Late Late Late Always Late!

This is based on true experiences of my friends and family members always being late or standing me up at events. Dont you just hate when that happens?

 

Im the kind of person who loves to be on time and hates to be late. So what would be more ironic than to have unreliable late friends and family members? My story starts with the first person to dissapoint me: my father. It mainly started with him not picking me up from school on time. Almost everyday my brother and I would be the last kids waiting for our father to arrive. We'd watch sadly and longingly as all the children, one by one, left with their parents in their stylish mini-vans. Thats another thing our ride at the time was far from stylish or even remotely decent. My father drove an old, broke down, paint peeling, Dodge Ram commercial van. I don't remember the year but it was really old and made lots of noise-enough to wake a whole town. So now not only was he late but he arrived to collect us in this embarrasing vehicle. At least the other children weren't there to see but it  didn't matter because they saw it the morning when he dropped us off at school--always late of course. "Why do we have to ride in this beat up piece of junk?' my brother and I would complain, "Why can't we get a new car?"

 

"Whats wrong with this one?" he'd ask.

 

"Its old, ugly, and the kids always laugh and make fun of us!" we'd cry.

 

"Well that's too bad. It may be old but it sure is getting you around. Besides do you see those other kids who make fun of you give you a ride?" He had a point.

 

Every now and then another student may stay long after school because their parents were late. But very rarely. For us it was rare that our father even picked us up on time. "Where's your father Haleema?" the principal would often ask. " I don't know maybe he's out of town," I'd embarrassingly reply. My dad owns his own small incense and oil company. He is a wholesaler so he has to deliver the merchandise to different stores in New York City, while we waited patiently for him at school in New Jersey. My father was and still is a workaholic I guess that's more important.

 

More than often my brother and I would wait at school for our father until it closed. We were then instructed to wait for him at the local library down the street. Many times my father was late even picking us up from there. He told us beforehand thats "if" he were late that we wait for him at the local mosque a block away from our school and library. I remember once waiting at the local mosque until 10.00pm! I wont even talk about all the thirst and hunger pangs I felt during all those hours of waiting. Although I was angered by all this, I was always relieved to see him when he finally did come. Relieved to know he hadn't abandoned us.

 

 

To be continued..........

 

 

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

I'm sure glad he always showed up, even though he was sometimes very late. I can't stand to be late, either, and it drives me crazy when people don't show up on time. Thank you, Haleemaaisha.

[Adela Muresan]

I think you did a good thing by letting it out writing a story. It's simplicity makes it nice, and pleasurable.

You should try to ,, flourish,, it up a bit into a book- the kind you finish in two days at most :) .

A.M.

[talibislam]

Alhamdulillah, it is good. It makes me sad for you. On the other hand, the part about "stylish mini-vans" was funny. Soccer moms are sooooo cooool. Just kidding, I know the feeling. I liked it, and can't wait for the rest.

[kurrupted]

what a lovely yet so touchy story. believe me alot of us have gone thru this very situation of being picked up late in school, it turned out to be the first field operation(lol!) where adolecent life and the parent/adulthood clash.i was ones forgotten in school (upto 8hours after school hours) that i began to walk and got lost, the cops have to be brought in to find me.lol!
the car, yes the car- although i had not fallen in such a situation, i have seen kids being wooed cuz of the car they were brought in. the plate number of this old mercedes 280 SEL is XX 10 XXX and when ever these boys are brought to school the car makes so much loud noise that the kids rush to the fence of the school and start shouting DC-10, DC-10 till the man drives away...but the truth is just like our fingers are not equal so will be everything in life ,some didnt even get the car to bring them to school, they walk and some didnt even get the previledge to be in school...well those were thoughts and life from a childs perspective, i bet today you could comprehend and reason to never see that from a negative eye. reminded me of the quote "it is when you give birth to your own children that will thank and forgive your own parents"

[talibislam]

Hmmmmm, bet I know who inspired (or is going to inspire) this. Am I right?