A Lesson to Remember
My day started out as any other, the blaring sound of my alarm clock waking me from my dreams. I change into my favorite outfit; a light pink top and high waisted pants. Then I go to the bathroom that I share with my mom and pull my curly, long blond hair into a ponytail. I walk down the spiral stairs and immediately smell the breakfast my mom is cooking. I greet Oliver, my golden retriever, at the last step and gently pat his head while feeling his soft fur.
“Good morning” my mom says tiredly.
“Good Morning mom” I greet as I make my way to the table getting ready to devour my delicious bacon and eggs that my mom prepares for me every morning, knowing it's my favorite. It’s just me and my mom. My dad left when I was a baby, but my mom never told me what happened to him, or where he went. I guess him not being in our life has made us closer. We don’t always get along but no family is perfect.
“Honey I’m going to get ready for work, don’t be late to the bus.” My mom told me before running off quickly to the bathroom.
I put my plate in the sink and rinsed it off before grabbing my backpack and running out the door to catch the bus.  I saw the bus come around the corner and stood up from the bench I had been sitting on. I sit alone in the back of the bus while everyone else talks to their friends about what fun things they did this weekend. I could care less what other people did this weekend so I put in my earbuds and listened to my music.
When I got to school I walked in and went to my locker to put my things away and grabbed my English notebook before heading off to first period. I walked into Mrs. Youa’s class and was instantly greeted by Emma, one of the only people I can tolerate in this whole school.
“Maya, finally, I thought you were never going to show up!” Emma exaggerated greatly before heading to her desk that’s right next to mine.
“Sorry my bus came late.’” I told her and got out last night’s English homework just as Mrs. Youa walked into the classroom.
“Good morning class!” Mrs. Young greeted us just as she does every morning.
“Good morning .” I replied along with the class.
“This week we are going to be starting a project. We are going to be making a family tree and learning new things about your family, this will be presented in front of the class.”
“I think this will be fun, don't you?” Emma asked me excitedly.
“ I guess, I will have to talk to my mom. I don't know much about my family.” I said right when the bell rang. I got out of my seat and headed to second period. The rest of the day was pretty boring, other than the part where a  boy spilled milk all over Jennifer Merts new skirt. She freaked out and ran to the girl restroom. The whole cafeteria was laughing so uncontrollably the principal had to come in to calm us down.
By the time I was getting on the bus to go home I was exhausted. I’m always the last one off so took a quick nap before getting off and heading home. My mom was already home when I walked through the door.
“Hey sweetie, how was school?” mom asked while still stirring the cookie dough that she had been making.

“It was good.” I was hesitant to ask her more about my dad. It's not something we normally talk about. “We’re doing  a family tree in Language Arts, and to be able to do it I need to more about my dad and his family.?”
“Maya all you need to know about your father is he made a bad choice and left us.” She said with a stern look on her face.
I decided it would  be best drop it. “Can I go to the library tomorrow after school?”
“Yeah sure, I won't be home until late anyway.” She answered calmly as she opened the oven door and popped the unbaked cookies in.
With that I  grabbed my laptop and headed to my room. I layed on my twin size bed and began searching. I didn't find anything about  a man with the last name of Moor.  When I get to the library tomorrow I'm going to look through some old newspapers and see if I can find anything about him  since there wasn't any information on the internet.
The next morning was the same, my Mom made me breakfast and I  left for school. I saw Emma as soon as I got off the bus.
“Maya over here!” She shouted loudly as everyone turned to stare at me.
“Yes I see you so shush.” I whispered as my cheeks turned bright red.
“Oh sorry. I have to go to my locker really quick and grab my notebook so I’ll see you in  first period.” She said and walked down the other hallway before i had a chance to respond. In first period I set my stuff next to Emma's and quietly read a book.
  When I got to the library that evening there weren't many people there.  I went over to the yellow cabinets and opened them slowly so they won't creak and draw attention. I looked through many old news papers but there was one that caught my attention. The year on it was 1998, the title was in big letters Man Robs Local Bank. I pull it out of the pile and skim it for a name. I found no name so I made my way to the computer and searched the date and title of the newspaper. A picture of a young man popped up, so  clicked on the picture. This time I saw a name, his name was David Moor. I just sat and looked at the picture for what felt like an hour but it was really only just a couple minutes. I took out a clean piece of paper and wrote down all the information that I could find in th the short article. Just as I finished writing my phone vibrated so I looked at the screen and saw that my mom said it was time to head home. I quickly gathered my things ready to confront my mom with this  new information.
When I got home the porch lights were on so I stormed through the door and went straight to the kitchen where i could hear my Mom cooking.
“My dad is in jail.” I stated bluntly.
“Who told you that?” she asked surprised.
“No one. I did my research and found out on my own. Why didn't you tell me?” I asked with tears in my eyes.
“I didn't want you to feel like because your dad is a bad person that you are.” she said while turning down the burner on the stove to talk to me.
“You could have told me, I’m not a baby anymore Mom I can handle the truth.” I shouted with anger.
“I know you're not a child I just didn't think you were ready.” She looked as if she was going to cry.
“Well you can't protect me now mom, I know the truth .” And with that I stormed to my room. I didn't get any sleep that night. When my alarm clock went off I was already awake. I ignored my mom and walked out the door after getting ready and skipping breakfast. I didn't even talk to Emma much. I was determined to find out more about my father and get a good grade on my paper. That night all I did was research on my laptop to find out more and answer the driving questions my mom neglected to answer.
“Sweetie can I come in?” I heard my mom's voice say while lightly knocking on my door.
“Sure.” I replied sullenly.
She walked in my room and sat at the foot of my bed. “I have been thinking a lot about this, but maybe it would be best if you met your father. If you feel comfortable doing that?”
“That would be nice, are you sure you want me to?” I asked just in case she changes her mind.
“Yeah I’m sure.” She answered with a slight smile.
“Thank you Mom.” I whispered in her ear while hugging her.
The next morning was Saturday, the day I was going to meet my dad. I made sure that I looked my best. I could hardly eat with the butterflies in my stomach fluttering around. My mom and I got in the car ready to head to the jail that my father was in. The ride there was only about an hour. When we pulled in I was more nervous than ever.
My mom sat with me until I spoke. “Mom I don't need to do this.” I said with my head down.
“This is what you wanted Maya.” she said while looking at me oddly.
“It took me long enough to realize this, but I don't want to see him. All the people that really care about me are in my life already, and they’re all I need.”
My mom was crying, but so was I. We sat in the car and hugged for what seemed like hours but was only a few moments. That night as I layed in bed, I looked back to when I was little, my Mom was always there watching me. She never left me or stopped loving me. I learned that family isn't always blood related, and if they really care about me they would do there best to be a part of my life. Blood family or not, I realize now how important family really is. Without it who would we be? My family is what makes me who I am, and I'm proud to be me.