Chapter 60

Alan
I walk down the halls of Northridge Academy one last time. As excited as I am to be moving to New York and starting new somewhere, I am really going to miss this school. I have been here a total of three years and even after everything that went down with me one dark and drunken night, the school staff and principal still supported me and welcomed me back when I was deemed fit to teach again.
Mr. Tissimo, the school principal, greets me right outside his office door. When I first requested to work here in this school, I expected I would not get in. It being an Academy and all, had diminished my hopes. It wasn't until I was hired and was asked several times if I would have my father come and tour the school or take a look around at what needed to be fixed in the school, did I understand the true meaning behind my hiring.
I am my father's son.
Dad is a real estate tycoon that has recently announced his running for Senator. It didn't come as a surprise to our family, dad was always gripped with changing the community and making the world a better place. What did surprise me, was that I was still respected by my staff. Ever since dad announced, even some time before then when it was a whisper, people reacted differently around me. I grew up here, and suddenly people were acting like I wasn't the same snot nosed kid that used to cut their lawns when I was twelve.
That was another reason why I wanted to move to New York and start over. Dad and I have a great relationship, he has always supported me and my dreams, but these last few years have begun to feel like I'm living in his shadow.
"Mr. King wait up." I hear a small voice from behind me.
I turn just in time to see little Arnold Peterman running down the hall right behind me. Arnold is one of my students, well, former students after today, and is known as the class nerd. I hated the way he was bullied and spoke to his parents often about it, but they aren't necessarily the kind of folks that stop everything and help their children out.
Arnolds father is only interested in Arnolds's older brother, Jamison because he may get a football scholarship and Arnold's mother only cares for her slim body. They both completely ignored Arnold when I had a parent teacher conference and on more than one occasion have I had to take him home because they forgot to pick him up.
"Mr. King, is it true? Today was your last day here?" Arnold says out of breath as he catches up to me. He adjusts his thick glasses once he stops to take a deep breath.
We are at the crossing between the school doors held open by the old metal brackets on the bottom, and the school parking lot where my car awaits me.
"Yes Arnold, you knew that buddy, remember? I told you guys a month ago, that today would be my last day." I say as I bend down and come face to face to him.
I knew leaving my students behind in the middle of the school year would be hard. It's only November but as soon as I got the job in New York at Witherton Elementary, I had to take it. It's not a good school, but I didn't want it to be. I want to make a difference in a community that needed me. I plan on doing just that.
"I remember, b-but, I just th-thought…..." Arnold starts stuttering, something he can't stand doing in front of people, then shuts down.
I gently lay my hand on top of his shoulders and smile. Arnold is hard on himself. More so than I think most adults are. I have told him on numerous occasions that he doesn't have to prove himself to his family to be better than his brother. Learning is the only selfish thing the human race should partake in. It's all about what you want to do with yourself, not what everyone else thinks or wants.
"Arnold, remember what we talked about. I want you to start speaking your mind a little bit more. If you aren't happy with the way things are going at home, then talk to someone. I will always be here for you. I'm only a phone call away and a three-hour flight away." Arnold gives me a pleading look, but a nod is what comes from him.
I stand up but keep my hand on his shoulder and see a small Toyota coming up on the side of the school. I wave to Jamison, Arnold's older brother and begin walking Arnold to his ride. After a heated conversation with the Peterman's and getting nowhere, I turned my attention to Arnold's older brother. He is seventeen and had no idea Arnold was so depressed. He told me he would make it his mission to make sure his little brother knew there was someone out there that still noticed him.
"Hey buddy. Thought we could get some ice cream after school today. You down? That way you can finish telling me all about that star gazer thing." Jamison says taking Arnold's hand in his.
Arnold starts talking animatedly to his big brother and they both turn to head for the car. I watch the retreat and a small smile tugs at my lips. This is why I became a teacher. I wanted to shape the youth. I wanted them to see that school wasn't just a place your parents dropped you off at every morning. It was you shaping your own reality.
Jamison turns and nods his head at me as Arnold shows him with his hands how big the cafeteria's meatball was today. I nod my head back then begin my last walk to my car from the school I once called home.

I walk inside my parents' home, the home I grew up in, and the aroma of fresh coffee and apple pie consumes my senses. Mom comes out from the kitchen and smiles when she sees me. Her mug in her hands no doubt carrying her third cup of coffee for the day. She engulfs me in a hug that has me inhaling her scent of strawberries.
Why do moms always smell like fruit?
"How was your last day Bean?" Mom asks as we take a seat at the dining room table. Mom's sketches are all around the table in various forms of completion. The special color pencils, the ones she asks for every year for Christmas, lay scattered throughout the soft floral fabric of the table cloth.
"It was good. Bittersweet, I think. Little Arnold was a little taken back by me leaving, but his big brother was there for him after school today.
"It's so nice to see them getting along. Jamison asked your father if he could write about him in his college entrance exam essay." Mom tells me.
"Really? I thought he had a full ride into the University of Minnesota?" I ask as mom gets up to retrieve a mug for me.
"He does, but he says he is just playing football for the love of the game. Wants nothing to do with the pressures of it all. Says journalism is his true heartbeat."
Mom sits back down, my mug of coffee and a plate of warm apple pie in hands. I sit back and admire the delicious scent before me, then nearly devour it with one gulp. Mom has always been a stay at home mom and until recently hated baking. Dad got her brand-new kitchen appliances a few years ago and now she adores it.
"Slow down Bean, may want to save room for your dinner son." Dad says walking in from the garage entrance to the house through the kitchen.
Bean was the nickname mom and dad blessed me with when I was born. Mom was only eighteen years old when she got pregnant with me and was extremely small. She only gained eight pounds altogether, and I was a ten-pound baby. She was so excited with the results of her first pregnancy that she thought her next one would be a breeze too, only the joke was on her, all my sisters were six-pound babies, and she gained thirty pounds with each pregnancy. So, she nicknamed me Bean because she says I was as small as one when I was in her tummy.
"Dad there is a fresh apple pie sitting on the stove top. I'm not going to not eat it." I say to dad and laugh when instead of kissing mom like he always does when he walks into the house, runs over to the pie and take a bite himself.
"Paul Scott King, you get your ass over here and give your perfect wife a kiss." Mom demands. Dad makes a show of walking over slowly, like a kid in trouble, and does as she asks.
Mom and dad met when they were fifteen and after getting pregnant with me at such a young age, they had to struggle. Dad started immediately working for his family's business in real estate and mom's grandmother left her twenty-five grand to put a down payment on a house. Neither side was all that thrilled that they were teen parents, but still helped and supported them however they could.
Dad was able to support the three of us and since they have always wanted a big family, they had my sisters every year after that. Amy was sister number one, born exactly a year after I turned one. She is a veterinarian. Then came sisters number 2-4, Amelia, the architect, Amari, dad's apprentice for his real estate business, and Anastasia, who is a full-time student and works part time at a pet shop.
"So, Bean, how was it, your last day?" Das asks bringing me back from the past.
"It was good. I was just telling mom about little Arnold. I didn't know that Jamison wants you to be the hero in his story." I say with a smirk to dad. He hates it when people think he can bend steel just because he is running for office.
"Ha-ha jackass. Yeah, Jamison wanted me to be the one to tell his father that he wasn't going to be pursuing the football dream. I told him that was up to him, but I would be there for him when he did it. Poor kid just wants to write."
Dad's right, Jamison Peterman has never wanted anything to do with football. When his father was in high school he was offered a scholarship but blew his knee out his senior year leaving him empty. After Jamison took a small liking to the game, his father went crazy. Jamison only does it so that they have something in common, but Jamison has never wanted that to be his life. I know what it feels like to have the whole town behind you for the biggest game coming up and inside, you couldn't care less if you played the game anymore or not.
Teaching was always my dream; the difference is when I finally got the courage to tell my parents, they were happy for me. Mom was happy I wouldn't be getting hurt anymore, and dad was happy I was doing something worthwhile.
I told mom and dad about the Peterman boys after Arnold was bullied the very first time. The loving and supportive people they are, they went down to the Peterman's home and spoke with Arnolds Parents. Only problem was, nothing changed. I knew there wasn't much else we could do, so I just made a note to look out for the boys and mom and dad helped with that. Dad became an inspiration to Jamison, not that I could blame him.
Dad is a pretty awesome hero.
"Don't you worry Alan. We will keep an eye out for both boys when you leave us all and become famous singing the theme song from rent out there in New York." Dad jokes.
"Dad I already told you, I don't plan on singing. There is nothing better to do than sell my ass on the streets of Harlem. I mean c'mon." Dad high fives me and moms shoos us out of the kitchen so that she can cook in peace.
Dad and I set up the game room on the other side of the house as we await my four sisters coming over for a family tradition of dinner, board games, and laughs. We normally do it every Sunday night but since this is my last night, we changed it to tonight.
"So, you have everything you need son?" Dad asks as I grab my favorite board game, Monopoly, down from the shelves above the television. Dad had this room changed into a game room right after Amelia moved out. Mom wanted a sewing room, dad wanted a gaming room. Mom got the sewing room where my old bedroom was, and dad got his gaming room downstairs.
"Yeah, everything I wanted to bring from home is in my car and the rest was delivered to the new apartment today. Jared took care of that for me." I see dad nod his head but when he doesn't say anything more, I turn to him.
"What's the look for?" I ask him as I move over to his side. Dad and I have always been close. I used to think that it was from being the only boy in a family of all girls, or maybe even the fact that I'm the oldest, but I think it's because we have the most in common out of the seven of us. We both love the great outdoors, both love to eat dessert before dinner and we both love sports.
"It's funny. When you guys were all little, your mother and I, we would wonder if you guys were going to all grow up and leave is. Up until two months ago, I was happy knowing you guys would always be here, at home. That every Sunday I could come home from this bullshit election stuff and see you all at the dinner table waiting on me. I guess I just realized that tonight would be the last time that all happened."
I stare at my father, the man I have looked up to my whole life, the man that taught me how to ride a bike and play baseball. The man that taught me how to shave or how to take out a girl the proper way, and I hug him. When I feel his firm grip against my back I close my eyes. I am going to miss my family and as much as I love being around them every Sunday doing our silly traditions, I know that we will still have the memories.
"Oh dad, he's only a three-hour flight from here. Plus, your election will mostly be based in New York." Amelia says in her typical moody fashion as she walks down the steps to the game room.
Dad laughs behind my back and lets me go. He scuffles Amelia's hair as he walks by, one of her pet peeves, and walks up the steps to no doubt greet the other hellions that came in with her.
Amelia is sister number two of four, she is the one to call anyone out on their bullshit. Amelia is tall, like the rest of us, with dark hair and dad's brown eyes. Her hair is cut short into a bob, piercings all over her face and tattoos all down her body. Mom and dad are not the kind of parents that don't support their children to discover themselves, so they never batted an eye at her expressions.
Amelia works as an architect for a local building company that dad's company sponsors. Much like myself, Amelia has been wanting to leave the states but doesn't know how to break the news to dad and mom. I'm partially hoping by me being the first one to leave, she will have the courage to do the same.
"So, how was your last day." Amelia says walking up to me and pulling down a board game, catching it before it lands on my head.
"Good." I say getting distracted by one of her tattoos on her wrist. It's of her best friend's name.
Years ago, Amelia's best friend Mia committed suicide. No one, not even her parents, knew she was suffering from depression. She had two loving parents and a little brother that had just gone off to college. Mia finally told Amelia about her depression one night and when Amelia got home she told mom and dad about it.
Dad was getting ready to call Mia's parents the next morning so that they can figure out a way to help Mia, but by then it was too late. Mia's little brother found her body the next morning in her car in the garage. She had swallowed a ton of pills and passed. Amelia never forgave herself for not staying with Mia that night.
"You okay?" Amelia asks dragging me from my thoughts.
I nod my head at her then look towards the game room door. When I see that it's closed I put the board games down on the center table and walk back over to Amelia.
"You think what I'm doing is dumb?" I sincerely ask.
"No." She says quickly. When I lift one eyebrow at her evasiveness. She sighs loudly and continues.
"Listen Alan, you're following your dream and right now you feel like that dream isn't here. If your dream is in New York, and I think it is, then you owe it to yourself to go and live it."
"And you think my dream is in New York?"
"I don't know, but you'll never know if you don't go and find out." She says then walks out with two board games while I grab the rest.

Dinner is amazing, as always, and when we are all stuffed from the pot roast mom made, she brings out coffees for all of us. Mom and dad make their way down to the game room first and we all follow behind them. Amy and Anastasia help set up and just as I'm about to walk over and demand we play something I'll win first, my phone chimes.
I look at the text I have from Anna and smile when I see the picture she sent me after I asked her what she was wearing at the dinner table.
"Oooohhhh, Alan is sexting." Anastasia shouts as she stands behind me trying to see the phone. I'm a good six inches taller than her so I know she can't see anything, but it doesn't stop the little minx from practically climbing on my back and trying to see the text.
"Oh, stop tormenting your brother Anastasia." Mom says as she pulls down the least favorite game of all, Yahtzee.
We all groan as she declares this the first game and just like that we all sit around a very used and old round table snacking on pretzels and chips and drinking coffee. Eventually mom gets so fed up with us using our phones that she grabs the penalty basket, something we reserved for dad when he uses his phone too much, while we play and makes us drop them inside.
The night is filled with laughs and lame jokes, mostly by dad, and when it gets late, we all call it a night. I decided to spend the night at mom and dad's house since I'm driving out to New York in the morning and my apartment is already rented out here. It will take me a good day to drive out there, so I made sure to leave on a Thursday, so I have plenty of time to get ready for my first day. I say goodbye and goodnight to each of my sisters with a promise to come home and visit during Christmas, then head up to my old bedroom to take a shower.
Mom knocks on the door about an hour later. I'm in bed double checking the map for tomorrow and put my phone down when I see she has a plate of fresh snickerdoodles and her traditional mint tea. A few years ago, mom bumped into her friend from high school and when she told mom that she had a clothing line and was in desperate need to for a fashion designer, mom jumped at the opportunity. We were all so proud of the fact that she was able to achieve her dream, even in her fifties, and even more proud of the fact that she still finds the time to do mom stuff like bake cookies and bring us tea.
"Thought you could use a midnight snack. Figured you wouldn't be able to sleep." She says as she brings the plate over to the nightstand next to the bed.
Since mom turned my old bedroom into her sewing room, she has patterns and fabric and those small tape measurers everywhere, but my bed and nightstands remained.
"Everything all ready for tomorrow?"
"Yeah, just finished checking the map. Jared texted me earlier and let know my apartment was ready and that Laynie put food in the kitchen for me and whatever random stuff her little self could think of around the house." I chuckle at how Laynie had gotten so excited about me moving out there with them all.
"Good. She's such a sweet girl. Gosh I miss them. Seems like the wedding was just yesterday." Mom says, and I agree with her. Jared and Laynie had gotten married out here so that most of their friends and family could attend, but shortly after their honeymoon, they moved back to New York.
"Yeah, so everything is ready. How are you doing with this mom?" I ask her sincerely. I didn't know dad had that thought from earlier when he confided his feelings of family to me, and I don't want to leave in the morning with mom having the same ones.
"Well, my only son is going away to a different state. Your sisters are all crazy and mostly single, and your father's agent keeps telling me that I need to join something called Twitter." I laugh at her last statement.
Dad's agent, Donaldson McGurley is what one might call, annoying. He calls or comes by unannounced and always has something he needs the family to do. Last week was mom needing a social media account and to quit her job because Minnesota will most likely want a senator that is trophy wife. He has told Amelia to grow her hair out, Amy to quickly find a husband who can knock her up and Anastasia to not work at a pet store. Dad usually ignores him and takes his actual knowledge of how the campaign works.
"Mom, I will always come out to visit. It will be like I'm still here. Christmas, spring break, summer vacation. You can expect me every time."
"Oh sure, until you marry Anna and grow a bunch of blonde haired green eyes babies. Then I'll be far away from my grandbabies and you."
I crackle at her assumption, but a small part of my heart flutters with the image of Anna blessing me with children. We have had a rocky relationship but after these last couple of years it has only grown stronger.
"And what makes you think I'll marry Anna. I could go out there and meet someone else. A model perhaps, or another teacher." I egg mom on. She has always been pro Anna and every now and then, I like to know I'm not the only one rooting for a new start with the one I'm destined to be with.
"Oh, please Alan. You two are meant to be. Anyone with enough common sense to eat from a spoon can see that. You go after her, you get her to see that you two are supposed to be together and you show her that no matter what she has been through, no matter who she was, she is loved." With that mom gets up, leaving me speechless, and heads out of the room.
I am shocked. Not many people know that Anna and I dated, not even our best friends. We didn't want anyone to know until we knew we could be serious and by the time that happened, we had broken up. That was a horrible night. A night that I often have nightmares about. Mom is right though, I have to show Anna that I mean business when it comes to her and that nothing will stop me from winning her back.