Chapter 4
As I thought of my Middle School years, my mind frequently drifted into the events of High School.
I was standing at my locker getting my books for my next class, when I felt a soft tap on my shoulder. I closed my locker and spun around, book clenched to my chest.
"Hey, Pacey." I smiled.
"Are you doing anything tonight?"
"No," I simply replied.
"Would you like to go to a movie tonight?" he asked me. Pacey and I had been dating for a couple of months. He was about the same height as I was and has the same thin body. He had sandy blonde hair and piercing, dark green eyes; a very handsome young man.
"You know that I am not allowed to go out on school nights," I told him.
"Come on, can't you break the rules just this once?" he pleaded.
"Okay, I'll ask but I'm not promising you anything," I said.
"That's all I ask," he said as he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss.
"Mom, can I go out with Pacey tonight?" I asked my mother after school that day.
"Joey, you know the rules, no going out on school nights," my mother replied. Her voice was raspy and her face pale, the creases in her skin were now apparent. She coughed.
"If I finish my homework can I?"
"If you finish your homework, then yes," she responded. Without another word, I ran upstairs and vigorously dug into my homework. After I had finished I returned downstairs as I heard the doorbell ring. I ran to the front door in anticipation.
"Pacey, what are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.
"I figured I would come and see if we were on for tonight."
"I still have to ask my Mom. Hold on a minute," I said, signaling for him to come in.
"Mom, I've finished my homework, is it okay if I go out with Pacey now?" I asked.
"Sure, go ahead. Just be sure to be home by curfew," she told me.
"Thanks Mom," I said, excited. I returned to the front door where Pacey was patiently waiting.
"Let's go," I said, as I grabbed my coat off the coat rack.
"I am glad you could make it," he said as he gave me a light peck on the cheek. I blushed; I loved it when he did that.
"I have my Mom to thank for all of this," I said as we walked to his car, arm in arm.
And memories like those brought me to the day that I went off to college. My mother was a mess, she was crying uncontrollably.
"Don't cry," I told her. She tried to hold back the tears, but the more she tried the more they continued to fall.
"I'm going to miss you so much," she said, hugging me. Her grip was weak; her bones more brittle then they were years ago. Over the years, she had often complained of having little aches and pains, and lately she seemed to be coughing more often then ever.
"I'm going to miss you too, Mom," I said.
"I love you," she said. Her voice was now very hoarse and scratchy. Her face looked pale and drained from all of the stress of having to put up with a teenager for five years.
"I love you too, Mom."