Take What You Get :: Personal Narrative Baseball Friendships Papers

Take What You Get I hated both my last day of school in Hopkinton and my first day of school in Sherborn. My mother drove me to my new school in our brand new white Volvo station wagon. The ride from our house to the school seemed much shorter than it actually was. Looking back on it, anytime I’ve unwillingly traveled somewhere, the car ride seemed extremely short. I remember the station wagon climbing the long, winding hill that led to Pine Hill Elementary school. As I watched the trees and fields pass, I imagined that the car hadn’t gone by them. In my mind, I was still back in my new trundle bed at home. My mom knew I was on the verge of tears, and she was constantly moving her hand back and forth between the car’s stick shift and my knee. "All the kids are going to love you," she said, patting my leg. "Mrs. Smith is so excited to have you in her class." I couldn’t even muster a response. I pictured Mrs. Smith forcing me to stand up in front of the class, asking me to tell the kids my name and what I liked to do. Then I saw the kids laughing when I broke down in tears, unable to give them an answer, or merely mumble a few words about myself. I couldn’t even respond to my own mother. "Honey, it’s ok to be nervous. Remember that I’ll pick you at 3:15. You don’t have to take the bus this afternoon." She parked the car and held my hand as we walked up the steps to the school’s entrance. I was wearing blue shorts, a bad choice because they were too short and revealed my pale, chubby legs. The walk with the principal and my mother down the long, empty corridors was what finally did it for me. I had been trying my hardest to hold back the tears, forcing myself to think of the end of the day, when my mother would be waiting for me. But the classroom was getting too close. I could sense it by the way the principal slowed his pace and drifted to the right side of the corridor. I felt the tears under my eyes, but I didn’t care enough to wipe them away with my arm. "Welcome to Pine Hill," Mrs. Smith said.