Upon Exit

“Hey there! I missed you!”

That line apparently came from a short blonde boy -- and surely, I've never met him before . As he said those words, he came forward and gave me a strong hug which left me with the mental question, “Have I met you before?”. Obviously, the answer was a big “NO” -- but with a giddy and jumpy kid like this one, I just couldn’t help but smile in front of the young guy.

Charles, a kid from the Boys and Girls Club, became my best buddy during my group’s volunteer activity at the said institution. As we entered the door, we were informed that our main task was to accompany and play with the children for the whole duration of our short stay. The first game which greeted us was a nice round of volleyball. Charles himself led our group to the gymnasium. As we were divided into different age groups for the game, we were normally grouped from the younger ones. As I proceeded to the court and left Charles somewhere in the bleachers to play, the corner of my eye caught the image of a crying Charles. Seemingly, he wanted to play with the rest of the group but the poor kid wasn’t allowed to do so. Instead of indulging myself in the good vibes that an intense game of volleyball can offer, I decisively gave my presence to Charles.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the other kids inside what they call “The Game Room”. As the minutes unconsciously passed by, balls were incessantly thrown, artworks were nicely done, and snacks were generously served. All of the children were quite friendly. As I continued to befriend and play with the other kids of the center, Charles was always there to tap my arm whenever he wanted to show me something new.

As the arrival of Onur signaled the end of our volunteer hours at the Boys and Girls Club, we all properly gave away our goodbyes to all the kids. Funny though -- The feeling of leaving the place cannot possibly be compared to the feeling I got when I left the downtown area for the cleanup activity for the Keep Carbondale Beautiful Agency last week. During that time, the scorching environment pushed me to feel excited about leaving the place but this time, the youthful and warm environment of the Boys and Girls Club made me feel otherwise. I believe it was particularly uneasy for us to leave the place since the children allowed us to somehow feel very much at home.

Upon our exit, we weren’t able to avoid their persistent question, “When will you come back?”

I tried to keep my silence because I know too well I won’t be meeting them anytime soon but I just hope that the answer won’t be a big fat never.