|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Daughter V.S. Parents | |||||||||||||||||||
| Last night, I tried to come in without my parents' knowledge. I'd been out late, past curfew and knew they would have a fit if they knew how late it was. When I quietly unlocked and opened the front door, it was all dark. I was thinking that maybe they stayed up to wait, but it seemed as if they hadn't. Then I walked into the kitcehn to check the phone to see if anyone had called. I turned on the light and there they were, awaiting my arrival. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence," my father is usually the first one to speak. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yah, honey. I was fearing that we might be sitting here waiting for you all night. The least you could have done was called," my mother, the understanding one. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "So, where were you?" My father demanded me. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I was just out with Cassie, nothing special," I was hoping they would buy this cheap response, it was what I usually did when I went out. | |||||||||||||||||||
| " 'Just out with Cassie, nothing special.' Well if it was nothing special then why did it continue so late into the night? Do you have ANY idea what time it is?!" Ugh, my father is so unreasonable. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes father, I'm well aware of the hour on the clock-hand. I'm really very sorry, but could we not continue this at a more appropriate hour? Like, say tomorrow morning when I'm fully awake?" My hopeful expression must've given me away. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "But, honey. If you were out so late with Cassie, then why are you all of a sudden so tired when you have to talk to us?" My mother must be seeing through my lies. Why are mothers always so perceptive of their children? | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Well mom, you see, I came home because I was tired and I wanted to go right to sleep," which was the only response I could think of that they might believe. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "What exactly were you doing with Cassie that you could not have waited until tomorrow to do?" Always my father with the tough questions. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "We were simply having a conversation and if we were to have held it off until tomorrow, we wouldn't have been able to continue it." I was trying my best to sound smart, so they hopefully would believe me. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "But Nicola dear, you're only 16 years old. You shouldn't have been out until three o'clock in the morning. How did you get home? Did you walk or did you get a cab with your non-existent money?" She was trying to make it sound so sweet, but I knew they were probing me. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "I walked, Mom. As you just stated, I have no money. Can I please go to bed now?" I was so hoping they would let me off easily. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Not until you tell me exactly what it was you were doing with Cassie, or whomever you were with. You know we aren't dumb, so why are you pretending that we are by telling us this load of lies?" My father wasn't about to let me off as easily as I was hoping. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Come on Dad, Mom. I'm really tired. Couldn't we please finish this in the morning? I promise to tell you my whole story. I'm just so exhausted right now. I don't even know if I can think straight." I gave up trying to hide what I was doing with them, I just had to think of a way to tell them so they wouldn't get as mad as I feared they would. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Okay honey. Tomorrow morning. I'll come into your room and wake you up at nine. I do hope that five hours is enough sleep for you." Mom, sugar coating everything as always. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes, mother. Good-night father, mother. Have a nice sleep. See you in the morning, nine sharp." My mother is always on time. | |||||||||||||||||||
| I started towards the stairs hoping to make a clean escape. I heard my parents talking about me. My mother sounded really upset. She thought that I was out with that boy she thinks I like, Antonio. Well, she'd find out tomorrow morning when I tell them what I was doing. They'll still be disappointed, but at least it wasn't anything that could mess up my entire life. Just my relationship with my parents, not to mention their trust. Details, I must include details so as to not leave anything out so maybe I'll not lose their trust. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Good morning darling. It's nine, time to get up." My mothers sing-song-wake-up voice drives me nuts first thing in the morning. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Mmm. Ok mom, I'm up," was the only thing I could think of to say. | |||||||||||||||||||
| She left my room and let me get ready to go downstairs. That gave me a few minutes to think over what I had decided to tell them. When I went downstairs, both my parents looked happy. My dad nursing a cup of coffee and my mom with her favourite morning bagel. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "So, Nicola how about some breakfast?" At least my dad was trying to be courteous. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "After. I wanna have my say first, if that's all right?" I just wanted to spill my guts and get it over with. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Sure honey, go ahead." Mother urging me on with her ever-present sweetness. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Here goes nothin'. Ok, last night I WAS with Cassie. But she brought along her friend, Jake. You must've heard of Jake. He's the bad boy of our school and I was kinda surprised that Cassie was actually with him. He's the type of guy who does drugs and drinks alcohol and skips school frequently. I have no idea what Cassie sees in him but she kept looking at him with stars in her eyes as if he was her god or something. As you both should well know, Cassie is my best friend and I wouldn't do anything to make her unhappy. She liked Jake so I tried to like Jake. He seemed nice enough. Are you guys following what I'm saying?" I was hoping that they weren't already mad about me hanging out with Jake. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes, yes. Go on," they responded in unison. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Ok, well here comes the point to my whole story. Jake put his hand into his pocket and took something out. I wasn't sure what it was until he went into his other pocket and pulled out a lighter. He lit whatever it was up and I thought it was just a cigarette, so I was ok with it. People smoke every day. If they wanna cut their lives short, who am I to stop them? Anyway, he asked me if I wanted a drag and I simply shook my head. He asked the same to Cassie and, shocking me, she took a drag. Then that was when I noticed the smell. It wasn't a cigarette. It was marijuana. Cassie was taking a drag of a marijuana joint. I couldn't believe it. Cassie then asked me to just 'try' it. I figured, why not? It's not a cigarette so it can't kill me, and so many people smoke marijuana. I thought that it wouldn't be that bad. I took a drag. Cassie and I started to walk towards a tunnel under train tracks and just sat there giggling. Jake came over and gave us a joint and between the two of us we smoked the whole thing. Still with me?" I wanted a pause to collect my thoughts. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes." My father sounded quite angry. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Ok, I think so honey." My mother sounded terribly upset. This is what I had been fearing. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "After we smoked the whole joint, Cassie and me just continued to sit there giggling. Jake was off laughing with his other friends. After what seemed like five minutes, it stopped being fun and became scary. I didn't think that the feeling would ever go away. I felt like I was either going to continue feeling tingly and odd or just die. I was so scared. Cassie made me lie down and sleep. I think that this was around ten o'clock. I cried myself into a short nap. I woke up around two. When I sat up, Cassie was sitting beside me looking incredibly worried. She noticed me and hugged me really tight. We both vowed that on our friendship we would never do it again." I had to take a deep breath in order to continue what I had to say, by this time, I also had tears in my eyes. "Jake was gone by that time so me and Cassie departed there and we both walked home. I'm so sorry. I should never have tried it and even if I did try it I should never have continued to do more. But mom, Cassie was doing it. You like Cassie right? I thought that if Cassie was doing that it couldn't be all bad. I know you're going to punish me, but I swear to you both, I've learned my lesson. I will NEVER do drugs of any kind again. Nor will I stay out until three o'clock in the morning without letting you know exactly what I'm doing, where I am and who I am with." Deep breath, ok I'm finally done. It's all out and I didn't even have to hide it for a long time. I felt so proud of myself, but then I looked at my father. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Nicola, I guess I was wrong when I thought that I had raised you properly. You made a terrible mistake smoking pot last night." Amazingly, he sounded so reasonable. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "But? Please tell me there's a but?" I have forever been the hopeful one. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "But, it seems that you have learned your lesson. Drugs are very bad for you, mentally and physically. And you're right. I do like Cassie, I hope she is as honest with her parents as you have been with us. With your honesty in mind, I'm going to let your mother give you your punishment. Ok Gail, your go." I was shocked! | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Honey, we both love you very much and I know that you are hoping that I will let you off very easily. I don't think I can do that. You may think that you've learned your lesson, but I cannot let this go unpunished and call myself a good mother. I think that your punishment will last two weeks and it will consist of only being able to go out until four o'clock every day and if you want to see people after that time, it will be under this roof where we can keep our eyes on you. You will also have to re-earn my trust, as well as your father's. Is that fair?" I totally thought it was fair! I thought my dad would throw a fit and he was more calm than my mother. | |||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes mom. I love you both too. I know I made a mistake and whether you believe me or not, I won't ever do it again." I ran over and hugged them both adding tears to my mother's beautiful cerulean blue eyes and pride to my father's emerald ones. | |||||||||||||||||||
| The End | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||