Yours Truly (Post Malone)

02

I woke up to my alarm going off. I rolled over to turn it off before staring at the ceiling for a minute or two. I still had time before I needed to pick up Winter. After too long of staying in bed, I got up and dressed. I was out the door in ten minutes, heading to the bus stop. I showed up a couple minutes before Winter's classes ended. There were other cars and parents waiting for their kids too.

Finally the end bell rang and a stream of kids came out of the building. I waited until I saw Winter and took a few steps toward her. She met me halfway and gave me a hug.

She looked up at me. "You know I was going to meet Ginny and Jordan at the park, right?"

"I know," I replied. "I just thought I'd take you in case you wanted the company."

Winter shrugged, shifting away from me. "Okay. I like having your company. You're a lot of fun."

I smiled, my gaze lingering on her. "I like your company too, kid. You're too much fun sometimes."

Winter giggled. "Thank you, Mom. Are we taking the bus?"

I nodded. "Yeah. The park isn't too far from the bus stop or our place. Do you want me to be at the park with you or what do you want to do?"

Winter thought for a second. "I don't mind if you're there with me. But I want to be with my friends."

"I know," I replied. "I'll stay on a park bench nearby so you can still find me."

"Okay," Winter chirped. "I like going to the park with you."

I smiled a little. "I do too. Time spent with my favorite kid is time well spent."

Winter rolled her eyes. "I'm your only kid."

I bumped her shoulder. "That's the point. I still love you."

Winter smiled. "I love you too, Mom."

We got to the apartment so Winter could drop her school stuff off. After maybe a half an hour, we were ready to head out. At the park, Winter joined her friends. They played around like any other rascals, even playing a game of tag. The two others had been friends with Winter for as long as I could remember and knew her limitations. It was one of the things I liked about her friends. They knew not to judge her and what she was able to do.

I smiled as I watched them play. Anytime my girl was having fun was good with me. She was with her friends and having the time of her life. I wanted her to have fond memories to look back on. Time spent with friends is time well spent.

After a few hours, it was time to go. Winter said goodbye to her friends and we headed out. She was talking the entire time. Just about her day, what her and her friends had talked about, everything. It had just been the two of us since her father had died and we had grown pretty close. We only had each other. It was sad but it was what it was.

We got back to our place. I started making dinner as Winter sat at the dining table, doing her homework. I helped her through any problems she had. By the time dinner was ready, she was already about half way through it all. We sat at the table, talking about anything that came to mind. Winter was a bright little girl and loved talking. She could talk anyone's ear off and did it often. The teachers at her school often complained about it to me and she'd get in trouble almost weekly about it. But I loved it about her. There was never a dull conversation with Winter.

At around six o'clock, Jay came. She usually watched Winter for me while I was at work. I worked most week nights so it was easy to plan things out. Jay was good with Winter anyways. Once Jay had been there for a couple of minutes, I stepped away to start getting ready for work. Halfway through, Jay stepped into my room.

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, that's not scary at all," I replied.

Jay rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't say that. I got us tickets to see Post Malone."

"That one rapper you're always going on about?" I asked.

"Yeah," Jay replied. "It's in two weeks. I know it's hard to plan things out for you but I thought I'd be good to have a girls night out. Just the two of us. We never get those anymore."

I pinned my hair up. "I know and it's a good idea. I'll do it if I have the day off."

Jay squealed, throwing her hands into the air. "Thank you, thank you! It's going to be so exciting."

I laughed at her reaction. "It's a good thing I love you."

Jay smiled back. "I love you too. I'll let you get to work, love."

I finished getting ready and hugged Winter goodbye. I made sure to hit her tight like I always did. That was my little girl. She was my world and the brightest light in my sky. It felt like I missed a lot with her because of my job. But I made sure to cherish the moments I did have with her. Life goes fast and I didn't want to miss any of it. It was hard to slow things down when life seemed to go so fast. But I had the concert Jay told me about and I still had time to spend with Winter. Life was going good.