on the card

In the womans hand.

Then she walked down the hallway 

What might have been

If his wife had lived

And not died in a freak 

Accident on the interstate

His wife's car was hit 

And she had died along with the only daughter

His kids were alive

But he would have to come 

And identify them

As there were more than one

In the hospital lobby.

What was he going to do now?

They had had plans

To build a new life.

His wife was old east coast 

He was the new boy

On the hill and now had no one

His daughter was gone

His boys were going to need

A home so instead of moving

They stayed in their hometown

The family with the boys

Disbanded and divorced

Over the girls death being blamed

On the one who survived

Somehow all the stories 

Were mixed up in the retelling

And with her cracked skull

She could only answer correctly

When she was not stressed out

The mother and grandmother

Made it back too late

To prevent the father to find

His favorite daughter had died

And the boys gone again

While the unresponsive 

One sat in shock.

What might have been

If he had the time to have a real friend

Instead, everyone ran around 

Making themselves at home

While their kids took it for granted

The lives they were provided.

What would have happened 

To all of them if it had been understood.

Albinism

It is when one comes out with no color.

Jimmy was not their family

But showed up all the time

Usually telling people 

That his family would not have him.

They were actually under orders

Not to allow him inside their house

Two great-grandmothers 

Mysteriously died suddenly

After making it past 90 

All because they were alwyas

At home.

Keeping him from walking 

In and sitting down.

He wanted this family

For some reason

He had taken the little girls 

Hand and sat her on Santa Claus

Asking him to have her for Christmas

He was a Christmas baby

He always got what he wanted.

This time the half-drunk guy

Told him to come back in a decade

And he would marry them.

She was horrified

Now he thought she was his wife.

What might have been

If the guy had called the cops

On the stupid kid

Who wanted a little girl

As a present or slave.

What might have been

If jimmy's mother was not always

Around him in the early years

Before her husband got elected

And then she had to stand aside

She did not know he would rob her as well

He hated her for being not the same skin color

He had a rich white daddy who could afford

To take care of him

He had no reason to go after this family

Accept they had homes in both locations

Not rich but old school

Working at government things

What might have happened

Or if Jimmy was kept from escaping jail

Just because he is an albino.