Traveling Through Life

I'm planning on this being a collection of narratives from different perspectives.

Young Child:

I hate long car rides. I hate my car seat. Mommy says I’m a big boy but that I’m too little to be in the car with out the car seat. It’s so tight. It hurts my shoulders. The strappy things are too tight! Mommy’s not looking so I wiggle until I get my arms free from those stupid strappy things. She yells at me all the time when I do that. I can’t breathe right when they’re on my shoulders. Mommy is humming along to some song on the radio. I wanted to listen to my CD of Mickey songs but mommy said no. She’s so mean. I told her I hate her. She makes me sit in the stupid car seat and won’t let me listen to Mickey. She told me she loves me anyways. I dropped my toy car earlier and now I’m trying to get it. My stupid arms aren’t long enough. So I wiggle till I’m outta my car seat. If mommy catches me boy will I be in trouble. She’ll yell till the cows can mow, whatever that means. I’m being very quiet. I get my car and try to get back in my seat. I can’t seem to wiggle back in. The car stops suddenly, and I fly forwards and hit the seat in front of me. Mommy is furious now. She is mad that the car pulled out in front of her. She is mad at the driver. She is mad at me too. She keeps screaming at me. Why did I get out of my car seat? I try to tell her I didn’t mean to make her angry. I try to tell her that I just wanted my car. I can’t tell her though. I can’t breathe. She is so angry. I don’t understand why she is crying. Then the paramedics came. They take to the hospital. Mommy got to ride with us too. Daddy met us there. The doctor just shakes his head. Him and mommy and daddy talk for a really long time. They are all very upset. Then the doctor comes in to see me again. He puts on the cast and tells me I’m a very lucky boy. I could of died he say. He says that I should listen to mommy. I should stay in my car seat. He says that I’m lucky that all I got was a broken arm and the wind knocked out of me. I tell him I want my mommy.

Old Man:

I look out the window and give a heavy sigh. It is not the first time I have taken this trip but I fear it will be my last. I am heading home. My son lives in a town miles away. I can’t drive there anymore. They took my license away when I drove through the window of the local Walgreen’s. So now I take the train. I like it though. It’s peaceful when I have the compartment to myself. I look out the window, and think. I think about the day he was born. I think about the time my son nearly died in a car accident because he wanted his toy car. I think about little league and teaching him to ride his bike. I think about when I had to tell him about the birds and the bees and teaching him to drive a car. I think about the day he went off to college and how proud of him I was. I also think about my grandson. He is nothing like his father. I’m actually proud to say that he’s a lot like me. His father is stubborn and strong willed. He’s on the other hand is calm and contemplative. He is only four but I can tell that he is always measuring things in his mind. I love them both. My son married a lovely woman and she is a good mother. I love them all so much. I am going to miss my weekend visits with them. It’s hard to for them to get to where I live. They have swimming lessons and business dinners, all of which I am invited to if I’m there. But for them to put all that on hold to come visit is hard. I understand that but I’m still sad. I go visit them but I am always so exhausted when I get home that I can’t get out of bed for a few days. I want to move closer but I hate to leave the house. My wife and I purchased it when we were just newly weds. I raised my son there. Thinking about it all makes me tired also, so I just look out the window and watch the world go by.

Young Woman

I love the back of this motorcycle! My dad would flip if he saw me. I was smart enough to be picked up at the corner where dad couldn’t see. I love holding on to him tight. It’s so intimate. I wonder where we’re going tonight. I always have so much fun with him and he’s so interesting. I told my sister about him. I just know she’s going to tell dad but oh well, I love him. Hah! I love him and you know what? I think he loves me. He’s been acting kind of weird tonight. I wish I knew what was up. He just called and told me he had something important he needed to discuss and that I needed to meet him right away. I wish he’d tell me he loves me, but you know men, they have to act all stoic. Damn them, and they’re even worse when they hang out together. You get him with all his friends and dammit if he treats me like shit!…But I know better. I know he cares, he tells me so when its just the two of us. And he’s a perfect gentleman. He kisses passionately but never lays a hand on me. Oh I wonder what he could be up to. His body feels rigid. I try to lay softly against him like usual but he just won’t relax. I’m so stupid sometimes…I sit and dream of getting married and buying a house and having children. But how can I do all that if I can’t even get him to say he loves me. Damn I hate when he does that…speeds up out of no where…but I know his secret…he just wants me to hold him tighter, so I do.