Move On

Move On : Tyler Met Katie

TWO

Twelve years earlier...

“I don’t wanna gooooooo!” I screamed at the top of my little five year old lungs as loudly as I could, just to prove my point that indeed, school wasn’t one of my favorite places to be at that point in time.

I stamped my little feet on the ground with my new size 2 blue sneakers, threatening to tear our house down if I’m being forced, yet again, to go to school by the evil monster in front of my eyes.

“You’ll love it there, Tyler. You’ll meet loads of new friends and you’ll learn cool things like Math and English. Don’t you like math, honey?” Mom the Evil Monster tried coaxing her five year old kid that school would be just as fun here, as it was back in their old home state of Miami.

“But I don’t wanna learn math! I can’t count, you know that! I’ve only got ten fingers and I can’t possibly count higher than ten if I can’t grow any more fingers!” I yelled out all in one breath, making my face turn bright pink.

I had my arms crossed, and a frown permanently etched across my face.

I refused to leave the house that morning, and was doing everything in my power to be given a chance to stay home and color pictures of dinosaurs in my dinosaur coloring book.

“You’ll love school. And math too! Trust me” Mom the Evil Monster said, rushing around the kitchen whilst busily packing my lunch bag with an apple, a carton of milk and three chewy chocolate chip cookies.

I smiled a sneaky little smile, knowing that at least my early morning tantrum got me THREE whole chocolate chip cookies when I usually only got two pieces on any given day.

Mom caught me smiling that sneaky little smile and quickly used this to her own advantage, despite me repeatedly screaming, “I won’t go to school! I won’t go to school! I won’t go to school!” as my last form of rebellion.

She crouched down beside me so that she would be about the same height as me.

Her eyes were tired but those blue eyes spoke a volume of love that could only come from a mother.

“Tyler, I know it’s hard to move to a totally new state and go through so many new things all in the course of one month. I understand how much you miss Grandma and Grandpa back in Miami, but your dad’s got a new job here in Los Angeles and he’s real happy about it. So we do have to make these little adjustments to adapt. I’m sorry, honey. I know it must be scary going to a new school with new tables and chairs, and new teachers and friends. But please remember that you’re one brave five year old kid and you’re gonna make a difference in those people’s lives. I’m pretty sure of that. You’re a really special child right from the moment I had you and I thank God everyday for that. I love you, Tyler. I really do. Now will you please go to school for mommy? Please?” Mom the not-so-evil-monster-anymore said to me whilst my eyes were brimming with fresh tears.

Why did Mom always have to use such big words?

Didn’t she understand that being a five year old kid meant that I could hardly comprehend sentences with more than ten words, let alone huge words like ‘adjustment’ and ‘adapt’?

Boy did I wish I knew what those words meant.

Mom held me in a long embrace because she knew how scared I was to go to school that morning.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be okay, you always end up being happy in the end and you always manage to find the bright light in every darkness. I have no doubt that today will be the same”, Mom kissed me gently on the top of my forehead.

Her smile calmed my heart beating ever so loudly in my chest.

I finally stopped crying and nodded slowly, agreeing to at least try and ‘adapt’ to things.

I knew I was scared but I also knew that I was pretty brave for someone my age.

Well, the dinosaurs in my coloring book will just have to wait till tonight, I thought to myself as Mom walked me to the bus that will take me to my new school.

Somehow, I actually felt a slight tinge of excitement and who knew that that could actually blot away my fear bit by bit, till I was no longer afraid of going to school anymore.

                                                                                  ***

“Class, I’d like you all to meet Tyler Ryan. He transferred here two weeks ago, all the way from the other side of America in Miami, Florida. Tyler will be joining our class from today, and I’d like all of you to be nice to him and show him around the school, okay?” Miss Ellison, my new class teacher swiftly introduced me to my new classmates while I looked around at every face, hoping that they’d somehow like me and wanted to be my friend.

I shuffled my feet on the ground nervously as Miss Ellison looked at me, hoping I’d at least say ‘hi’ to my classmates.

I looked at my new classmates shyly and cleared my throat, praying fervently that I wouldn’t stammer.

And then, all of a sudden a flickering thought passed through me, and I decided that I should tell them about my favorite food so they would get to know more about me.

“Hi! I’m Tyler Ryan. I love chewy chocolate chip cookies! Who here likes chewy chocolate chip cookies?”

Almost everyone put up their hands in excitement with broad grins plastered across their faces.

“My mom gave me three cookies today for lunch and we could share. I’d get her to make more tomorrow if you guys like it” I said, as the class shouted back their agreement to my wonderful cookie plan.

Wow, I did it! They like me, I thought to myself happily.

Miss Ellison smiled down at me and told me to take my place beside a blonde-haired girl with huge olive-green eyes.

I walked up to her slowly, as my heart thumped wildly in my chest.

She sure is pretty.

“Hi, I’m Katie Oliver! Nice to meet you”, Katie smiled a toothy smile, showing off her sparkly white teeth, whilst holding out her hand for me to shake.

She sure is pretty.

I had no idea why my mind could not string together some words in a sentence to say to Katie.

All I could think of was she sure is pretty.

My breathing slowed down rapidly as I held out my trembling cold hand to shake Katie’s.

“Hi. I’m Tyler Ryan. And... You’re real pretty!” I blurted out.

As soon as the words slipped out from my mouth, I realized that I’ve just accidentally confessed to the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on.

Great going Tyler, I thought to myself as I took a seat beside Katie, all the while blushing and laughing nervously.

Hoping I hadn’t freaked her out, I apologized profusely but she just laughed it off, telling me instead that I was ‘pretty cute myself’.

Score!

I breathed a sigh of relief as I begun talking again to the girl of my dreams – the very same girl I ended up marrying 12 short years later, on Katie’s 17th birthday.

And this was exactly how I met my wife, twelve blissful years ago.

                                                                                     ***