Like Any Other Day

First Day Of Summer

My names Andy Cole and I am just a furniture in peoples lives. Of course I'm metaphorically speaking.  People only notice me when they want something from me otherwise they leave me alone. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes I want people to notice me, to give me attention but I think we've all gone to long without it that it would just be plain awkward.

I stare at my ceiling, not really wanting to do anything today. My junior year has just ended an it is the first day of summer. Everybody is excited to do the things they do every summer of every year of their lives. I wonder how people can still get excited over the same things? But I'm personally tired. Tired of routine. Tired of staring at the same ceiling of every morning and night of my life. The same neighborhood and people I grew up with bore me to death. But I am just a 16 year old girl that works at the public library over the weekends. I sigh. I'm starting to depress myself.

"Andy? honey, come on down won't you? You've been up in your room all day." I hear my moms voice call up to me. All day? Its only ten in the morning. My mother wakes up at the crack of dawn just to cook us up some breakfast. Even though most of us in this house wakes up at twelve and our breakfast is left cold and stale on the kitchen table. My mother sometimes doesn't make sense. But I stretch and made my way to downstairs to the kitchen anyways.

As I walked down the stairs the volume of my parents and five younger siblings began to increase. My sister Libby was eating a not-so warm plate of pancakes at the table with our brother Ryan who was scarfing down a plate loaded with eggs, bacon and toast. My Mother was trying to feed baby Julie who was sitting in her high chair but rather finger paint baby food on her clothes than eat it. My twin toddler brothers were playing tag hazardously around the kitchen table while my Dad drank coffee and reading the newspaper. A typical morning in the Cole Household.

I took the farthest seat away from baby Julie. She's known too reach over and snatch food off the table and then throwing it on the ground. My mother looked up and with a look of relief said, "Oh good your here," -well you did call me down-" I need you to baby sit the twins and Julie today. I have work."

Oh big surprise.

Being the oldest has its Pros and Cons. Pros: I can boss these runts and they have to listen to me. Cons: I basically don't have a social life, thanks to these runts because I have to babysit them pretty much everyday.

I understand that we can't afford a babysitter but the pressure my parents put on me is just outrageous. After the twins were born, I became the third parent as if I also agreed to have these kids too. Libby and Ryan are closer in age to me but for some reason my parents has not deem them worthy of taking up the slack . Which is really upsetting for me because I want a life too but I'm stuck home watching Little Einstein's while Libby and Ryan goes out to watch the latest movie in the theaters with their friends.

I'm fighting to not roll my eyes and throw a tantrum when I remembered that its Saturday and I got to go to work also. I started working at the public library earlier this year, which most think is so lame, but its fucking sanctuary for me.

"Sorry, mom . I got work today too." I say. I look at the clock hanging over the kitchen sink-and fuck I'm already late. The Library opens at eleven and staff are suppose to be there by ten thirty. The clock says it ten fifty and the library is a fifteen minutes away by bicycle. I'm hoping that my mom just made the clock a few minutes fast because she's done that to her own alarm clock thinking it will motivate her to not to be late. I am hoping that she's done the same to the kitchen clock also.

I ran upstairs and throw on my favorite Beatles t-shirt and jeans. I have my toothbrush in my mouth and I'm pulling my Chuck Taylors on when Libby comes in our room (Yes, we share rooms).