The next few days go by as any others. Sleep, eat, work as usual. No excitement. No hearing from Mike or Tammy thank goodness. There's been a few phone numbers come my way, but they ended up in the trash can shortly after I received them. I didn't have time for it, no matter who they were or what they looked like. I wasn't the type to make myself rude and unavailable up front. I was nice and would talk and flirt a little like usual, but nothing serious. I'd take the number to be nice, but my mom was right. I needed to focus on saving money, keeping my bowling game sharp, and not start any kind of relationship that would lead to possible drama. I was heading up to Saginaw Valley State University in a couple months and needed to focus on being responsible. SVSU had one of the best collegiate bowling teams in the country. For being a small Division II school, it was quite impressive. I chose it for that simple reason. I was accepted at bigger schools, Michigan, Florida, and Ohio State, but declined. SVSU was still better than all of them. Much cheaper and offered a little bit of a scholarship to me. My brother was already up there bowling and now it was my turn. So I had a lot going for me and I intended to make it happen.
I had one problem though. My car was a piece of crap honestly. An old rust bucket that I did what I could to keep it alive. With school being over three hundred miles away I needed to look for something new. After all, I had saved up a lot of money so I could afford something decent. I had the day off today, so I guess today would be a good day to go car shopping. I informed my mom of my plans and she just smiled and said "I wish I could come along." "I can handle it mom, I know what I'm dong and what to look for" I stated. She left and then I took a shower and got ready to go. My mom called and asked where I was planning on going. I told her where and that I had to get going. When I showed up at the dealership, my mom was already there."Surprise!" she laughed."What are you doing here?" I questioned. " I took the day off of work today after I found out you were car shopping. I really wanted to be here to help you make the right decision" she explained. We walked around the the large lot of used cars and saw a few that I liked. All a little out of my price range. "Which one do you like the most?" she asked. I saw and test drove a nice black Chevy S-10. I knew it was little out of my price range, but at least I got a chance to drive it.
"Stay here for minute, I've got to use the bathroom and grab a cup of coffee." My mom said. I said "alright" and walked around a little bit, wishing I could afford it. I really did like that truck. It was nearly new and low miles and in great condition. My mom came out about 15 minutes later and handed me a set of keys. "What the..." is all I could say before she shut me up and said, "you deserve it, you need it, and I love you, so just take it and don't say another word." I jumped up and down like a cheerleader and gave my mom the biggest hug I've ever given. "Are you kidding me!" I exclaimed. Nothing but smiles were coming from me. I think my mom cried seeing me so happy. "How can you afford this mom? I know you don't have that kind of money." "yes I do" she said, "I've been saving up for years to get you the best present possible for a very grateful, wonderful, and smart son. You've earned it sweetheart. You've worked hard. You deserve it." All I had to do was drive this new truck of mine home, grab the title for my old car and sign it over, and the deal was done. I had a great dependable vehicle to get me to school. One less thing to worry about. What a wonderful mom. She's the best person I know.
I could possibly be the happiest person in the world right now. Not only did I get the best present ever, but I also had thousands of dollars more to help towards paying for things I may need. Books, clothes, food, bowling stuff, anything. I went for a little cruise for about an hour with the windows down and the radio blaring out who knows what. All I could think about was this amazing gift that my mom must have put in tons of extra hours for. Taken on extra classes, all to show me how much she really cared and appreciated me. For the next week I showed my appreciation for her. She didn't have to lift a finger. I cooked dinner every night, I cleaned the house from top to bottom. I took some of my money and made her yard look like the cover of a gardening magazine. That's how I showed her my thanks. I know it was a gift, but I just felt like it was a little over the top so I guess it was my way of saying thank you in actions, not just words. My step dad even complimented me on my cooking too, so all in all it was a good thing. That guy never wastes a breath to thank anyone. A compliment was out of the question. I even had that going for me. I had to laugh because he even offered me a beer.
I think this is the first time that everyone in my house was in a good mood at the same time. Hopefully this lasts because I kind of like it. It's not normal for everyone in the house to be getting along. There's always somebody at someones throat. I'll take it for now. I have a bad feeling that something bad is going to happen real soon though. I'm usually right as well. What it is I have no idea. I hate when I get these feelings. It ruins everything. It's not like I can just tell them to stop though. I'll do what I can to block it out and enjoy the best week ever.
The next few days after that everything seems to be going fine. Until one day, my step dad comes home a little later than usual. Drunk as drunk could be. This could get ugly.
YOU ARE READING
Shadows Beneath
RomanceA smart young man in the suburbs of Chicago out of high school, on his way to college. With a less than pleasant childhood, he's trying to find himself, trying to find love, and trying to fight the anger and depression within.
