doing what abc couldn't

Chapter 3: Growing up, down, and sideways

The week had flown by and it was now Friday morning. Everyone crowded in the kitchen for breakfast. There aren't enough pancakes in the world to feed the entire family. Luckily it was a school morning so Trip and Franklin weren't there, so the large stack of pancakes was shorter than it could've been. Greg and Taylor rode together for school, Oliver and Cooper were perfectly capable of getting themselves to class, so Anna-kat was the only remaining one to need a ride. Everyone eventually dispersed after consuming an appropriate amount of breakfast.

"Come on Anna-kat!" Katie said and smiled.

The two of them got into the car. They were still carpooling Franklin around, so they had to pick him up first. Soon the three arrived at the school.

"You know when you're in middle school I'm just going to have you guys walk." Katie said, before driving away.

Anna-kat and Franklin walked into class together. Anna-kat started to think about what her mom had said while she was getting out of the car. Walking to school, like when she walked to the library. She was a big girl now. She thought about when she was younger and Taylor was the older sister, giving her advice and braiding her hair.

She stood in the hallowed halls of the elementary school building. It had taken her a while but she realized that in a short 6 months (+2 for summer vacation) she would no longer be an elementary school student and would have to face the terrifying reality that is junior high. Seventh grade was looming. Sure in most places she'd already be a junior high schooler, but this was Westport, one of those weird towns where you start junior high a year late. Along with that, she wouldn't be the baby forever. There would be another little Otto to come replace her. She didn't realize how quickly she was growing up. Everything hit her all at once that soon she'd be one of the big kids. The big kids who would step into her classroom sometimes to deliver notes from the office. The big kids who the teachers would smile at and send back to their classrooms before they got too distracted. Usually she was the one to charge at change and drag things forward, but not this time. She was nervous, she felt like everything was moving way too fast.

Taylor sat in her 8:00 am class. The seconds on the clock seemed to last hours upon hours. Why she signed up for an 8:00 am was beyond her. She couldn't remember whether she did it on purpose or if the 11:00 am slots were all full. She stared at the teacher, hardly being able to comprehend what she was writing in her notes. Math was never her strong suit, but neither was science, or English, or history. When she wasn't writing down very limited notes, on math she could very vaguely understand. So instead of actually trying to figure it out, she spent her time daydreaming. If there was one thing she couldn't wait for, it was for this to all be over. She couldn't wait to be out of college, get married, and live out her dreams. First she'd live out her dreams of becoming a singer. She wasn't quite sure how, but she'd make it there, before she was old, like, 32. Then there'd be a house on a hill, she'd have 3 little kids. Instead of being in that house on the hill, she was here in her 8 am math class. She was bored, she felt like everything was moving way too slow.

Then there was Greg. He was standing in his 8:00 am class, teaching history. Some of the class seemed very interested, a collection of history majors and a handful of English majors. The rest of the class was clearly only there for what they thought would be an easy A, along with people who signed up because of Lonnie. He didn't mind however, he enjoyed teaching. He was glad there were people there enjoying his education. This felt right, he was exactly where he was supposed to be in life. This is what his life's passion was, to teach. There wasn't anything he could think of that he wanted to change in his life. He was glad with everything. If anything he was glad with how things were moving. A new baby was on the way, Taylor was getting married, Oliver had whatever Oliver's thing was, he couldn't remember, no one could, and Anna-kat was starting junior high. The Otto family was moving, exactly how he had envisioned it. He was excited, he felt like everything was moving exactly how it was supposed to be.