Over the past few years I have been free. I left home, descending the fire escape for the last time, then I was out in the world, this was my chance to get away from the delusional world my mother and sister were living in, a world my father had escaped before me.

As soon as I left I knew I would travel so across America I went. To the West Coast, from one train to the next as far away from my old home as possible. When I got to the West Coast I went straight to the nearest harbour and got on a ship headed to China. I travelled for many months on the ship, working day in an day out to earn my keep. On arrival to my destination, China, I knew I had many adventures to come. I lived a lonely existence, but I was happy, this was the real world. Seeing the people and places, experiencing the culture and diversity. This only made me want to travel more. I travelled across Asia, learning more about the world I had missed out on due to my mother and her inability to accept reality. I went to Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, India and everywhere in between, life seemed to be going well, I could finally embrace my freedom. I often lived with families as I did not have much money and that I did earn would be spent on further adventures. I planned to travel the world and see as much as I could. Until the day I met a family in India, a family that would change many of my views on life.

I arrived in India with a bag on my back and the clothes on my body, not having a cent to my name. I didn't know what I would do as this place was poverty stricken and I was sure no-one could afford to feed another mouth, let alone provide shelter and perhaps a job. I was thankfully surprised because after being in India for little over a week a little boy walked up to me and held my had, simply saying "come with me"

The boy took me to his home where I was greeted warmly by his parents and grandfather, they feed and clothed me, then showed me where  would be sleeping. The young boy knew the most English, with gestures and simple sentences we communicated quite well. After some time I asked why they would offer their house and hospitality to me and the boy simply said "you need, we give". That night I could not sleep, I tossed and turned feeling that I am forgetting something. Then in an instant it came crashing down on me, it was Laura. Throughout my travels I had had confused sleepless nights now I knew why, I missed my family, well part of my family, I missed Laura. This young boy had shown me that even a family with very little and with problems of their own can still give and be involved with the real world.

I did not stay long in India I realized I needed to go home and just see my sister to tell her everything was okay. After that my mind went wild every piece of glass that reflected light would remind me of her and her glass menagerie. Although I wanted to go home I was still afraid, so I am in New York now trying to find the strength to return home. Maybe one day soon, who knows I might just climb the fire escape one last time.