The One and Only Time I Ditched School…

     

    On my way to school one morning during my eighth grade year I ran into two friends walking the opposite way.  They said they were ditching school and invited me to come along.  I figured why not I had been sick the day before so the school would never know.

     We left our neighborhood and had walked about two miles when my friends suggested we hop on the bus for the remainder of our journey.  Having a father who is a bus driver I was scared.

      “What if it’s my Daddy’s bus?” I asked

      “What are the odds of that actually happening?”  One of my friends replied.

      Thinking it through for a brief moment I agreed with her just as the bus came to a stop.  The doors opened and sure enough my Daddy was at the wheel staring down at us.  The three of us couldn’t move at first then I yelled, “Run!”  My friends quickly followed behind me.  Then I saw Cortez Park and screamed, “Follow me to the park he can’t drive the bus through the park!”

      We made it to the center of the rather large park all gasping for air.  Once I caught my breath I uttered, “I knew it would be my Daddy’s bus I just knew it.  He’s going to kill me.”

      We ran, then walked, then ran some more until we finally made it to my friend’s boyfriend’s house.  We got a ride back home several hours later.  I threw out the outfit I was wearing and went home.  It seemed like an eternity until my Daddy got home that night.

      When he finally walked through the door I was terrified of what would happen next.  He asked how my day was and what I learned in school that day.  I made up a story about my day.  Then he looked down at me and said, “That’s funny because I saw you about to get on my bus.”  I denied it saying, "It must have been the girl down the street, everyone thinks we look alike."  

      “I know what my own daughter looks like,” he replied.

      “It wasn’t me Daddy,” I said before I could stop myself.

      “Well I’m going to call the school tomorrow to find out if you were there,” he stated with a look in his eyes that terrified me.

      My cocky teenage mouth blurted, “Go ahead I was there.”

      I cried myself to sleep that night unknowing if he was really going to call the school.  The whole next day I walked around like a zombie fearing what he was going to do to me. 

      That night when he got home he was furious with me.  Not because I ditched school but because I had disrespected him by lying to his face.  My punishment was harsh but I definitely deserved it.  The part that hurt the most was the mixture of sadness and disappointment in his eyes.

      To this day I do not lie if anything I’m too honest and often I tell on myself because the look I saw on my Daddy’s face that day I never wanted to see again.

©2014 Lysa Wilds

Epic Fail First Day as a Freshman

   

 I tried my best to prepare my 14 year old daughter for her first days as a lowly freshman in high school.  Her step-mom joined us for the pep rally and orientation.  We even toured the campus to show her where her classes, bathrooms, locker room, lunch room, etc where.  After all the school really hasn’t changed since I was a freshman there.

     We really thought she was prepared and would be just fine.  Her step-mom dropped her off the first day of school and she was to take the bus home to my house that afternoon.  Sounds easy enough right?

      She couldn't figure out how to open her locker.  (It took over a week before a friend showed her how.)  Then she ended the day with an epic fail!  She forgot her bus number and instead of just looking for her friends that live in our neighborhood she freaks out and runs to the bookstore.  She waited in line for 30 minutes to get her bus number.  By the time she finally got her bus number all of the buses had left the school.  Her step-mom rescued her and brought her home to me.

      When she finally arrived home she found her bus schedule and bus number taped to her bedroom door and I made her write the bus number on every binder and folder she had in her backpack.  She is definitely a mini me and should have been born with blonde hair just like me.

       There will be more stories about Miss Brooklynn and her high school adventures she comes home every day with another hilarious story and yes they are true…my poor Peanut!

©2014 Lysa Wilds

My Two Blessings in Disguise

   

    I’m trying hard to meet my first deadline for my new freelance writing job and told Brooklynn and Kelsey they needed to clean their rooms.  Of course they don’t understand the English that I speak and obviously today neither does Kenny.  What should have only taken an hour has taken several by the ridiculous interruptions that keep occurring.  

     Really Kenny you needed my opinion on which piece of plywood was best to use for the home improvement project your working on?  Then the “Hey Mom take a picture of us with the dogs for Instagram and insert #mancation”, they were watching Ridiculousness, seriously????  Then I hear a stomping elephant in the back of the house only to realize moments later that it was Kelsey when she said “Hey Mom don’t I look cute?" She was in Brooklynn’s graduation dress and 3” heels. 

     The best was when Kenny said “Can’t you find a more comfortable place to work?” My response, “I can’t even find a quiet place to work in this circus why do you care if I’m comfortable, I’m supposed to be working.” 

       Then right as I’m pondering whether or not it’s a good time to take a break I hear my precious girls in the hallway. Brooklynn yells, “Kelsey get back here and let me teach you how to slow dance.” I smirked, the stress immediately went away along with the frustration of them not cleaning their room for once they weren't fighting or bugging me. 

      As I finish writing this I now hear Kenny sawing the plywood from the garage…I told you my life was a circus!

©2014 Lysa Wilds