Only John Lennon Would Know
David had walked up to his friends house to catch a ride from his mom. They hung out and talked about the upcoming hockey season. His friends mom was put together enough to finally take them to the high school. They had finally moved up to the big school and were fresh pickings as freshman. They had been there about a month and found that it wasn’t as bad as originally thought. The radio plays a song. One of those songs that stay in your head all day.
“Hey Chico”, a friend of David called out.
“What’s up?, David replies.
“You finish your biology?”
“Nah, I have study hall this morning and I will finish it then.”
David was an average kid finding his way in high school. He was lucky enough to have a nickname and lots of friends. His mother didn’t like when David’s friends would call and ask for “Chico”. He was a typical 14 year old freshman. He never made the honor roll but would always make the “honorable mention” list. He would laugh at this. School work came very easy to him and he knew he could make the real list if he wanted to.
David went through the school day learning new things about life, history and whatever it is they teach in public schools these days. David hummed the words to the song he had heard on the radio while doing biology in study hall.
“1-2-3-4-5”, shouted the captain of the freshman football team. David and the rest of the team were doing their warm up calisthenics before practice. David went through the motions of jumping jacks. He hated jumping up and down flapping his arms in full football gear. His mind wandered to a warmer place, It was early October and it was already chilly in this part of the country. He would count the cadence and wish that it would end and they could actually start practice. They did, after all, have a big game tomorrow. Besides by running around and knocking the other boys around he might get feeling back in his fingers and toes he thought.
“1-2-3-4-5”, shouted the captain again. They were now doing push ups and David really detested these. As his face was pushing up and down in the brown mud of the practice field. He heard the sounds of sirens. His only thought was what emergency they were rushing to and why did he not bring gloves to shield his hands from the cold mud.
Finally the warm-ups were over and it was time to “knock some heads” as David called it. He was the starting running back and was looking forward to the game tomorrow. If they won they would be in the playoffs. He hoped his mom would be able to make it.
David was feeling warm and feeling good. He had broke off a dash of 15 yards his first run of the day.
From the practice field next to where David and the rest of the Freshman were practicing came a shout for, “Chico”.
“Chico’s sister is looking for him!” yelled a younger football player.
“I don’t have a sister! Tell her to buzz off!” David said.
The “sister” walked up and talked with David’s coaches. David watched and noticed it was his older brothers girlfriend. The coaches yelled for him. As soon as he met them his brothers girlfriend said that he had to get home now.
David could only imagine the worse. He ran to the car and sat there silent for the 5 minute journey to his house. He walked inside to see his mother sitting upright on the couch. Her head tilted. Her lips blue.
“Go say good-bye to your mother”, David’s grandma instructed. He had never seen a dead body before. It wasn’t that bad. He knew this day would happen but not today, not like this. He walked over to his mother and leaned over and kissed her. He said his good-byes and cried like a 14 year old would. His life as he knew it was done.
He went into his bedroom to change from his football gear. His eyes blurry from tears. His heart and head filled with anger. He kicked a box on his messy bedroom floor and knocked a bedside lamp over. He didn’t think that conversation he had with his mom last night would be the last exchange between them. He never really took his mother serious when she sat him and his brother down to tell them she was going to die within the year.
He sat on his bed with his head in his hands and cried. What a, I going to do now?”, he thought. All that flashed in his head was that damn song, ‘Nobody Told Me’, by John Lennon.
Everybody's runnin' and no one makes a moveEveryone's a winner and nothing left to loseThere's a little yellow idol to the north of KatmanduEverybody's flying and no one leaves the groundEverybody's crying and no one makes a soundThere's a place for us in the movies you just gotta lay around
Nobody told me there'd be days like theseNobody told me there'd be days like theseNobody told me there'd be days like theseStrange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama
