Stints | ✔

Ten: My uncle, the therapist

"One day spent with someone you love can change everything."

― Mitch Albom

   My mother wasn't convinced that I was sick. She continued to tell me, "Isaac, c'mon. You're a big boy. You can still go to school despite a cold. Besides, I want you to have a pancake. They turned out good this morning!" She smiled brightly, and then kissed me on the cheek.

   But I was still persistent. "Mom, my cold will only get worse. Besides, don't you remember in third grade when you thought my symptoms were simply a cold, but it ended up being H1N1?"

   She closed her mouth and sighed. "Fine, you win. But you're going to school tomorrow."

   Ha, like that's gonna ever happen, I thought.

   After she pressed her hand to my forehead, saying she felt a slight fever, she walked out of the room, talking about how she'd have to tell Todd to walk home, or something like that.

   I went back to sleep.

   Once I woke up it was somewhere around 10:00 am.

   I started thinking a bit, while getting ready for a day away from school. Grabbing my sweat pants off my dresser, I thought of ways I could get Zoey out of class, or perhaps stop by her house in the evening. Yet, that would be too stalker-like. Besides, I could possibly get arrested for taking her out of school, even when I was supposedly sick.

   After brushing my teeth, I walked downstairs and had myself a chocolate protein shake. I needed to start eating healthily and more fit again; just because I was in a time loop, and the day kept repeating itself, and some events appeared the same. My figure wouldn't be--if I kept skipping practice and eating things that weren't normally part of my appropriate diet for football.

   Throwing away the protein shake bottle, my phone started to sound from my left pants' pocket.

   "Yeah, mom?" I rolled my eyes once I heard her voice over the line. I didn't want her ruining my plans for today. Especially if she was calling right now to say she was swinging over to check on me, when only I had was a slight fever (maybe not even that).

   "Isaac are you okay?" She asked earnestly. "I mean, I don't want you passing out in the bathroom or anything."

   I attempted a fake sneeze. "Yeah, um. I'm still in bed. I took a Benedryl awhile ago." I then acted like I was blowing my nose, using my sweat shirt sleeve. "I'm drowsy, so I'll be out in a minute."

   "Okay, Isaac. If you feel like you're getting worse please call me. Grandma says hi."

   "Tell her I said hi too. And tell her I'm praying she gets better."

   "Okay, will do Isaac. Oh, and Isaac?"

   "Yeah?"

   "Your uncle, you know my brother, the one that lives in Andersville? Uncle Les. He's going to pick up Todd, so no need to worry about that, 'kay?"

   Uncle Les? Seriously? I hadn't seen Mom's brother in what seemed like forever. Despite the fact that he lived thirty minutes away from us, he and Mom weren't exactly close.

   "Yeah, that--I faked a sneeze again--sounds great. Thanks."

:: :: ::

   I stopped at school sometime during lunch. I know, I know. How dumb was I to come back to school when I was at first trying to avoid it?