“1049”

Subtract the one, carry the two. And the total is… wait. Is that the time? 10:49? I was supposed to meet Mallory at 10:00. Good job, Matt. This is the fifth time I’ve missed a date. What am I doing wasting all of this time? Let’s go! I need my wallet, my keys, my coat, and… Is that a math mistake? Better fix that! No, no, no. Stay focused! You have to go. Turn off the light. Am I the last one here again? In my twenty-six years of living, I have never been the first one to leave work. I’m such a workaholic. But I’m an accountant, and I just got this job last year. It’s all for the company, all for the company.

“Mallory?” I called into the crisp Chicago sky, “Are you still there?”

There was no reply. Suddenly, a startling oscillation began from my back pocket. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.

“Hello?”

“It’s Mallory. You missed another one.”

“I know! I just got so caught up and-”

“No buts! This is the fifth time!”

I knew she would remember. I knew that I shouldn’t have worked late. I just lost track of time.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed.

“I’m just tired of these antics. I just want to have a normal date for once.”

“I lost track of time. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ll give you one more chance. How about a late dinner, tomorrow, at 10:30? At Antoine’s?”

“Okay. I’ll see you then. Love you!”

“Love you too,” she giggled.

As I slid my iPhone into my briefcase, it hit me. I was supposed to go visit my mother at the hospital tonight. Drat. She was almost finished with her chemotherapy, and her cancer had almost disappeared. Although I was grateful for her recovery, it was still disheartening to see the way the disease had weakened her. Once an animated platinum blonde now withered away like a dead sunflower. I briskly started my White Mini Cooper S and zoomed to the hospital. As I stepped into the lobby, familiar nurses acknowledged me. I had been there countless times, and it was peculiar to think that this was one of my last stops here. I strode into the elevator and pressed the “1” button. Now onto room 1049. As I meandered into the room, I noticed that there were various bouquets of flowers around the room, added since my last time in it. I looked up and greeted my mom whom, though gray and tired, still brightened up the room with her smile. Next to her, my father stood, trying to match her joy. When he finally realized he couldn’t, he welcomed me with a tight hug. “I missed you son,” his deep voice bellowed. Though both of my parents were only in their late 50s, they both looked much older. This was a result of my mother’s treatment. A lot of stress was put on the entire family, especially my dad. He constantly was worried my mom would not make it to see another sunrise. His once sewn on smile diminished into his staring statue face, only to be seen once in a while. Finally, my mom broke the silence. “How’re you doing, Matthew?”

She had always called me Matthew. Never Matt, never “son”, never “bud.” Just Matthew. It was her way of making me feel special.

“Pretty good.”

“Are you sure?” She seemed to know that I was lying.

“Well, not really. But let’s not focus on me, okay? How are you doing?”

“Today, I went through my last round of treatment. It was brutal, but it’s all worth it to be back on my feet again.”

“That’s wonderful. I can’t wait to have you back home again.”

My mom grinned. “Me too. This cancer has hit me hard, but I’m still alive and kicking.”

“She’s almost there,” my dad exhaled. “She’s broken my heart along the way, but she’s almost there.”

I smiled. These two years had been rough with my mom in and out of the hospital. They even moved from their home in Utah to mine in Illinois, to be closer to me in case of emergency.  I eyed the clock on the wall. It was 11:30 already. I needed to get back home.

About fifteen minutes away from the hospital, I opened my front door, apartment #49. I switched on the lights, and my cat, Fitzwalter, greeted me. His silk-like raven fur stuck to my suit. “Down, kitty.” I went over to his food bowl and filled it. As I put the food under the sink, I found an old picture of Mallory and I. I slid off my work shoes and got on the sofa. We looked so happy together. Her blue eyes lit up the picture, and her bouncy blonde hair covered some of my face. Then there was me. My average brown hair and brown eyes were nothing special, but she still thought it was the most unique thing in the world. Our two years together had been amazing. She was a light in the darkness for me.

The next morning, my alarm went off at 4:00 A.M., as usual. I sprung up, got dressed, slipped on my dress shoes, and headed to work. I arrived at about 5:00, which was not nearly early enough. It wasn’t until around seven o’clock that my coworkers started to work. The day was typical. I worked while everybody else played. I worked so hard that I didn’t even stop for lunch. Later in the day, I remembered that I had a date that night. As I began leaving, Jason Grey stopped me.

“Hey Matt! What’s up?”

I dreaded talking to Jason. I could count on him to invite me to some social gathering that I was too busy for.

“I’m doing well. Bye-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. I was just going to ask you if you wanted to come to the college football party I was throwing. I just need to take a break from work. I practically work myself to death! It’s on Saturday at 4:00. I hope you can make it!”

“Okay, I’ll try!” I said as I ran down the stairs.

I dashed to my car, and raced back home. I quickly got ready, but it took a little longer than I thought. As I got back in the car, it was already 10:30. It’s okay, Matt. You’re only going to be ten minutes late. About five minutes before I arrived at the restaurant, when my phone rang.

“Matthew, sweetie, it’s your mom. I need you to come to the hospital right now. Your father’s had a heart attack.”

For what felt like an eternity, I was in shock. Not my dad. No.

I made the fastest U-turn I have ever made and made a beeline for the hospital. Once I got there, I sprinted into his hospital and I burst through the doors.

“Dad, are you okay?!”

There was no response.

“Are you okay???”

“I’m fine son. Come closer.”

It was a relief to hear him talking.

“Yes Dad?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I love you. This might be my last night with you, so, I love you.”

No. This can’t be. Not my dad. Not mine.

“No, Dad, you’re going to make it. You are.”

“Matt, the doctors told me that that is a very unlikely story. I’m not going to make it.”

Silence. This silence was the death of me. I just could not fathom it.

“Bye Dad.” I said as I wept.

“Bye, son.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. We sat in silence. Just about ten minutes later, his machine flat-lined. He was gone. Right then, my phone starting to ring. Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.

“Hello?” I was still sniffling.

“Matt! You missed it again! We’re over.”

“But-“

“No. We’re done.”

She hung up. She didn’t understand. I wasn’t ditching her, I was watching my father take his last breaths.

The next two weeks flew by like a blur. Funeral plans were made, more work was done. I didn’t want to think about it.

His funeral was just a couple of weeks later. Many friends and relatives I had never even seen before showed. It was a nice service. Several encouraging speeches were made, but none of them could take the sting away. Since my mom was recovering swiftly, she was able to show up. I enjoyed seeing her walk around without IVs and nurses. As I was chatting with some of the attendants, I noticed a woman. She looked almost exactly like Mallory. Probably one of my distant cousins. I disregarded her and continued to talk. Later, when I tried to leave, I was stopped.

“Matt, stop.”

It was Mallory. What was she going to say this time?

“I’m sorry. I overreacted. I just, I just didn’t know and-”

“It’s okay, Mallory. I’m fine.”

“No, Matt, I want you back.”

“What?”

“I want you back. I miss you.”

“How about 10:00 at Antoine’s? Tomorrow?”
She grinned ear-to-ear, “Okay. See you then.”

Multiply by four. Square root the final answer. 1049. All I have left is one more sheet… Stop. It’s 9:30. Time to go. Turn off the lights. Time to be with her.

Great Expectations: An Analysis of the Opening Scene of the First Chapter

Charles Dickens’ book, “Great Expectations”,  starts with Pip, a young boy, explaining the death of his parents, and the tragedy that he never got to see them. Pip tells the reader what he thinks they might have looked like, since he would never know. The page goes on to describe the dreary setting of the marshes of London, really setting the mood for the rest of the chapter. When I read the opening scene, I pictured a foggy, muddy side of London, similar to the picture below. It seemed like there were not many people around and the fog was never-ending, so Pip was kind of stuck with his situation.

I was not expecting what would happen on the next page. When the “fearful man” threatened Pip, I was not quite sure what would happen. I wasn’t sure even what he was telling Pip to retrieve for him until I looked up some of the more advanced vocabulary. Even though I wasn’t emotionally attached to Pip quite yet, I still was nervous for him in this scenario. I think that the fact that Pip could not defend himself from the man symbolizes a couple of things. First, its symbolizes how helpless Pip is. He is so easy to push around because he is so small and young. It also symbolizes how submissive he is. Pip doesn’t even try to fight back. He just obeys quietly. Overall, it was a wonderful way to build background on Pip and his personality entering the book.

 

My Mission Trip

This summer, I went on a missions trip with Harvest Bible Chapel. We went to Belize, a Central American country, for nine days. Our trip started at Denver International Airport at 4:00 am on July 19th. After all twenty-four of us made it through security, we quickly boarded onto a plane that took us to Dallas. We landed in Dallas, ate lunch, and then took off to Belize. I slept part of the way there and also filled out customs forms. As soon as we got off of the plane, the heat and humidity hit me. At the time, it felt nice since the inside of the airplane had been so chilly. The Belizean airport was so small compared to both of the American airports we had been in.  We all made it through customs fairly easily. A bus from the church we were going to be staying at arrived, and we all loaded up. The drive from the airport to the church really caused me to think. There was so much poverty, so much hurt. Compared to what we are all used to in the US, it was culture shock.  I realized how grateful I should be for all I have. We got to drink bagged water, which is the typical way to drink water or juice in Belize. The next couple of days were super fun.  We got to host a VBS (vacation Bible school) for all of kids down there. It was so amazing to be able to love on all of them, especially because that it something that a lot of them don’t get at home. Although some kids were difficult, the trick was to keep on pouring out kindness into their little hearts and minds. The real test was the heat. Compared to the Belizean swelter, any “high temperature” I’ve experienced in Colorado is nothing. Plus, the church that we stayed in didn’t have air conditioning. I have never sweat that much in my life. The humidity didn’t help either. Belize is right on the coast, and where we were staying was about a two-minute walk to the ocean. One of the other lessons I learned while in Belize was that looks shouldn’t matter to us as much as they do. While down there, I wasn’t even slightly concerned with my appearance. Why? Because there was one mirror in the entire church. In America, everywhere we go there are mirrors. Our bathrooms, our bedrooms, our living rooms, our public restrooms (even those restrooms didn’t have mirrors in Belize). Speaking of restrooms, in Belize, the sewage system isn’t high enough quality to flush things down the toilet. All of the toilet paper had to go into a wastebasket next to the toilet. And the shower pretty much had the pressure of a garden hose. Let’s just say my nose was not very happy with me. Every night, we got to go to a teen VBS hosted by the church. To be honest, the teen VBS was kind of boring. All of us were so tired by the end of the day, it was hard for us to stay awake. Since the VBS for the kids only lasted four days, the rest of the days we worked on service projects and went into the city to pray for people. We also got to visit an orphange. Something that kind of hit me was how happy all of the children were. The ones in the orphanage, the ones roaming the street, and the ones at the VBS. They had close to nothing, but were so joyful. Even though it is kind of intimidating to go into downtown Belize City (like downtown Denver, but a little sketchier), it was a great experience just to go and talk to people. I missed my family a ton, and we weren’t allowed to bring our phones, so there was no way to contact them. The phone ban was actually good for all of us, though. No Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or texting. We all could be truly focused on the mission instead of distracted by our devices. One day, we even decided to go swimming. During our two-hour rest time, a bunch of us walked to the ocean and jumped in. Compared to resort beaches, it was super trashy. We all still had fun because it was a quick relief from the heat and from the hard work. Another day, the other missionaries took us to a beautiful pool. We also got to go see some Mayan ruins. The only other problem besides the heat were the bugs. There were mosquitoes, fire ants, and huge spiders. No matter how much bug spray you put on, the mosquitoes would still get to you. At one point I had fourteen bites on my on my legs. The fire ants were torture, too. It felt like an itchy needle stabbing into your skin  when one of them bit you. The spiders were not poisonous and didn’t bite, but were disgusting. We saw one that was the size of my hand and had an egg sac. That is one thing I do not miss. We were all so sad to leave after nine days, but we were ready to be back in the USA, the land of flushing toilet paper and air conditioning. We got to the Belizean airport several hours before we needed to, just be safe. There was no wait, so we ended up sitting on hard benches for three hours. Our flight finally took off, and we landed in Dallas. As we were landing, I could hear some of our leaders talking about how we were going to have to say there that night. I thought they were joking, but once we all unloaded they explained that our flight to Denver had been cancelled. We would have to stay one more night away from our homes. That meant we had to find a hotel for twenty-four people and some way to get there. And to add to the already hectic situation, the night we needed to find refuge was also one of the nights in the Mary Kay conference, filling up all of the nearby hotels. While it was all trying to be sorted out, most of us went to the bathroom. It was quite a hilarious sight to see high schoolers celebrating when they flushed the toilet and gasping when they saw themselves in the mirror. That night we arrived at a hotel via Uber at about 1:30 am. All of us were starving because we had skipped dinner, so we all walked to a nearby IHOP at 2:00 in the morning. The next morning, we all got to relax for a couple of hours, and then we got to go to the airport. Our flight this time went to Phoenix first, then Denver. Almost all of us got McDonald’s because we had been craving it for the last week, and we sat down to wait for our flight. Suddenly, somebody in our group says “Our flight is delayed.” I think we all immediately were stressed because that meant there was the chance that we would miss our connecting flight. It was a huge “trust in God” moment because we were powerless. We all sat down for some worship time, and one member of the group got out their guitar. Even though we got some strange looks and some hate, many people sang along. It was so powerful. A security guard even tried to shoo us away at one point, but a complete stranger defended us. Our flight finally boarded, and we took off. Close to landing, I looked at the time and the cold, hard truth hit me. Our flight to Denver already took off. We were hopeless. I started talking to my friend sitting in the seat in front of me, and the gentleman next to me was listening to our conversation and offered to look up our flight for us. He looked it up, and I couldn’t believe it. Our other flight had been delayed by two hours. We were going to make it. It was a God-given miracle. We made it home at about 3:00 am. Overall, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything and I am so glad I went.

First Post

Hello! My name is Rayna Monroe, and I am a freshman at Skyview Academy. Currently, I am taking Honors Western Literature and Composition taught by Ms. Brooks. I have a couple of hobbies, including volleyball, musical theatre, and just hanging out with my family. I love Jesus Christ and I am a strong Christian. I have two sisters, one brother, and one half sister. On weekends, my family and I like to hike, swim, and jump on our trampoline. I have an Australian Labradoodle named Mac and two beta fish. My mom is a fourth grade teacher here at Skyview.

I have been going to the same school since first grade, so moving to SVA is a colossal change for me. Some of my goals for the year include achieving a GPA above 3.6 this year, getting into the musical, and improving my voice in choir. In order to accomplish a 3.6 GPA, I am going to try turn in all of my assignments. To obtain a spot in the musical, I am going to try my hardest to prepare as much as I can before the audition. In order to reach my goal to improve my voice, I am going to accept all constructive criticism and really be attentive in choir to all of the pointers we are given. I look forward to my first year and my high school experience overall!