The air was damp for a Monday in September. It's the first day of high school and I'm really excited. It's the first time my mom will let me drive the car to school for the first time and I've never been more excited not to ride the overcrowded bus. Just as I was hitting the snooze on my loud alarm clock for probably the third time there was a knock on my door.
"Get up now! Before I'm late for work!" I heard my mom yell from the other side of the door.
"I'm awake Ma! Be ready in a few minutes!" I said throwing my comforter off my my body in one full swing.
I sat up on the side of my bed and looked around my room. Maybe I should change my room again. Maybe some new paint will make me wake up in the morning. This would be the kind of things I would talk to my dad about. Unfortunately my dad has been gone now for a few years. As I looked at the picture of my father on the night stand I began to miss him. It's been four years since me and my mom got word that it was just going to be the two of us from then on. It was a bright and sunny fall afternoon when I had just come off the bus to find two soldiers standing at my door. I went running up to the house as fast as I could. She I got there my mom was standing at the door with tears running down her face. One soldier handed her a tri folded flag.
"Ma? What's the matter? Why are you crying?" I asked her nervously.
The two men in uniform turned to me and one man got down on one knee pulling out what looked like two dog tags from his pocket. As I looked at the name engraved on each metal piece I felt like my whole world had just shattered. I ran a finger over my fathers name until my eyes were too blurry from my tears to read it anymore.
"No." Was all I could get out.
What started out as a whisper was now screams.
"Daddy! Nooo!" I shouted as I ran next door and banged on the door as hard as I could.
No one had answered at first but I kept banging. Finally the big brown door came open and a face that was all too familiar met mine on the other side of the screen.
"Hey! What's wrong? Why are you crying? What happened?" I was asked.
"My daddy isn't coming back." I said through my tears.
"What are you talking about of course he is! He wrote you! I remember! You showed me the letter!"
"No! He's gone!" I shouted raising up the dog tags that once belonged to my father.
"That's a lie!" He said trying to give me some type of hope.
It didn't work. The pain of knowing that I lost my father was too much to overcome. I sobbed even harder as an older man came to the door.
"Boy what are you still doing at the door? Oh! Hey there! What's got you all upset little girl. Come on in here and talk to me huh? Let her inside and go grab some tissues."
"Yes sir." The little boy said
The man let me inside and closed the door behind me. Before he could turn to me a wrapped my arms around him and continued crying.
"Hey now! What is it?" The man said.
I didn't talk. I just held up the now lonely necklace.
The man took the tags in his hand and when he saw my fathers name he gasped loudly and took me in his arms.
"Oh child! I'm so sorry! Where's your mama is she alright?" He asked.
"She's at home. I didn't see her after I just came here! I want my daddy back!" I cried even harder.
The man took my hand and we went out the front door.
"We can't leave your mama to go through this alone. Let's go over there and check on her."
We walked back next door and that's when the memory ended. I snapped back into the present as I picked up my fathers picture and gave him a kiss.
"Sophomore year daddy. Wish me luck!" I sad grazing my fingers over the glass frame.
I sat the picture back on the night stand and grabbed my outfit from my desk. Once I was dressed I ran out of my room and across the hall to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I take my showers the night before because my mom always complains about me sucking up all the hot water. After I cleaned myself up I ran downstairs to the kitchen to find my mom holding my breakfast on a paper plate wrapped in foil. My mouth dropped as she grabbed the car keys from the table.
"But Ma we-"
"Oh no we don't! Let's go before they dock my pay." She said slinging her purse over her shoulder.
I followed her out of the house and locked up the house.
"I'll drive to work and you drive yourself TO SCHOOL."
"Yes Ma I know. Where else am I gonna go? The mall?" I asked her sliding in the passenger side with a grin.
"Don't try your luck girl." She said as she started the car.
We pulled out of the driveway and drove the fifteen minute ride uptown to drop my mom off at the hospital. We got out of the car and I went over to the driver side as she was pulling out her wallet.
"Now here's $30. Put $15 in the tank and the rest is yours. Make sure you come back by 11 tonight. You'll be alright won't you?" She asked.
"Yes Ma I'll be fine. I'll be back before 11 just so I'm here on time."
My mom hugged me and went inside. I got in the car and drove back to my house to grab my bookbag and my breakfast. Once I had everything I needed it was time to make a quick stop six blocks away before I got to school. I pulled up to the brick house on the corner and beeped the horn. The front door opened and two guys in denim outfits and huge Afros came out and met me at the car. The passenger side door opened and he pulled the front seat forward.
"Well good morning foxy mama!" Andre said as he got in the back.
"It's too early to be grossed out man." I snapped clenching the steering wheel.
The front seat went back into its normal position and he got inside.
"Pay him no mind Regan. You know how he feels about you anyway."
"I bet you put him up to that didn't you?" I asked him.
"Not at all. That was all him."
"Come on Skipper you dared me to do it! You owe me ten bucks!"
I turned to Prince as he shrugged his shoulders and me with a grin. I cocked my arm back and punched him in the arm and hard as I could.
"OW!" He shouted.
"You deserved it you clown!" I snapped.
We pulled away and drove off to school. This year was going to be interesting now that I'll be driving Andre and Prince to school with me this year.
