First Day

Christopher

I stepped inside the walk-in closet and stared at the shelves filled with neatly folded jeans. I turned to look at the other side where my business suits were hanging. That was a definite no. I stepped in a little deeper and pulled out a couple of pairs of slacks and then a pair of jeans. I laid the outfits out on the bed and stood back.

I was putting way too much effort into deciding what to wear. After finally getting dressed, I headed downstairs to start some coffee. It was a sunny morning, and I enjoyed the sunshine. It was a huge mood lifter. I grabbed my coffee and headed out to sit on the patio. It was a little cool outside, but not cold enough to send me back in.

I sat down at the table and thought about my wife. I thought about her a lot. I missed her. I knew I hadn’t been a great husband. I took my role as provider very seriously. Too seriously. I had focused on making us comfortable and kind of let her take over the raising of our son while I spent my time working. Too much time. We had become two ships passing in the night.

When she died, I’d been at work. I had been in a meeting, my cell phone silenced to avoid any interruptions. I would never forget turning on my phone and getting the voicemail that rocked my world, sending me to my knees in the parking lot next to my car.

I got up, not wanting to go down that road again, and did my best to block the memories as I headed back inside. There was no sign of Olin. Typical. I headed back upstairs and knocked on his bedroom door. “Olin, it’s almost seven. It’s time to get up.”

I heard a moan. “Five more minutes.”

“Make it a quick five,” I said before going back downstairs.

I felt like a kid again. I had all the nerves that accompanied the first day of school. It was my first day at the university and Olin’s first day at the new high school. I was hoping like hell it was going to be a good thing for him. I had tried to convince him to go to a private school, but he wasn’t having it. At least if I paid for the school, I had a little more pull. Big checks bought a lot of forgiveness. The public school he’d opted for left me with few options if he got into trouble again.

I pulled the frozen waffles from the toaster, dumped some syrup over the top, and left the plate on the counter for Olin. I popped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster for myself. I couldn’t do sugar first thing in the morning.

I slurped down my coffee while reviewing the latest news in the real estate world. Sometimes I missed it. I missed the closing of a deal and the hunt for a great property to develop. My favorite was taking the dilapidated and making it into something beautiful. I didn’t miss the time I put into closing those deals, though.

“Olin!” I hollered when he still hadn’t come downstairs after ten minutes.

“Coming,” he shouted back.

He emerged, coming down the stairs like he was being sent off to war. His feet dragged across the floor. The new clothes I had bought him were obviously not what he wanted. He was wearing a pair of jeans that had rips and tears up and down the front. The t-shirt he had under the open plaid looked like he had purposely wrinkled it up.

“Where's the new clothes?” I asked.

“These are the new clothes.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You sliced up new jeans?”

He shrugged. “It’s called distressed.”

“They definitely look distressed. Is that the look you’re going for?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes. Are you seriously going to give me fashion tips?”

“No, no, I was just making sure that was the look you wanted. If you’re happy with it, then so be it.”

“I’m happy with it.”

“Are you ready for your first day?” I asked.

“No. Does that mean you’re going to let me stay home?”

“No.”

“Then I guess I’m ready.”

“I made you a couple of waffles,” I said, nodding at the plate.

He barely glanced at the waffles before grabbing his backpack. “I’m out,” he said, his voice low.

“Hey, I’ll give you a ride,” I offered. “Let me grab my stuff.”

“No thanks. I’ll find my way.”

“The bus? You’re going to take the bus?”

He shrugged. “I’m not driving. Or did you buy me a car and it’s out in the driveway?”

“We’ll talk about it in a few weeks,” I said, squashing the car conversation again. “I need you to show me you’re ready for the responsibility.”

“Whatever,” he said and headed out the door, slamming it behind him.

I sighed, shaking my head. I couldn’t seem to make a right move. I pissed him off with everything I said and did. It was a little hard to feel good about yourself when you were constantly doing wrong. I tossed the untouched breakfast into the trash and left the plate in the sink. The housekeeper would be coming in later, and I had to get going.

I grabbed the small satchel with my laptop and the requisite pen and paper I was told I would need for the class. I drove to the university, planning to get there at least fifteen minutes early. I pulled into the student parking area and looked around. Maybe I had the wrong day. The lot was almost empty.

I grabbed my stuff and headed for the hall where the class was being held. I had not expected it to look like a ghost town. The advisor had made it sound like the short semesters were a popular choice for students. I clearly had the wrong idea.

I checked the information I had as I walked down the hall, stopping when I saw the right number. I felt my first bit of nerves as I walked through the door. There were about thirty seats and half were filled. An older gentleman waved. I glanced over my shoulder to see if someone was behind me. There was no one.