A morning in the mind of Paul

Imagine that you are Paul.

You get up in the morning at 7:30 a.m. to meet for cross country running practice. You eat a bit of breakfast--nothing too heavy--and drink some water. You run your head under the tub faucet just to clean your hair a little before getting it all sweaty and sticky. Plus the wet hair feels good on the bike ride to the school.

You head off to school on your bike, avoiding early morning joggers, other bikers, oncoming morning traffic, and the occasional grasshopper.

You arrive at school just in time. The team is beginning to assemble. Coach sends everyone off on the assigned route: up Cty Rd 27 to Cty Rd 16, right to Vernon, down vernon to 42, cross 42 to Dufferin Drive, right on Dufferin and back to 27 and on to the high school.

Your thoughts as you run:
Must keep up with Justin. Justin's the second fastest and I can do it. I can keep up with Justin.

Past the water tower. There's the fitness center on the left.

Don't step on the squished frog.

Ooh, the cool shade on 16. No time to think of water.

Keep pace. Breathe evenly. Stay with Justin. Around to Vernon.

Barking dog. Good he's fenced in.

Make room for the jogger.

Rumbling noise is a garbage truck.

Good, there's the stoplight at 42. Wait for the green. It's just me and Justin.

Duck under the low hanging branches.

Fat lady on bike ahead coming at us.

Uh-oh, she's waving. At us? No one else around...she's waving at us.

"Hi Paul! GO PAUL! GO JUSTIN!"

Shock, recognition, despair.

It's your mother.

***********************

And just in case my Creative Writing professor googles my assignments to check for plagiarism, (I just might use this as an assignment), I wrote this today (August 13, 2008) and I did not borrow, steal, copy, or otherwise infringe on anyone else's work.

And yes this really happened this morning, only I related it from what I would imagine Paul's point of view could have been. He did look shocked when I greeted him from my bike. My point of view was mostly:

What a nice morning for a vigorous activity! Bike-riding it is!" (actually, I procrastinated my exercising until the latest possible moment).

Pant-pant-pant (Etc for 20 minutes)

Oooh, runners up ahead.

Hey, that's Paul! And Justin!

"Hi Paul! GO PAUL! GO JUSTIN!"

Pant-pant-pant (walk bike the rest of the way home).

Comments

Jen said…
Ha, ha! I can just imagine Paul's horror. Not to hurt your feelings, but that's just how teenagers are. Apparently, they aren't supposed to have parents let alone ones that go out in public.

Go Paul!
Dennis said…
I re-read a few sections of "The Parental Guide to Raising Children" (you know, the one that you got when you got married and that comes with every marriage certificate) and it says in Chapter XII Section 5 sub para 3.2.6 "It is the duty and obligation of every parent to embarass children at every opportunity starting at age 11 and continuing through teenage years until age 20 or until the child has gone to college, moved out on their own, married or has become otherwise emancipated."

GO PAUL !!
Jenni said…
Hee Hee Hee. How funny!! Run, Paul, Run. Bike, Sara, Bike.
Jessie said…
haha! Did he look at you like you were an alien??