It All Started with a Beanie

(1)

Ever since I was a young girl, I could sleep through anything. Dogs barking? Definitely. Yelling? No problem. A fire alarm? Sadly, yes. Someone banging pots and pans? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. And that "ability" of mine has led my mom to wake me up in a unique way every morning, with no warning at all.

This morning? She dumped freezing cold water all over me.

"MOM! WHAT THE ACTUAL-" I stopped myself before cursing, knowing that I am not going to break my code just because of our morning routine. Even though I never know what she's going to do, I should still expect it. But do I? Not one bit.

"Good morning, sweetie." An innocent act overcomes her as she steps away from me, the bowl that was once full of water sitting in her hands. "You have about thirty minutes before you need to be on the road. I'll see you downstairs." She snickers as she exits the room, eventually busting out in laughter once she's far enough from my room.

I try to pull the soaking clothes from my body but fail, deciding to just get up and change. I file through the boxes and find a loose t-shirt and some ripped jeans for the day. It takes a few minutes to get my wet clothes off and dry my body off, finally ridding myself of the freezing feeling that was previously there.

"Well good morning to me." I roll my eyes and head into my bathroom, turning on some Billy Joel to start my morning. "Uptown Girl" begins to play and my head bops to the beat, my body following shortly after. My speaker gets louder as I turn up the volume, trying to hear it over the sound of my hair dryer.

It takes about ten minutes to finish drying my hair, brushing it after to get it back to it's straight ways. I then finish getting ready, grabbing my things and heading down the hall to where Mom is.

"Took you long enough." She flashes a smile at me, humor behind it completely, and passes me a blueberry muffin and some apple juice. And my once "angry" feelings are released from my body.

"Ha ha. Very funny." I roll my eyes and dive into the muffin.

So good.

I know, right? It's like heaven in my mouth.

You can say that again, sister.

"Do you have everything you need for school?" I nod, mouth full of goodness. "Well, don't hesitate to call if you need anything. I'll be working a late shift tonight, being the new member and all. I bought a few things yesterday so you can make something but I'll also leave some money if you wanna get a pizza." I nod, finishing my breakfast. "And don't eat muffins for dinner. Eat some real food." 

My eyes roll into my head and then look back at Mom. She gives a chuckle and takes another sip of her coffee. "Got it. Anything else?" She nods and her hands lift up to my head, adjusting the beanie that sits atop. She then begins to mess with my hair. I swat her hand away and she raises her arms in surrender, a smile still on her lips.

"Do you have the doctor's notes for your teachers?" I nod and pull them out of my book bag, counting and confirming I have all seven of them for her benefit. 

"Okay. Good. Well I guess you're set then. Be careful on the roads and don't forget-"

I cut her off before she can finish, knowing what she'll say next. "-keep the beanie on; I know, Mom. It's not like I've been wearing it for almost six years now. I'll be fine, I promise."

"I know you know, sweetie." She smiles and shakes her head ever so slightly, almost in a humorous way. "I was actually going to remind you to make friends. It's your senior year. You're starting later than most kids so it may be difficult, but I want you to make the most of it. Okay?"