Remembering Me

Chapter 10: Spread Your Wings And Fly Little One

I got home sooner than my parents for a second day. I ordered two boxes of pepperoni pizza from the local pizza parlor Twisted Toppings to be delivered in the next 2 hours. I grabbed money from the jar in our family's cupboard for miscellaneous purchases like this, enough to give a good tip, too. I brought my book bag upstairs to my room and wrote down the due dates for my latest assignments on my desk calendar to keep myself organized. This was also to keep my parents in the loop to know what was going on for me at school with my assignments. We didn't go out often as a family, but we did on occasion to celebrate special events. They'd check the calendar in my room to make sure nothing would interfere with any upcoming assignments or tests scheduled before making family plans.

I was fortunate to have such supportive parents. I was still deciding what to study in college, but I wanted to attend college. Better grades gave me more options for what to pursue. I didn't have many chores around the house, so it gave me more time to focus on my studies. I was grateful that nothing prevented me from trying my best in my studies.

I grabbed my copy of The Giver and went downstairs to read my assigned novel from English. I'd read it before, and it was only 23 chapters of varying length. But the essay topic hit close to home with my dad working in the sheriff's office, and I wanted to discuss my ideas with him tonight while we had pizza to get his perspective. I got comfortable on the couch with a mug of herbal tea and picked up my book to continue reading. Although it wasn't my first time reading this novel, the idea of the elders choosing to remove love from their world because it caused pain and suffering broke my heart. I thought about how fortunate I was that I grew up in a home filled with love and where telling one another we loved them wasn't frowned upon. I couldn't even imagine my parents telling me that it was inappropriate to use the word love or for the word to be considered meaningless and obsolete. I wiped the tears that had fallen on my cheeks while I was reading. Darn book, giving me all the feels again, I thought.

I'd finally finished the book when the doorbell rang, signaling the pizza delivery. Wow, I thought Mom and Dad were late getting home tonight as I paid and tipped the driver. I closed and locked the door and set the table with plates, napkins, and the two boxes of pepperoni pizza. I went upstairs to my room to grab my notebook and a pen to write down some ideas from the book I could use in my essay to reference. I finished my mug of herbal tea and notes just as my parents walked in the door.

"Hey, kiddo, thanks for ordering the pizza. It smells delicious, and I am SO hungry," my dad said.

"Your mom and I met up at the mall after work to shop because someone is turning 18 next month. We wanted to get you an early birthday present, especially since you have the bonfire this weekend at Raven's house," he said.

"We really should have gotten you this when you got the old car from your dad," my mom said.

"You'll still get a few surprise presents from us on your special sweetheart, but your dad and I had a special bracelet made for you and finally got you a cell phone. Driving a much loved older vehicle in a rural area without a cell phone is not the best idea. This will give you more flexibility with going out with your friends because we can reach one another easily. Just a phone call away," Mom said.

"We know it's been hard ending things with Alan and starting at a new school," Dad said awkwardly.

I looked up anxiously at my father. This was awkward for me, too, having my dad acknowledge my first love like this.

"Being at a new school, that is ...." he cleared his throat uncomfortably before continuing, " a coed school, you will meet more young men that might catch your eye. Although I'm thrilled to have you focus just on your studies and spend time with us, your mother has reminded me that you are a responsible teenager who has made new friends at this school and that you may, in time, want to date again. I still expect to meet the young man you decide to date, and you are to be respectful and responsible when you go out, abiding by our curfew and rules in this house. But you are growing up Sage, and your mother and I are so proud of the young woman you are becoming," Dad said.

I rushed over to give my dad and mom a hug. " I love you too," I said, smiling.

My mom took my left hand and placed a beautiful bracelet on my wrist. It had amethyst, apatite, bloodstone, and goldstone stones with a 14-karat gold angel wing charm. Mom and I often collected remarkable rocks, so I knew the meaning of each one on the bracelet. They'd had this custom-made because some of the beads were hard to come by in our small town.

"Mom, this is gorgeous, and I love the beads you chose!" I said, my voice laced with emotion.

" Thank you, it's perfect. "

Mom smiled and said, "Your dad spent quite a bit of time getting your new phone all set up for you at the store. We've programmed your number into our contacts and have done the same for you. Your grandparents and aunt's numbers are in there, too. You should probably put in Willow and Raven's numbers as well tonight. I've got Raven's mom's number in my contacts, too. We exchanged numbers, so I don't need to call Raven to speak with her mom," she gave me a knowing look.

I laughed and said, "Nothing to worry about there, Mom. Let's grab some pizza before it gets cold. It was just delivered right before you both got home."

We sat together in the dining room, sharing the events of our days. I picked Dad's brain for ideas about my essay topic for English. He was accommodating, especially by giving examples of recent municipal laws passed and why they were implemented. I was going to help tidy up after, but my mom saw how the conversation with my dad helped me organize my thoughts for my assignment and ushered me upstairs to work on it while I was feeling inspired. Grateful, I went to my room, opened my laptop, and started typing in a new Word document. Mom knocked on the door a few hours later to say goodnight as I saved my rough draft.

"I just wanted to say goodnight, sweetheart. Your dad has already gone to bed and didn't want to interrupt you while you were working. He poked his head in earlier to say goodnight, but you were so focused you didn't even know he was there, " she chuckled.

"I know you were determined to get your first draft of the assignment done tonight, but you should go to bed now, too. It's late, sweetheart," Mom said.

"Thanks, Mom. Don't worry, I just finished. I can work on editing it tomorrow in class. Do you mind if I stay at the library after school tomorrow to work on my geography project with Raven?" I asked.

I shared with my mom the details of the assignment and how we wanted to present it in a scattergraph. Mom agreed that we would need that extra time to research the connection between access to clean water and mortality rate for the current data required for our graphic presentation.

"Not to worry, my dear, I'll take your dad on a date tomorrow since you won't be home for dinner with us. Remember to text your dad and me to let us know when you leave the library and get home. Let your dad and I know if you and Raven decide to grab a bite to eat at the diner on your way home from school. Could you also remind Raven to do the same with her mom? I know that Mrs. Foster would appreciate that too," Mom said as she kissed me on my forehead goodnight.

I turned off my laptop and put it in my larger school bag, notebook, pens, and books. I went downstairs to quickly make my lunch for tomorrow and tidy up my dishes. I returned upstairs and chose a pair of comfortable leggings and a sweater for tomorrow. I needed to dress for comfort with so much work to get done before Raven's bonfire. Exhausted from the day, I got into my pajamas, slipped into bed, and quickly fell asleep.