" Yoga time! " Your friend wakes you up. That's Mackenzie. She wants you to finish my bucket list more than you do. You've barely even begun. But she insists she will be with you every step of the way.
" Why do you have to wake me up so early!?" You ask.
" It's early morning yoga!! Come on! Come on!"
" Let me get dressed first...."
" Fine...." She said, walking out.
After sleeping for an extra 5 minutes, you get up and get dressed in your NY shirt and a pair of jeans. You open your door and was immediately met with Mackenzie in my face. She sits you down in your wheelchair, even though you were walking alright today.
" Let's go!!! " She ran out to the car.
" I don't have a mat...." You say after taking your time wheeling to the car.
" I have an extra one. It's no big deal. Get in! "
" Ok..." You say and smile. The car lowers slightly and an automated ramp comes down. You wheel up it and slide your wheelchair into the place where the "shotgun" seat should be.
Your mom straps your wheelchair down so it doesn't roll everywhere. She kisses you goodbye and knows you will be traveling a lot in the next year, even though the doctors didn't advise it. You are beginning to miss your mom as you roll out of the driveway. You've been living with her forever. She was your caretaker.
You look behind to make sure you have everything in the van. The entire back part of the van is full of anything you'd ever need. You'll be fine.
You get to the yoga place at 6:30 exactly. Shady Grove Yoga Studio for Beginners. It looks nice. You hope you like it, otherwise it will be a waste of time, which you don't have much of.
You feel the latches on your wheelchair be undone and look down to see Mackenzie there. You must've been day dreaming again. You do that often and miss a lot. You keep saying you should stop, but you never seem to be able to.
"Just me, Honey Bee. " That's your nickname. Sometimes its just Hon. Sometimes Honey. And most often she calls you Bee Bee. Honey Bee was just the beginning of the many nicknames people had for you. It seemed everyone had one. Your mother called you Princess, your father, before he left, called you Sugar Plum, and your neighbor, Jake, he calls you Van because he thinks you look like a Vanessa.
You look up and you are sitting in a large room with a bunch of people sitting on yoga mats, contemplating something.
" Is this it, Mack? " You ask Mackenzie.
" Sssshhhh." She whispers. " They are trying to relax. "
" Oh sorry." I whisper. You never know the right time to talk quiet. You've been quiet your whole life, but ever since you had Mr.Amaya as your math teacher, you've been loud. Mr. Am had a little bit of a hearing problem and was a very loud person. He enjoyed people with a loud, confident voice, like himself. That and he just really needed to hear you. He would yell at you to talk louder whenever you spoke. You knew it was all just a game for him, but he always kind of scared you. He was so confident and loud.
You are now sitting on the yoga mat. You look beside you, some random woman. You look to the other side, a wall. You turn behind you, Mrs.Bauman, the librarian at the school you went to before your mother decided to homeschool you so she could better take care of your medical condition. You didn't know that she took yoga. Maybe that explains why she is so flexible, even at age 89. Shouldn't she be retired by now? Or maybe she is. It has been awhile since you've been at school. How long has it been? 2 years ago you got really sick... Then a few months later the Doctors told you about your condition. A week ago the doctors told you it was over. So how long is that? Maybe 1 3\4 of a year? That's a long time to be away from your friends.
You jump from daydreaming into real life and you are already back in the van, strapped in and pulling out of the driveway of Shady Grove Yoga and quickly you snap a picture of the sign. You take out a picture book and slide it in, caption: Day 1, Shady Grove Yoga Studio.
