Hello My Friend

CHAPTER ONE

A NOTHER LONG AND boring day with mom still asleep upstairs. Since she has taken this new job it seems to make her sleep a lot more, and now that dad has left, mom just doesn’t seem to be herself anymore. I guess she has a lot on her mind with all the bills she’s always talking about. So today, I will find something to do by myself, but what? What can I do until mom is ready to wak e up?

I started thinking really hard on what I could do. Then decided I know just what to do, and it will be really special for mom. I will clean up the kitchen, and wash the dishes, even dry them, and put them away. This will do the trick I just know it.

So I got to cleaning, and washing the dishes, and drying them. I even put them away in their right spot not just anywhere. Mom is going to love this. Angel smiles to herself, and when I am finished I’ll be sure to go outside, and pick some flowers, too. When mom comes into the kitchen to make her coffee she’ll see the flowers, and how clean it is, and that will make her smile again.

With all of the problems that went on at school last year didn’t help things out either. The kids were picking on me, and making me cry a lot. It caused so much stress, and I tried hard not to bug mom and dad about it because, they were always yelling, and arguing with each other. I didn’t want to get in the way, I just wanted somebody to know, so they could make it stop. Make it all go away but that didn’t happen.

Dad was always mad at me because, I cried a lot and mom was mad at dad because, dad was mad at me. So, I wasn’t to happy with myself at all. Mom would go up to the school, too, but nothing ever happened. The kids would stop for awhile, but then it would start all over again. The pushing, and shoving, calling me names, and telling me how stupid I was for my age. They would shout out at me, Why don’t you grow up little girl! Why are your eyes so cross sided little girl! Then they would laugh at me, and I would just sit there, and get real quiet hoping the silence could hide me from them. But it didn’t.

So then I stop telling the people at school about how I felt, on account of when I did everybody was like Oh Angel, come on they’re just teasing you. I shared my feelings with just dad and mom. Dad wanted me to stand up on my own two feet he would say to me, Tell them back make them afraid of you Angel. I just couldn’t I knew how wrong it was because it hurt me so much that I didn’t want to do it to anybody else. Besides, I felt like my two feet were way to big for my size. I had just turned 11 years old, and felt out of place anyway. I listened to my father though, but when I would look down at my feet all I could wish for was that they would be a size smaller. Mom told me that I was like a little puppy, and that I had not grown into them yet, and puppies were so cute, and cuddly. I guess I was mom’s little puppy.

Mom also told dad not to teach me all those mean things, that she wanted me to be smart not mean like everybody else, and that would start the yelling, and arguing between them. Me, well I would just run upstairs to my bedroom, and shut the door hoping that I wouldn’t hear them. I’d lay on my bed, and look up at all the pretty colors of my room. I loved my bedroom it was my sanctuary.

Then dad left, I think it was because of me, I’ve never asked mom about it though. Maybe one day I will when she feels much better about things again. And when I can learn to stand on my own two feet I will ask her then. But, right now I don’t know if I can stand on my own two feet it seems so hard for me. Just when I think I’m about to do it some kind of fear over whelms me.

Mom always tells me how pretty I am though, and how beautiful my feet are. I love her for this. I just look in the mirror, and wonder.

But not today, mom will be so surprised by all of this, and then she’ll enjoy her coffee again in the mornings. As for me, I am going to enjoy my summer without any one punching me in the arm, and running away laughing or calling me names, and taking my things. I’m going to sleep in, and enjoy the sunshine, and try to become a new Angel.

I never heard mom’s alarm go off so I guess she got to sleep in today. She told me yesterday no work tomorrow honey just sleep, and that’s what she did. Sleep. I only heard her when she started down the stairs, and said, Morning Angel.

So, I hurried as fast as I could to finish everything up, and I put the flowers right in the middle of the kitchen table. That way mom could see them when she sat down to drink her coffee. I was so excited about it, too, I wanted this day to make up for all my bad days.

Morning mom, Glad to see you got to sleep in. Mom looked at me with a smile, Thanks honey, She replied, as she made her coffee. I watched, and thought to myself, what a cool mom I have. Then mom went over to the ice box to get her creamer out, and she saw the flowers on the table. She was so surprised the look on her face was priceless.

Angel! Mom said, Did you do that for me? How thoughtful of you. I walked over, and gave mom a big hug. I want you to feel better mom. I want you to be happy again, and have a good summer. I told her.

Oh Angel, mom sighed, and gave me a big hug back, and whispered in my ear, I will try to do that honey, I promise.

Mom enjoyed her coffee, and we talked for awhile about her new job, and how much she liked it. That the people there seemed to be real nice. Mom had gotten a job after dad had left doing office work. Which I thought, sounded really cool as she talked with me about it. I didn’t understand everything she was saying, but we were talking again, and that was a good thing. Mom did say that she needed more money though to help pay the bills, but hoped that she could show her boss what a good worker she was, and maybe get a good raise. I told mom, that she would do a good job, and not to worry just like she would always tell me when I got worried about things.

Angel, your so right things are going to be just fine. I need to stop worrying.

We lived in a nice three bedroom house, I thought, and we didn’t have a lot of things sitting around like other people did. We didn’t have two couches, and a bunch chairs with tables all around. We just had the things that we needed. Dad had also put up some pictures of us on the walls, too for mom when we first moved in. They were of me when I was a little baby, and dad and mom were holding me. Pictures of some trips, too. We always seemed to be having fun together, and in the pictures dad and mom were smiling. After dad had hung up the pictures he would whisper to me so mom couldn’t hear him. Watch this Angel, your mom is going to say that the pictures are not straight when I ask her how they look.

Honey, how do you like the pictures? Mom would look, and study them for awhile, then told dad that one of them was crooked. Dad and me just busted up laughing, and mom didn’t know why at first, but then she got it, and started laughing herself. Good times they were.

We live on a small block, too with just a few kids. But, I don’t go outside much, and play with them they are way to mean for me. Even when mom would tell me I should try, and make friends with them. She doesn’t know how mean they can be like I do, so I would just tell her ok, and go on my way. I was glad when we first moved here, but not now. Now all I wish is that we could leave, but that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

CHAPTER TWO

I THINK MOM could see that I was day dreaming for awhile, while she was talking to me because she reached over, and shook my arm and asked, Are you bored with me already young lady. Smiling that mom smile a t me.

I giggled, No way mom, sounds great to me, I smiled back at her. It’ll be fine mom, and you’ll do great. I told her.

Mom kept drinking her coffee and then asked me if I wanted go to the park or go shopping with her today. I said, Both! Mom laughed, Ok both. How about afterwards we go and have lunch? How does that sound Angel? Mom asked. It sounds perfect.

Then I ran upstairs to get ready. I put on my blue jean shorts and a yellow tank top since the weather was so warm. I grabbed my purse, ran a comb through my hair, and I was ready. I went back downstairs, but mom was still sitting there looking at the flowers on the table. I wondered what mom was thinking, when she looked over at me, and said, Wait just a minute young lady, I’m not even dressed yet, and I still have to finish my coffee first.

Well hurry up mom, the day is a wasting. I giggled. I was so happy then, and at that very moment all was good.

Mom finished her coffee, and went upstairs to go get dressed. She had put on some blue jeans, and a purple t-shirt, and when she came back down the stairs I told her, how good it looked on her. Mom was not a big woman, and she stood about five foot three inches tall. I was also short like her, too. I didn’t take after dad with the height thing. I think he was almost six foot tall, but well built. I would of loved to have been tall like my father, plus my clothes would of fit much better, too. I always have problems with the length of my jeans.

We went to the park first, and it seemed liked we were there for hours we were having so much fun.. Mom pushed me on the swings, and I pushed her on the swings we giggled a lot, and laughed. We even got on the slide! Mom was a little scared at first, but I helped her through it. I told mom, that I wished someone was at the bottom of the slide to take our picture so that we could frame it, and put it up on the wall with all the other pictures. Mom said that, that was a great idea since we had no pictures up of just the two of us together.

Well next time mom, we’ll have to bring along the camera. Mom could see that I was watching the other kids playing, and told me that not all kids were mean, and that I should go over, and say hello