It's dangerous out there

School started last week, so I'm back to getting up early and having something to do.  It's not so bad.  After I lost my job, things got pretty boring at home.  I'm back with some friends everyday, and that's good. Or it was. Now I'm worried.

Last night a bunch of us got some beer and headed out to the lake.  It's still light until eight o'clock at least, and we stayed on until about eleven. Everything went okay until about nine-thirty when these guys in a boat came up to us asking all the girls to get on the boat.  My friend Kristie is a little man-crazy, so she went with them, even though everybody knows it's dumb to go off with strangers.  We told her not to, but she got pretty mad at us and went anyway and told us to go on home.  The guys - I guess they were college boys - said they'd get her home.  We waited anyway for an hour and a half, then went home. 

Kristie wasn't in homeroom this morning, so I called her cell.  Her mother answered it and said Kristie was sick.  She told me not to call again, like it was my fault or something.  Not good.  You gotta be careful out there.

My Best Memory

I was thinking today about how much I'd like to get out of town and go ona vacation.  Most of my friends have done something this summer, but not me.

I know it's not going to happen, but all my wishing for a trip made me remember about the one time I did go on vacation.  My aunt and uncle took me with their family to the beach.  Even though I spent a lot of time on my own, it was a special time.  I did a lot of thinking while I stared at the ocean and watched for dolphins.  I was 13 years old, and it seems like I knew a lot more about what I wanted back then.  Was it the vacation away from home?  Maybe it was because  I was away from the trouble in my house and wasn't upset while I was there.

 

I felt strong and happy, but now that face makes me sad.  The best time I remember in my life didn't take place when I was with my folks, but when I got away from them.