A Missed Opportunity

1

❃𝙺𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚊❃

Have you ever counted how many choices you make in a day? Whether or not to get out of bed, whether or not to brush your teeth, shower, what clothes to wear...The list goes on.

The point is, you make a lot in just a single day. And it can become overwhelming. Your vision can get blurred in an instant, and there's little you can do about it besides taking a step back. But even then, sometimes not everyone can afford a step back.

This is how mistakes are made. They're either caused by poor judgment after being overwhelmed by the multitude of options and choices set in front of a person, or just plain stupidity. And sometimes, if we're lucky, we grow to love our mistakes and they become anything but a mistake. Sometimes it's a life choice that ends up working out or even just an event. Whatever it is, we're usually grateful for them.

In my case, I never really saw it as a mistake. What was happening to me was something that happens to a lot of people. I was just afraid of the choices put in front of me, and I didn't know which to choose. Which was the right one to choose. And really, I was searching for an answer that didn't exist. There was no 'right' choice. Just a choice. Either one I went with would've changed lives forever.

Just like I was all those years ago, I'm being faced with another life changing choice. Although, I don't have very many options that I could go with. Not without feeling bad about it later on. My conscience simply won't let me.

My life changing choice is to either go back to the city or stay in our quiet, small town where our life is pretty much all built up. When it's put like that, the choice is a no-brainer. But when you add the smallest detail, it changes. A detail like the fact that my mother is getting older and just took a nasty slip trying to maneuver her way across the room to grab the tv remote off the top of the tv.

The choice becomes a little...jumbled after you add that. It still feels like it's a no-brainer. My mother is in need of my help, so it's time to come home now. My son is young enough that starting over at a new school won't completely hurt him, but it'll still be a big adjustment. Especially since he's used to being allowed to ride his little bike that still has its training wheels down the street to his friend's house without being worried about something happening in between. It'll end up coming as a shock to him when I have to break the news that we can't ride our bikes to Tina's house anymore. In fact, it's probably best we don't ride our bikes up and down the street at all.

At the very least, he's happy with the fact that we're closer to Grammy now. I let him bask in that happiness for a while before I tell him the realities of our new home.

"Kitty!"

My eyes are wide as I whip around, stepping back from the open backseat of my car. I gasp when I see my son happily running over to an orange cat with a string in its mouth. Only it's not a string, it's a tail. "Cameron!" I squeal as I abandon the car and run after him. I manage to scoop him up just as the cat is dropping the mouse in its mouth and is running away from the little grabby hands that reach for it.

Cameron whines as the cat runs away. I let out a deep breath as I turn and hurry back over to the car with him still in my arms. "Mommy," He complains.

I sigh deeply. "We need to be more careful out here, remember, baby?" I remind as I set him down beside the car. He still pouts, hanging his head with pursed lips. I give a little smile and lift my hand to fix his wavy hair. He smiles a little when I twirl a particular strand of dark brown hair in my finger. "Can you be super strong for Mommy and help her take this inside?" I ask as I reach into the backseat for a smaller box. I laugh when he immediately reaches for it, puffing his chest out like he's prepared for it to weigh a ton.