She left. She really left. I didn’t think she could do it. My mother left and without me, of all people, her own son. All I have now is my father and he’s the total cause of her leaving. Now that my mother’s gone will he take his temperament out on me? Will he beat me like he beat my mother? Yea, sure my father’s always liked me, but that’s because I always tried to distance myself from him. When he'd come home furious, I'd lock myself in my room to avoid any sort of conflict while my mother got all the heat. At times I would try to persuade myself into possibly standing up to my father, but I'd later just convince myself of how I'd only make things worse.Â
Today’s the day, my first day of high school, finally a chance to get out of this house and away from my father. I devour my breakfast and bolt out the door. I feel free with the wind in my face and the crisp air puncturing my skin, a sensation some people might dislike, but makes me ecstatic. I reach the school and look up at the sign "TRINITY HIGH-SCHOOL". I take a big breath and step through those seemingly enormous doors.Â
The tiled floor, the embroidered staircase, the vaulted ceiling, it takes my breath away. The breath I had so recently gotten, but it was that beautiful. I see all the high schoolers approaching their lockers and walking down the halls and I start to feel a little out of place. The tucked in collared shirts, the hair that looks so stiff and with so much gel that if you took a hammer to it it would shatter. The insecurity grows within me as I notice these things. I start fixing myself by tucking in my shirt, fixing my hair, and pulling down my rolled up sleeves to cover the bruises throughout my arm.Â
A beep goes off and the intercom starts speaking,"Welcome to Trinity , to all the freshman we are excited to have you here and all the stuff you'll need will be in the office so scoot your butts on over there as soon as possible." I look at my schedule to find my first class. English with Mr.Erickson in room 207.
"Good morning class hope the sunshine's been treating you well. As you might have heard already I'm Mr. Erickson and I'll be your English teacher for the next four years, due to our teaching style, the English teacher is to have their own graduating class every four years that they personally grow and work with. There will be a lot of reading, discussions, projects, and homework in these next four years, but my goal is is to help you as students to do the best you possibly can.Â
"Leon you haven't been doing well in this class, though you seem to have great potential to do well. Now I can tutor you, but you really have to want to do well or else we'd both be wasting our time."
"Yes Mr. Erickson, I do want to do well it's just that I don't really have time to do my homework or study when I'm at my house.
"Okay then, when are you available for tutoring sessions I'm pretty flexible."
"Three to five would be good because I have to be home for dinner."
"Great three to five after school it is."
I got home from school carefully and quietly going into the house, making sure I don't disturb my father in any way. I see my father as I walk in and I decided to tell him why I'll be gone from school from three to five every day after school. I start to speak up then I decided in a brief moment to lie to my father why I'd be gone.Â
"Dad," I say nervously.
"Yes, Leon?" in the deepest voice possible.
" I just wanted to tell you that I joined the football team and starting tomorrow they're practices on weekdays from three to five after school.
"Good for you Leon you need more muscle on those skinny bones of yours." I chuckle to be polite," Make sure you do your chores when you get home from practice, you don't want to be filthy and starving do ya?"
"No, yes father."
"The clock signs as it strikes five, "Alright Leon our tutoring session is done for the day."
"Are you sure, I still don't think I completely understand what interrogative adjectives are."
"Yes you do and I know that because we've been studying for two hours every school day for a week. Besides, don't you have to be home for dinner?"
"Well, my dad is going to be home late anyway, so what's the point of going home right away?"
"Alrighty, if you really want that much more studying time than we can start having Saturday session at seven in the evening."
"Okay, thanks, Mr. Erickson, see you Saturday."
"Good evening Leon, how has your day been so far?"
"Alright, so why are we meeting at the school instead of the library?"
" I thought it was time to do something a little different for our tutoring sessions on Saturdays, though I do know how badly you want to learn about interrogative adjectives." I grin," Today I decided that we'd be doing a little community service for the school, by cleaning and straightening up the classrooms."Â
"What's the point of doing that if it's just going to get all messed up on Monday?"
" This is not a task to do for the outcome, but for something to do for the school to show your appreciation. Us teachers put our lives working for the school trying to make it better, I thought it would be nice to have some company and if you really want, I can teach you about interrogative adjectives again." I smile as Mr. Erickson hands me a cleaning wipe so we can start working.
It's finally been a week since last Saturday, I still remember the feeling of fulfillment after throwing away that last piece of trash after about three hours of cleaning. It was long and tedious, but I can't help but think about how excited I am to have another Saturday "tutoring" session.
I walk into the empty school at exactly seven o'clock and see Mr. Erickson standing right in front of me, but this time he's not carrying any cleaning supplies. " So what is our task today Mr. Erickson?"
"Oh so you came back did you," I nod. "Well, good, cause today our task will be a little tougher than last week because it will take all week for us to do it."
"All week, what are we doing that would take that long?"
"The annual chocolate sale starts this next week and there are several kids every year that don't participate, the reason of which I do not know. This sale helps generate money for the school, you didn't think this beautiful building was already like this when I came here did you? So we will be selling the chocolates that are left unsold so we can get as much money as we can out of this fundraiser. So what do you say will you join me?"
"Yes, sir." Mr. Erickson hands me my first few boxes of chocolates, grabs some for himself, and head out the door going from house to house, person to person, selling chocolates.
After several years of teaching selling the chocolates was always my favorite time of the year. Seeing the kids scramble and spending so many hours trying to sell the chocolates. Today I was so happy, getting ready to go off the roster to see the devotion the kids have for the school. The numbers were adequate, but honestly, I was a little disappointed in how much lower our sales were than years past so far. I finally reached the end of the roster," Renault." There was a silence in the air. I take my eyes off the roster and call again," Renault?" there was still silence and I could tell it was deliberate. "Last call, Renault."Â
Jerry speaks up," No."
I question if I heard him correctly," What?"
"No,"Jerry calls again. I can't believe it why would someone deliberately defy selling chocolates, especially when the money earned goes for bettering your own school. This is a question of morals to the school. Jerry must sell the chocolates no matter the cost.
It was the beginning of my Junior year of high school, the Monday that changed my life forever. The day that was was like a revolving door of thoughts that just never seemed to end. I remember walking through the school door happier than I used to be my life seemed so much brighter than it was about two years before. Though I felt great I couldn't help but notice the quietness in the hall. Sure it was a Monday which most people dreaded, but this was different it was almost sad. Thought pondered in the back of my head as I walked to my first period, did a teacher get fired, was a student kicked out, was homecoming canceled, what could it possibly be to make everyone so solum.Â
I walked into room 207 and to my surprise, there was a substitute. More thoughts sneak in through my head, where's Mr. Erickson, is he okay, I hope he's not sick, I don't think he's ever been sick.Â
The substitute starts to speak," I'm sorry to say that Mr. Erickson has parted with us due to a severe car accident. There are probably many thoughts running through your guys' heads read now same for all the staff here at the school, Mr. Erickson was a great man and it is cruel that he was so young. Let us pray to help ease the pain, so if everyone can please rise. Dear, father who is in heaven please bless those who have been lucky enough, including ourselves, to know Mr. Erickson and were blessed ...."
The thought the regrets everything started flooding how can this be he can't really be gone the last time I saw him was this Saturday for our weekly act of The Vigils. the last thing I said to him was, " Don't forget to sleep, Mr. Erickson." That can't be the last thing that I'll ever say to him. There's only one thing that I could possibly do to make up for everything Mr.Erickson has done and that is to keep The Vigils going. I have to do everything I can to Make the school better no matter what it takes, for Mr. Erickson.Â
"Amen," and we all sat back in our seats. Oh how I wish I could go back and stop myself from letting everything get too far, but if I could I wouldn't because if I did I wouldn't be in the state I am today. At the age of forty-seven and living my life for the better, fulfilling it the way Mr. Erickson really would've wanted me to.