Editor’s Note: The following essay was written for an assignment on feelings, dreams and reflections
“Time to go to school” Jason’s mother said. “Yes mom” Jason replied. As Jason gets dressed he notices that it is Friday so he smiles not knowing how his day’s going to end. Jason is only seven and he doesn’t understand many things about life, so he only will understand when he’s older what happened.
Jason goes to school. He arrives to school at 7:36, almost missing class because he missed the bus. Ms. Small asks why he’s almost late. “Because I missed the bus” Jason replied, “sorry Ms. Small” he said. “Well sit down” Ms. Small said. So Jason gets through his day and goes to leave for the bus and gets called to the office.
Jason’s mother Maggie is waiting outside the office for him and tells him to wait in the car. “Yes mother” he said when he got to the car. He notices that all of their stuff’s in there and he questions it, but he waits in the car like mother said. Several minutes later his mother comes out of the building and starts crying. Jason asks his mother why she’s crying and she replies it’s because she’s wanting to move; his step father is to harsh on him. So she starts driving and asks young Jason if he wants to move, but Jason doesn’t know what to say, so he said yes. “Where are we moving” Jason asked. “Downstate” Jason’s mother replied. So he goes with her. The ride is very long, so he falls asleep for a little bit. When he wakes up they’re on the highway driving. Jason asks if they’re there yet. “No” Jason’s mother replies. As Jason watches the road, he thinks to himself that he doesn’t know this place, that it is all new to him.
Jason sits there for awhile thinking how it’s going to be now, what they’re going to do when they get to the place they’re going, missing his friend already and regretting his decision to go. “Are we there yet” Jason asked. “No, we’re almost there, now stop asking” she replied. An hour later they arrive to the town. They met up with one of Jason’s mother’s old boyfriends, Todd, and he lets them stay there. She’d hoped they would stay there. Todd tells them he will cook dinner, and that they can watch TV in the living room. Jason is excited because he has been in a car for four hours. The next day they drive around the town getting to know the town. Once they get back to the house they sit on the couch and watch TV until it’s time to go to bed. The next day Todd mentions that he has a son with shared custody. They go to a coffee shop for the day; later Todd gets a call from his ex-wife she; tells him he can’t see his son if Jason and his mother stay with him, or even keep contact with them. Jason’s mother decides to leave so Todd can see his son. Jason’s mother decides to move in with her friend Maddy. Todd said they could stay for the night, but they have to be out my tomorrow afternoon. Jason sits up all night wondering what’s going to happen next.
The next morning Jason and his mother leave before eleven so they can get breakfast at McDonald’s, which is behind Maddy’s house. Jason and his mother live there for a couple months, then they all decide to get a new house that is bigger so they can live comfortably. A month later school starts. Jason goes to the new school. Jason gets to meet new friends all though he doesn’t want new friends. He wants to see his old friends, but they live hours away. Three weeks later Jason’s mother meets a new person; his name’s is Gary. She starts to see him every week, leaving Jason at home with her irresponsible friend who has a hard time taking care of her own child. Jason starts to fail at his class; the teacher start to ask why he’s failing. He doesn’t know why either. His mother introduces him to Gary. Gary has his own house in the woods with a pond behind it. Jason likes Gary when he meets him. Jason’s mother starts to bring him there almost every week, then every day. Jason and his mother decide to move in with him. Jason starts to go to a different school, and has to meet new friends which he thinks won’t be to hard because he’s done it before. “Hi Jason” Jason’s new teacher said. “Hi Miss Jenkins” Jason replied. “Are you liking your new school” Jason Miss. Jenkins asks. “Yes Miss Jenkins” he replied.
Jason meets some pretty interesting people. A girl named Cathay is really rude to him and said he should move back where he came from, but he ignores her; she did not like it. He also meets a boy named Donald. Jason becomes friends with him on his first day at his new school. After lunch they play on the playground. “Hey Donald, come look at this” Jason calls out. “What” Donald replies. Jason points out a little toy looking thing on the ground. Jason points out that it is moving. The object was a baby turtle. “What do we do” Donald asked. “I don’t know” Jason replied. Jason picks up the turtle and puts it in the stream behind the school.
Two months later Jason’s mother ends up breaking up with Gary because he was an abusive person that always suspects that she’s cheating on him. Jason’s mother gets back together with him multiple times, but she doesn’t learn. Jason told her that he’s not going to change, and that she shouldn’t be with him. For years after that, his mother keeps moving finding a new boyfriend and breaking up with them. By then, Jason is ten and his mother has passed on the aggression of all her relationships for years, onto him, and he’s fed up with it.
That day his mother goes to meet up with her new boyfriend, but she lives in Maine and her new boyfriend lives in another state. Jason’s mother decides to buy a bus ticket and go see him, but she doesn’t want Jason to go with her. She leaves him with her best friend who has helped her all of her life with Jason. So Jason stays with her for a couple weeks and his mother is going to be back in a week. Jason’s mother’s friend tells him that she will help him get away from her, that he can live with someone else. He decides that he will see if his father would let him move in with him. Jason calls up his father and his father comes over to the house. Jason explains to his father why he wants to get away from his mother, and how his life has been, and how he’s missed a lot of school because of his mother. Jason’s father says that he can live with him. A week later Jason’s mother returns and Jason and his father file for a restraining order on her and it passes.
