A Simple Biographical Story

This is a tale of my life. One of many to come...

This story begins a little over four years ago. My day started out like any other day, I wake up, eat breakfast, which usually consisted of oats and dried cranberries, then I get ready for school. Before I even had a chance to pack my lunch, I heard my grandma call my name. Now this might not seem that strange to you, but my grandma was usually asleep until noon, that was when she had to wake up to take her medicine. The fact that my grandma was up this early concerned me. Scared and a little curious, I head down stairs. Our house was big compared to most, three stories including the downstairs. The house was an odd green colour with white doors and window slats. It sat on a hill, half of the down stairs was under ground while the rest of the house was above. The backyard was half an acre of moist brown soil with a vast canopy of leaves shading most of it. My grandparents had built me a swing and play set under a large oak tree. I lived with my grandma and grandpa because at the time my mother was in prison for something unknown to me, but we called it “Vacation.” since I was too little to actually understand the gravity of it. As I walked down the old wooden stairs the smell of stain and something a bit sweeter permeated my nose; my grandpa, who was responsible for the sharp smell of lacquer had just stained the stairs a week before, to look like cherry wood. But it was that strange sweet smell is what caught my attention and peeked my curiosity. More curious than i was scared at this point I opened the door to my grandmas room, the room itself almost ¼ of a football field, making it the biggest individual room in the whole house. Looking around the usually plain and mute room, I immediately noticed something, no longer was her huge warm bed in the middle of the room or my grandpas papers cluttering the floor, their room was an explosion of colors with a few words standing out the most. They read “ HAPPY 12th BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!”. As I saw the cake i only had enough time to stutter a few sounds of amazement before I was embraced in a warm bear hug that felt very familiar. It was my mom. She was crying and saying how proud she was of me that I kept up on my grades and how she was sorry she was not here for all the awards I had got and even for my last birthday. I forgave my mom instantly, too shocked and overwhelmed to do anything else besides cling to my mom. That only made my mom cry even more. She sobbed, holding me in her arms, telling me how much i have grown and how next year i will be a teenager. She said she would probably cry then too. I looked her dead in the eyes and tried to make my voice as deep as I could, then I said “ When i’m fourteen, or even fifteen, then I could drive and come visit you wherever you are, even on your birthday.”That made her laugh and her eyes shone deeply with pride. She told me that she might just cry so hard then that she will have a heart attack. We both laughed and enjoyed the day until we had so much fun we fell asleep. That day is one I will never forget. Three years pass and It is the morning of my 15th birthday. I get ready for the day same as I always have, I wake up, eat breakfast, this time it is oatmeal with cinnamon and apple, then I head off to school. I had just called my mom the day before. She told me she had a hundred dollars just for me. That might not seem like a lot of money but for my mom and me, who had been poor all of our lives, that was a lot of money to give. I was just excited that I got to see her. So i looked off into space the whole day, thinking about all the fun things her and me might do, which probably wasn't a good idea since i had work to do. Come around the middle of seventh period I got a phone call. My phone was on vibrate so no one other than me knew about i; but i didn't answer it. My seventh period was a medium sized class of twenty to thirty kids, all of which I knew. Near the end of class, during our study time, the teacher tells me that he needs my phone. Of course I ask why, and the class is thrown into silence, but a few “Oohs.” could be heard from my close friends. My older sister had just called the school. She wanted me to give the office my phone and the password. This really concerned me. I thought that maybe I had done something. Everyone else in the class laughed and said that I must have forgotten to delete my history. But I  definitely did not forget. So I worried the rest of the class. Which was only about ten minutes. Then I got on the hot crowded bus, which smelled like sweat, plastic leather, and Duck Tape. Still concerned about myself and now wondering if I really had forgotten to clear my history, I took a deep breath and opened the door to my step moms. At this point I lived with my older sister because my mom did not have a job and could not afford the rent. We lived on the bluffs, which was too far to walk to, consequently i stayed at Brandies, my step mom's house, until Alisha, my older sister, brought us home. As i entered the house, both Alisha and Brandie were standing by the computer, they had clearly been crying. Alisha hands me my phone and says she was sorry for taking it like she did. She just wanted to make sure i didn't answer the call from the coroner. Confused i asked, “What are you talking about?”. All she said at first was that she was sorry. Still confused i asked if i could call my mom before we talked, because i was supposed to call her. I was still super excited to see her and wanted to talk to her badly, she was supposed to pick me up right after school. They started crying again, this time almost hysterically. Then she hugs me and said, “The call was from the coroner, mom was found dead the night before.” Again a long hug and some muttered sobs saying that she was sorry. I didn't believe her at first. I didn't believe anyone at first. But as the day rolled on and she didn't come, nor answer my frantic messages, it finally sank in. And I cried. I cried so much that I ended up passing out. It has been a little over a year, and I just spent my first birthday without her, really without her. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. I wish i could tell her that I loved her. Even if only one more time.

Author's Note

My moms birthday was not that long ago... i hope the story was not too sad for you, my dear readers.

Reviews

[Justin Beaudrie]

Hey Tyler,

I'm sorry to hear about your mom. I lost my dad when I was in high school and it was terrible. You both are connected in a unique way and share a special bond in time.

I originally thought you wanted someone to edit your writing, but to be honest, I would not pressure you to change it. I understood where you were and what you were dealing with.

As a writer, I recommend working on structuring your work into paragraphs. Also, use a uniform tense (past, present, future) in your writing. It can help make it flow more easily to your readers.