Responsibility
by Jeremy
As I walked through the door leading to the living room in my house, I heard my grandfather ask me, “How was your day?”
I responded, “Fine.”
“That’s it? Just fine? Do you have any homework?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“Well, get to work and I got something to talk to you about.”
“Okay.”
I walked upstairs to the kitchen where my grandfather was sitting. I said, “What’s up?”
“Nothing much. I spoke with your mother today and she told me you’re getting a bad grade in Spanish class.”
“Yeah, I’m trying to get it up.”
“Well, you know if you get any D’s you’re going to summer school.”
“Okay, I will.”
As I was about to go back downstairs he said, “I’m not done. Alright, you’re at that age where you’re going to be driving soon and you need a job to pay for your insurance because you’re not getting into a car without insurance.”
“How am I going to get a job if I got basketball and school?”
“Not during the summer you don’t. Unless you’re going to take summer school instead?”
I thought to myself, “This isn’t fair. Why? Now my summer is going to suck.”
“Is that a problem?”
I thought to myself, “Yeah, there’s a problem with that.” I know I can’t say that to my parents or I won’t be seeing daylight for a long time.
“Is that a problem?”
“No.”
“Okay, good. What’s going on with basketball in the summer?”
“Well, in order to have a chance in making the team next year, we have to go to summer camp.”
“And?”
“I don’t think I can go to summer school. How am I going to go to school right after summer camp? Since it starts at six a.m.”
“Honestly, Jeremy, I like to see you doing basketball during the school year and in the summer because it keeps you busy. I believe it’s better than you being out joy-riding in your car.”
I just nodded my head.
“You get what I’m saying?”
Okay, at that moment I was confused. I thought to myself, “Wasn’t he just saying that my grades were suffering because of basketball taking up my study time? What is he saying now?” I just told him, “No problem.”
I didn’t feel the conversation had to go on any longer so I walked to my room. As I was walking I was wondering about why he was making things difficult for me, but in a way I kind of understood what he was talking about or at least what he was trying to tell me. He was trying to tell me that since I am older I am going to have responsibility and that it’s not going to be a fun time anymore. I’m going to be stuck with a lot of stress and I was thinking he was trying to prepare me for when he gets on me about a lot more things that I didn’t have to worry about when I was younger. All I wanted to do was to get out of there and just chill in my room and watch TV.
“Okay, thanks.” I walked away.
“Responsibility, Jeremy,” he said.
I didn’t want to give him any reason to think I was giving him attitude. I gently closed the door.
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