Michael
Still My Kid
The alarm clock goes off, but there is no stir. "Michael, come on, it is time to get ready for school!" John yells from down stairs. Still no stir, even as John heads up to his room. "Come on kid, I can hear that from all the way down stairs..." John turns off the alarm and a groan is heard from under the covers.
"Five more minutes..." Michael tries to protest.
"Five more minutes and you can walk there, you will be late..." John smirks.
Another groan is heard from under the covers and then out emerges Michael. "By the way son, happy birthday," John says as he heads back downstairs with a smile. "Breakfast is down here if you want it, too."
Michael stretches and smirks, thinking, "Glad he didn't wrestle me out of bed this time..." As Michael heads down the stairs he is surprised to smell his favorite breakfast, gravy and biscuits. "That smells amazing dad," he yells to him.
"Well, I just thought it would be a good start off for the day," John responds back as Michael enters the kitchen. "Just one problem son..."
Michael cut him off, "... you have to work today. Yeah, no worries."
"Son, I want to be there for you today. You are still my kid..."
"Dad, come on I am eighteen, I think it is official that I am a man now, not a kid."
"Still won't matter to me, feels like only yesterday you were running in my room scared in the middle of the night."
"Yeah, and I was starting kindergarten for the first time too," Michael laughed.
"And now you are graduating and will end up running back to me to help you figure out how to do your own laundry in college," John jokes back. They both smile at each other and laugh. “I will try and make it home early, hope pizza and movies sound like a good way to spend a birthday night.“
“Sounds awesome dad, just no more westerns please…”
“You know you love my westerns son, they are classics!”
They both laugh and Michael finishes up his breakfast. “Alright dad, I am off to school… See you tonight!”
“See you tonight, son! Love you!” John yells back after him.
Michael picks up his back pack, walks out the door, and heads for the bus stop to go to school. As Michael waits at the bus stop, he can't help but think of the fact that he is now eighteen with still no idea of what he wants to do after high school. "Down to the end..." he mumbles to himself.
"Are you talking to yourself?" A girl had just joined him at the bus stop and Michael did not even see her at first. Michael turned to see who it was and felt relieved as he saw it was Emily, his best friend since the first day of kindergarten.
"Yeah, but now that I have company there is no reason to… I was kind of getting aggravated talking to myself, he acts so immature at times," Michael joked around.
"I don't know about that, he seems alright to me," Emily said smiling back.
They both waited and talked with each other until the school bus came and picked them up. On the way to school, Michael started to feel exhausted and his back started to get sore. Emily noticed the slight change in comfort and asked him what was wrong, but Michael had no idea and said he was alright. They arrived at school and headed straight for the auditorium.
Today a speaker was coming in to talk to the graduating class about what they want to aspire to be when growing up; the speaker happened to also be Father Keith. Father Keith was the pastor at Michael’s grade school church growing up, but back then there was a different pastor that performed all of the services. Michael graduated grade school before he could ever meet Father Keith, but he has heard about all of the good things Father Keith has been trying to do for the community, steering teenage minds in the right path after graduating being one of them. Before Michael and Emily could get to the auditorium, the school principle came up behind him accompanied by two police officers. "Michael!" He called with an expression that seemed to be full of sorrow.
"Yes, Mr. Pendrough?" Michael asked in wonder.
"Can you please come to my office, there is something we need to talk about."
"Yeah, no problem." Michael looked back at Emily with worry in his eyes and then started to follow Mr. Pendrough back to his office, the two police officers still following behind.
"Please, have a seat Michael," Mr. Pendrough motioned towards the chair in front of his desk. Michael sat down as the two officers entered and closed the door.
"Am I in trouble, Mr. Pendrough?" Michael asked.
"No, no, Michael... there is something you need to know." Mr. Pendrough took a deep breath and gulped, "... it is about your father..."
"What is going on with my father? Is he in trouble? What is going on?"
"I am sorry to tell you this.... Michael... there has been an accident."
"What do you mean an accident, is he alright? What happened? I want to see my father." Michael replied, and then his principle adverted his eyes.
"I am afraid you won't be able to son..." Mr. Pendrough replied, looking towards the floor.
"What? No... no, no, dad, no, you can't leave me, please no, I love you, why? Why!?" Michael became hysterical, got up, and started pacing back and forth. He started to cry, feeling only fear that his father was gone from his life forever. He needed him, he needed his dad. Michael ran towards the door and out of the office, out of the front doors to the school, and all the way back home. Mr. Pendrough tried to call to him, but his voice was faint and trailed in the back of Michael's mind. When he got home he unlocked the door and ran inside, leaving the door wide open as he sprinted towards his father's room. He flung open the door and stood there, stunned. His father was gone, no one was there. He walked up to his dad's bed, laid down, and began to weep. He felt alone, utterly alone and useless.
"Five more minutes..." Michael tries to protest.
"Five more minutes and you can walk there, you will be late..." John smirks.
Another groan is heard from under the covers and then out emerges Michael. "By the way son, happy birthday," John says as he heads back downstairs with a smile. "Breakfast is down here if you want it, too."
Michael stretches and smirks, thinking, "Glad he didn't wrestle me out of bed this time..." As Michael heads down the stairs he is surprised to smell his favorite breakfast, gravy and biscuits. "That smells amazing dad," he yells to him.
"Well, I just thought it would be a good start off for the day," John responds back as Michael enters the kitchen. "Just one problem son..."
Michael cut him off, "... you have to work today. Yeah, no worries."
"Son, I want to be there for you today. You are still my kid..."
"Dad, come on I am eighteen, I think it is official that I am a man now, not a kid."
"Still won't matter to me, feels like only yesterday you were running in my room scared in the middle of the night."
"Yeah, and I was starting kindergarten for the first time too," Michael laughed.
"And now you are graduating and will end up running back to me to help you figure out how to do your own laundry in college," John jokes back. They both smile at each other and laugh. “I will try and make it home early, hope pizza and movies sound like a good way to spend a birthday night.“
“Sounds awesome dad, just no more westerns please…”
“You know you love my westerns son, they are classics!”
They both laugh and Michael finishes up his breakfast. “Alright dad, I am off to school… See you tonight!”
“See you tonight, son! Love you!” John yells back after him.
Michael picks up his back pack, walks out the door, and heads for the bus stop to go to school. As Michael waits at the bus stop, he can't help but think of the fact that he is now eighteen with still no idea of what he wants to do after high school. "Down to the end..." he mumbles to himself.
"Are you talking to yourself?" A girl had just joined him at the bus stop and Michael did not even see her at first. Michael turned to see who it was and felt relieved as he saw it was Emily, his best friend since the first day of kindergarten.
"Yeah, but now that I have company there is no reason to… I was kind of getting aggravated talking to myself, he acts so immature at times," Michael joked around.
"I don't know about that, he seems alright to me," Emily said smiling back.
They both waited and talked with each other until the school bus came and picked them up. On the way to school, Michael started to feel exhausted and his back started to get sore. Emily noticed the slight change in comfort and asked him what was wrong, but Michael had no idea and said he was alright. They arrived at school and headed straight for the auditorium.
Today a speaker was coming in to talk to the graduating class about what they want to aspire to be when growing up; the speaker happened to also be Father Keith. Father Keith was the pastor at Michael’s grade school church growing up, but back then there was a different pastor that performed all of the services. Michael graduated grade school before he could ever meet Father Keith, but he has heard about all of the good things Father Keith has been trying to do for the community, steering teenage minds in the right path after graduating being one of them. Before Michael and Emily could get to the auditorium, the school principle came up behind him accompanied by two police officers. "Michael!" He called with an expression that seemed to be full of sorrow.
"Yes, Mr. Pendrough?" Michael asked in wonder.
"Can you please come to my office, there is something we need to talk about."
"Yeah, no problem." Michael looked back at Emily with worry in his eyes and then started to follow Mr. Pendrough back to his office, the two police officers still following behind.
"Please, have a seat Michael," Mr. Pendrough motioned towards the chair in front of his desk. Michael sat down as the two officers entered and closed the door.
"Am I in trouble, Mr. Pendrough?" Michael asked.
"No, no, Michael... there is something you need to know." Mr. Pendrough took a deep breath and gulped, "... it is about your father..."
"What is going on with my father? Is he in trouble? What is going on?"
"I am sorry to tell you this.... Michael... there has been an accident."
"What do you mean an accident, is he alright? What happened? I want to see my father." Michael replied, and then his principle adverted his eyes.
"I am afraid you won't be able to son..." Mr. Pendrough replied, looking towards the floor.
"What? No... no, no, dad, no, you can't leave me, please no, I love you, why? Why!?" Michael became hysterical, got up, and started pacing back and forth. He started to cry, feeling only fear that his father was gone from his life forever. He needed him, he needed his dad. Michael ran towards the door and out of the office, out of the front doors to the school, and all the way back home. Mr. Pendrough tried to call to him, but his voice was faint and trailed in the back of Michael's mind. When he got home he unlocked the door and ran inside, leaving the door wide open as he sprinted towards his father's room. He flung open the door and stood there, stunned. His father was gone, no one was there. He walked up to his dad's bed, laid down, and began to weep. He felt alone, utterly alone and useless.
♠ ♠ ♠
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