Hi neighbor!
Last week my middle daughter asked if I had done anything “really bad” when I was her age. (Several things came to mind, unfortunately.) Since she had been complaining about her schoolwork earlier, I told her about the day my best friend Lisa and I skipped school.
I can’t remember who came up with the idea, but I do remember Lisa and I talking about how we were tired of taking orders from teachers all day, and we deserved a break. It was late winter, and everything felt like a drag (especially gym class). On the appointed day, I grabbed my bookbag, said goodbye to my mom and headed to the bus stop like usual. Once I was out of eyeshot, I made a hard left and dashed through the woods that separated my neighborhood from Lisa’s.
Lisa convinced me that we should invite her boyfriend Justin, who also lived in the neighborhood. Justin lived with his dad, who worked long hours and gave Justin a lot of freedom. I remember Lisa and I tumbling into Justin’s house, giddy with excitement. Back then, schools never called home about student absences; an excuse note signed by a parent was expected at some point, but Lisa and I decided we’d deal with that later.
Once the initial thrill wore off, I glanced at the clock in Justin’s kitchen and realized it was only 8:15 AM. We had A LOT of time to kill and nowhere to go. None of us were old enough to drive, and we were terrified of leaving Justin’s house and getting caught. I looked over at Lisa and Justin whispering and cuddling on the couch and felt like the third-est third wheel there ever was. We passed the morning watching hours of awful TV, and by lunchtime I realllly missed school. We decided to order pizza but fought over who would pay for it. Lisa was driving me nuts, and she and Justin got in a fight. I was so bored I considered hitchhiking to school.
At some point Lisa and Justin went outside to argue just as Lisa’s dad came home early from work. My mom was furious when Lisa’s parents told her what I had done and refused to lie on my excuse note (she told me I was welcome to explain my absence to the principal). I was grounded forever, and Lisa and Justin broke up soon after.
After I finished, my daughter and I sat in silence for a bit. She seemed to regard me differently—good or bad I can’t really say. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared, but it happened, and what are stories if we can’t share them?
Stay in school, friends!
Kate
The only day I can remember cutting school was when I had a massive amount of homework and or was behind and begged my mom to let me stay home and get caught up on my schoolwork and she did and I did.
Boring .
The only day I can remember cutting school was when I had a massive amount of homework and or was behind and begged my mom to let me stay home and get caught up on my schoolwork and she did and I did.
View lessBoring .