Sweet Child O' Mine
You're Not The Only One
I remember, when I was a freshman, we had to take this class for health. Sex Education. And while we watched the slides the school nurse played for us, many of the kids faces contorted into disgust.
One day, the nurse brought in a woman no older than 21. A child hung off of her hand while she walked into the health room. I remember looking at the little boy, his eyes so full of life as he watched all the kids stare at him with confused looks.
"This is Claire. And her son Bradley." The nurse had said while she motioned towards them. Claire smiled before looking down at Bradley and telling him to wave. His arm flung around in the air, as he giggled crazily then hurried to take a spot behind Claire's leg, his head poking out, smiling shyly.
The nurse laughed, her hand perched on the belly she was packaging around before she patted the child on the head. "He's so adorable."
Claire had mumbled a thanks while the nurse looked towards the kids. "Today, we are going to be talking about teen pregnancies."
Most of the class was spent discussing that you should wait to have sex until marriage. And if not that, then at least wear a condom.
"I do regret having sex at such a young age, but I don't regret what I got out of it." Claire had said, picking up Bradley and positioning him on the side of her hip. "Does anyone else have questions?"
After that, I dazed off, not really caring about any of the questions that were being produced from the other kids in the room. But after about 10 minutes, a question I didn't expect to hear caught me off guard. I barely looked over there, before turning my head around once again.
She was one of 'those' girls. You know, the ones that open their selves up to get some attention. She was staring at the little boy, and then looked at Claire before her mouth opened. "Is it dangerous?" She had asked while her hand immediately went to her stomach, the little bump not so visible.
"Is what dangerous?" The nurse asked, her glasses sliding down her nose, as her eyebrow raised.
"Is having a baby dangerous?"
My head snapped in the direction of the girl that was asking the question. I looked up at the Nurse has she waved her hand around in front of her almost as if saying 'it was no big deal'. "Hun, millions of woman a year have babies. And you know what, they all live to tell the story. So no, it isn't dangerous."
And while I sat there, my eyes widened with sorrow, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. I looked in the direction watching as Claire stared at me, almost as if she was reading my soul, word for word, and she could tell what I was feeling right then and there.
That was the first time I was every really lied to, because if pregnancy wasn't so dangerous, then why isn't my mother here with me?
...............................&&&&
The beach. So calm and beautiful. Somewhere I would love to spend every hour of the day at.
My head rested on my arms that were laying on my bent up knees. My feet, shoe-less and sock-less, had sand running in between my toes as the digged in the sound involunatarily.
I watched the waves crash down. Again, again, again. One by one by one. And though I knew what was going to happen, right after one of the waves crashed, I watched them still. Because I felt something when I watched them, something so soft, that for a few seconds my mind could rest with no problems to think about.
"Hey kid."
I didn't turn my head, but I knew the voice so well, has his lisp took over what he was saying. My eyes clamped together before re-opening.
"Hey Uncle Zacky."
He didn't reply, which was alright with me, because a silence fell over us. A comfortable one.
"You looked at little down at dinner, and Kita said she saw you walking down here."
I nodded while I heard him play with the sand.
"Also, I heard about your Dad knowing your Psych teacher."
I didn't respond.
"Is that why you're upset?" He questioned.
Waiting a few seconds, I shook my head no before I turned my face to look towards him, yet it was still resting on my arms. Uncle Zacky was looking at me, his hands running through the sand. His feet were bare and the were dug deep beneath the sand out of habit.
"Uncle Zacky." I began, but closed my mouth trying to think of what I was trying to say. "H-Have you ever had the feeling where you felt like you were betrayed and lied to so hard, you just don't want to think about it ever again. But for some reason you can't?" I asked softly.
He stared at me. His green eyes brighter now the sun was starting to set, and after a few seconds he looked at the waves before nodding. He looked back over me before sighing.
"When I was in 3rd grade, I had another best friend besides your Uncle Matt. His name was Danny Lavo" He said. "Half way through the school year, I remember Danny admitted to me he had this huge crush on this girl I hated more than anything at the time."
His head titled, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "One day, 'he asked her out'" He made the air quotes before chuckling "And I remember I was just so... so... mad. And frusterated at him that he would do that to his best friend. Because I've said some stuff about her before to him, and what if he, you know just went and told her everything I said?
"After fighting with him all during recess and lunch, I went home that day and blabbed it all to my mother."
Uncle Zacky smiled and shook his head. "She said something before, but I can't remember it. But what I can remember is what she told me about how it wasn't his fault that he liked her. That those kind of things just happen without warning. Just like how your father knew Ms. Reynolds before, and they just met up after a while the other day. You can't stop those kind of things, and after about a month of being mad at Danny, I realized my mother was right."
He looked at me, before smiling and standing up. "What ever you problem is Kayla, I hope you can figure it out." He looked at the ocean one more time and turning around walking back up to the house.
I stared at the spot where Uncle Zacky just was, and thought of everything he just said and how it made perfect sense.
I turned my gaze towards the ground and shut my eyes tight, a few drops of tears falling out of my eyes. and when I opened them I saw that a patch of wetness was on top of the sand.
But before I knew it, my feet were already working in that area, letting the tear-stained sand run through my toes only to disappear. Just like the feelings I had when I thought Ms.Reynolds was actually on my side.
One day, the nurse brought in a woman no older than 21. A child hung off of her hand while she walked into the health room. I remember looking at the little boy, his eyes so full of life as he watched all the kids stare at him with confused looks.
"This is Claire. And her son Bradley." The nurse had said while she motioned towards them. Claire smiled before looking down at Bradley and telling him to wave. His arm flung around in the air, as he giggled crazily then hurried to take a spot behind Claire's leg, his head poking out, smiling shyly.
The nurse laughed, her hand perched on the belly she was packaging around before she patted the child on the head. "He's so adorable."
Claire had mumbled a thanks while the nurse looked towards the kids. "Today, we are going to be talking about teen pregnancies."
Most of the class was spent discussing that you should wait to have sex until marriage. And if not that, then at least wear a condom.
"I do regret having sex at such a young age, but I don't regret what I got out of it." Claire had said, picking up Bradley and positioning him on the side of her hip. "Does anyone else have questions?"
After that, I dazed off, not really caring about any of the questions that were being produced from the other kids in the room. But after about 10 minutes, a question I didn't expect to hear caught me off guard. I barely looked over there, before turning my head around once again.
She was one of 'those' girls. You know, the ones that open their selves up to get some attention. She was staring at the little boy, and then looked at Claire before her mouth opened. "Is it dangerous?" She had asked while her hand immediately went to her stomach, the little bump not so visible.
"Is what dangerous?" The nurse asked, her glasses sliding down her nose, as her eyebrow raised.
"Is having a baby dangerous?"
My head snapped in the direction of the girl that was asking the question. I looked up at the Nurse has she waved her hand around in front of her almost as if saying 'it was no big deal'. "Hun, millions of woman a year have babies. And you know what, they all live to tell the story. So no, it isn't dangerous."
And while I sat there, my eyes widened with sorrow, I could feel a pair of eyes on me. I looked in the direction watching as Claire stared at me, almost as if she was reading my soul, word for word, and she could tell what I was feeling right then and there.
That was the first time I was every really lied to, because if pregnancy wasn't so dangerous, then why isn't my mother here with me?
...............................&&&&
The beach. So calm and beautiful. Somewhere I would love to spend every hour of the day at.
My head rested on my arms that were laying on my bent up knees. My feet, shoe-less and sock-less, had sand running in between my toes as the digged in the sound involunatarily.
I watched the waves crash down. Again, again, again. One by one by one. And though I knew what was going to happen, right after one of the waves crashed, I watched them still. Because I felt something when I watched them, something so soft, that for a few seconds my mind could rest with no problems to think about.
"Hey kid."
I didn't turn my head, but I knew the voice so well, has his lisp took over what he was saying. My eyes clamped together before re-opening.
"Hey Uncle Zacky."
He didn't reply, which was alright with me, because a silence fell over us. A comfortable one.
"You looked at little down at dinner, and Kita said she saw you walking down here."
I nodded while I heard him play with the sand.
"Also, I heard about your Dad knowing your Psych teacher."
I didn't respond.
"Is that why you're upset?" He questioned.
Waiting a few seconds, I shook my head no before I turned my face to look towards him, yet it was still resting on my arms. Uncle Zacky was looking at me, his hands running through the sand. His feet were bare and the were dug deep beneath the sand out of habit.
"Uncle Zacky." I began, but closed my mouth trying to think of what I was trying to say. "H-Have you ever had the feeling where you felt like you were betrayed and lied to so hard, you just don't want to think about it ever again. But for some reason you can't?" I asked softly.
He stared at me. His green eyes brighter now the sun was starting to set, and after a few seconds he looked at the waves before nodding. He looked back over me before sighing.
"When I was in 3rd grade, I had another best friend besides your Uncle Matt. His name was Danny Lavo" He said. "Half way through the school year, I remember Danny admitted to me he had this huge crush on this girl I hated more than anything at the time."
His head titled, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "One day, 'he asked her out'" He made the air quotes before chuckling "And I remember I was just so... so... mad. And frusterated at him that he would do that to his best friend. Because I've said some stuff about her before to him, and what if he, you know just went and told her everything I said?
"After fighting with him all during recess and lunch, I went home that day and blabbed it all to my mother."
Uncle Zacky smiled and shook his head. "She said something before, but I can't remember it. But what I can remember is what she told me about how it wasn't his fault that he liked her. That those kind of things just happen without warning. Just like how your father knew Ms. Reynolds before, and they just met up after a while the other day. You can't stop those kind of things, and after about a month of being mad at Danny, I realized my mother was right."
He looked at me, before smiling and standing up. "What ever you problem is Kayla, I hope you can figure it out." He looked at the ocean one more time and turning around walking back up to the house.
I stared at the spot where Uncle Zacky just was, and thought of everything he just said and how it made perfect sense.
I turned my gaze towards the ground and shut my eyes tight, a few drops of tears falling out of my eyes. and when I opened them I saw that a patch of wetness was on top of the sand.
But before I knew it, my feet were already working in that area, letting the tear-stained sand run through my toes only to disappear. Just like the feelings I had when I thought Ms.Reynolds was actually on my side.