"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Couple years, yeah. Time flies,"
I held the award in my hands, rocking my chair on the patio. Smoke rose into the sunny sky, laden by trees dancing alongside us.
Life has definitely taken a crazy fucking 180.
He leaned closer to me and glanced over my shoulder, glaring in awe at the award like a kid in an old Toys R US. Can't lie, it was shiny and beautiful.
"Honorary Citizen Award: For restoring peace to a land of chaos from the inside out. Thank you for doing what others feared." He said, sitting back in his chair and huffing in jealousy. He didn't think I could tell, but I've known him too long. "It's not often one of my students gets an award from the Mayor themselves, you know, I feel like a proud daddy,"
"Don't ever in your life call yourself 'daddy' again, okay? Okay. Thanks, nice talk,"
"Oh, how wounded I am," he clutched his chest dramatically. I ignored him.
"Honestly, I never really thought I would do some shit like this either. I mean, all I did was talk back to someone I didn't like— at the beginning, at least— and now here I am years later with my own place in the hills... staring down at an award that I don't even feel like I deserve really," I said.
"Don't deserve?"
"I mean, what did I do really?"
"Ugh, God, stop being so fucking modest," He sighed, "Not just anyone can unite a state and take down Corporatocracy through beating everyone senseless. Let's be real here,"
I leaned my head back against my chair, glancing up into the sky. It's the bluest I've seen it in a while. In the back of my mind, I envisioned the voices I wanted to hear speaking to me. Were they proud of me?
Sucking my teeth, tired of the mushy shit, I tossed the award to the patio table and went to walk back inside. He leaned forward in his chair and stopped me just as I got to the door. His voice was the same charming tone as always but now it was heavier, childlike, and excited. With the wind blowing through his curls, he stood up and placed his hands firmly in his pockets before he asked, "So, where you going from here?"
"I don't know," I answered. I looked back at him, "I have enough money to retire, plenty,"
"But?"
"But I'm just... kinda..."
"Not done?"
"Yeah."
He laughed, then smiled.
YOU ARE READING
She's Got Moxie In Her
ActionI don't normally do shit like this. Writing down my feelings is weird to me... you never know who's watching. I was enrolled into this program by my old school to talk to a counselor every month and "write what I'm thinking"... so you know what? Fi...
