It was a gloomy and still evening in Chicago, IL. Sitting on a bench, was a young man who goes by the name Xavier. This was me who was sitting on that bench in Chicago.It was around 7:30PM and I was still waiting for my father to come and pick me up from my long day at school and at practice. It was definitely not my night. I just missed the bus and everyone had rides home and left. So there I was, waiting in the dark. Waiting to get home.
“Wake Up! You have to get up now if you wanna get to practice on time! Get up right now!”
“Just give me a second” I say with my eyes shut.
She shakes me vigorously. I jolt out of bed.My mom is standing there with her hands on her hips. She is dressed for work and is waiting for me to get ready so that we can leave. I crawl out of bed sleepily and inch my way to the bathroom. While I’m getting ready, I start to think about my dream, What if that really happened? It quite possibly could, any day actually. Oh I can’t wait until  I can drive, only a few more months now. But what if i can’t afford my own car? I’ll still be stuck with no ride home. Should I just quit soccer? It would sure make my life a lot less complicated. I continue getting ready for my day at school, but I still can’t shake the feeling of getting stranded.
School goes pretty well that day, no exams or quizzes and I had a study hall. All that I have left now is practice. I really enjoy practice, most of my friends are there and it’s a good time for me to just play a sport that I love. I never really have any problems at practice, sometimes I don’t play too well but I usually just shake it off. Practice ends at 5:15PM today which is usually when it ends. This gives me time to change and catch the 5:30PM bus home. I’m always home alone and I like it that way. I like my independence and being able to have my own schedule. I fix myself something to eat and eat it while watching some of my favorite shows. Then I make my way to my room and lay out my homework for the night and get working on it. I take a shower and head off to bed around 11PM. But I always stay awake because of my thoughts. I never really know what time I doze off but it happens eventually…
A week passes without any interesting events, just my same old routine. Monday rolls around and it’s the first football game of the year and I’m very excited. I have a game today also and I just know that we are going to win. Today is my day. School goes as planned and our game rolls around. I play well and we win the game 3-2, we load up the bus and start to head home. We get back around 6:30PM and everyone is in a rush to get home,
I ask my friend Mark, “hey can I catch a ride home with you?”
“Sorry Xavier not today, I gotta get home fast for dinner before the game. See you there though!”
I call up my dad who usually gets home around 7PM,
“Hey dad, I just got back from my game and was wondering if you could pick me up from the school when you get back from work”
“Sure, but I’m running a bit late tonight. Be there around 7:15?”
“Sure, try and hurry if you can though. Thanks dad.”
I hang up and try my mom because on the rare case, she gets off from work early on mondays.
“Hey mom, dad's gonna pick me up from the school when he gets back but i was wondering if you are any closer than he is and can come get me now?”
“Sorry sweetie, I went out for dinner with a coworker and won’t be home until 9PM. Looks like you’re just gonna have to wait for your dad.”
I sit and wait for my dad to come, and I start to think about my dream from the previous week. What if my dad never shows up? Will I have to walk 3.5 miles to get home in the dark? How late is it? Oh god what if I’m stranded here? Just when I was getting anxious enough that I could throw up, I see a car, but I still don't know if it’s my dad. The car pulls up and I spot my dad in the front seat, I get in -- ahhh relief. I take a quick shower and head to the game and I meet up with a few teammates. Mark apologizes again for not being able to give me a ride and asks if i got home alright. I didn’t want him to feel bad so I said that there was no problem. We watch the game and go out for pizza, then I head home and go to bed.
The next day is a normal day, consisting of school and practice. As soon as I know it, it is Wednesday and it’s my next game. We lose this game 2-0 and it’s a tough loss. But we all head back on the bus fairly happy for the most part. We return around 6:45PM slightly later than usual. Everyone is leaving in their cars and I call up my dad to see if he can pick me up. The phone rings and rings…….. no answer. I try again…. no answer. I try my mom, ring ring ring.
“Hey mom, I’m at the school and I need a ride home.”
She responds, “Sorry I thought you remembered that I’m away for the rest of the week. You will just have to let dad come by and pick you up.”
“He’s not picking up when I call him”, I answer slightly frustrated.
I’m screwed. My nightmare just came true. I’m stranded here. How could I have got myself stuck in a situation like this? What did I do wrong? I should have just asked someone for a ride. I knew that something like this could happen. But I’m a man, real men don’t ask for help from others, or at least that’s what I used to think. I’m not too sure of it at the moment. I thought I could figure it out. I really thought I could.
“I really thought I could” I muttered to myself as I started to walk home.
It took me about an hour and twenty minutes to walk home. It was the longest walk of my life, feeling helpless and lonelier than ever before. I don’t think I can do this again. When I finally get there, I am totally exhausted. I head straight to bed and just try and forget about my day.
I could not stop thinking about walking home last night. I could have avoided this. I’m so stupid. I just have to suck it up and ask someone for a ride more often. I have to communicate with people better. I need to know when I need a ride home. I am sure now.
“ Tomorrow I will ask my coach if he can give me a ride home after a few games” I say to myself in the mirror.
This is the start of a new me. I will learn to be able to rely on others and not just myself.