As being a senior in high school you get to really know what is the real world is.  Bad things happen and it’s hard to get back up from it. You have to work hard to get money. You have to deal with bad people and bad things alone. I want to be happy then again I don’t know my mom could see me any longer.

As I rolled up to school, I was still tired from the late night 11-3 shift but it was just another day for me.
“Hey Flynn do you get that essay done?” said Houston as I walked in
“No, did you?” I said walking towards him
“You know I always do and you always have some type of excuse.” He said
“Man, shut up Houston. You know I have look over my mom and I have to work the night shifts at the Holiday Shipping. Who is going to pay the bills” I said
“Oh yeah I forgot you are the mailman.” He said laughing hard
“Hey, it pays” I joked
“Not good though” He added
“Whatever man, see you later.” I said walking to class

After long 6 hours I was finally done with school. I really didn’t have any friends to be completely honest. I was never really a social kid. I’m only friends with Houston because he ended up talking to me first. I really need to focus on my social skills, as thought to myself walking to home.

I reached home to found out that my mom was looking very bad and sick. I never saw her this bad in my life. “Hey, are you ok?” I said holding her wrinkled hand. “I’m fine sweetie” She said barely keeping her eyes open. “Do you need anything?” I said “Listen, you are going to be ok.” I said trying to stay calm. “Flynn.” She said looking into my eyes. “What?” I said wondering what she was going to say.

“Believe in yourself and don’t forget about me, I love you son.” She said very slowly and quietly to me looking into my eyes and I look into her eyes back. She then rolled over and let out her last breath. I shed a tear lightly, and then I held her warm hands to only see myself in her eyes. I closed her eyes, I let go and I said “I will mama…you will always be thought of and always in my heart.” I stroke her brown hair one last time. I stopped crying and I just sat there thinking of her and the memories we had together. I ended calling 911 and it was so hard to watch as they took her body away.

I laid down after, I needed the time to think to myself. Her death was easier on me since I knew her death was coming so it was accepted. I tried my best to spend the most time with her but I had to work. I was the only child and since she didn’t work somebody had to. I work my best for tips from people by being the nicest I ever could; even in the inside I was upset. Sometimes when I got home I didn’t have enough food for the both of us. Sometimes I would just feed mama instead of myself. It was hard of those nights where I didn’t fed myself. I could feel my stomach get smaller by the minute. Every time my stomach growl, it felt like the biggest growl ever than before. 

After waking up, I had to get ready for work. It was pouring hard outside. You could hear the loud thunder and felt the ground shaking. As I opened the door, it was like stepping into a shower head. I could feel my soak shoes after every step. It was like stepping onto a wet rag after every step. Then I passed a homeless man while crossing the highway. He looked all upset sitting there; I wish I could do something to help him.

“Hey, sorry I’m at late boss” I said opening the door and you could hear the doorbell rang. “It’s pouring really hard outside” I added
“Flynn, does it look like I care? Now, get to work but before go dry yourself, you don’t want to ruin our new packaging boxes like you did last time.” My boss said with a mean face and his finger pounding on my chest
“Ok, sorry sir” I said running to back of the store to get a towel

“Late again Flynn, ok I see you. Boss man said you need to put in the new windows in the front of the store” my coworker John said as he was packing some online orders
“Really, I can’t do that by myself?” I said sitting down right next to him
“Just try, it won’t hurt you” He said back
“For sure, ok” I added. About one windows weight about 80 pounds, there is no way I can lift this by myself. “Hey John, can you help me” I said trying my best to lift the box up. “I’m busying dude” He yelled back. I signed back in frustration.  I lifted up the box with all I had. I walked up to the front of the store passing by my boss, who is just sitting down reading the local newspaper. He looked up just enough you could see his eyes above the newspaper. He was giving me a dirty look. All I could think in my mind was well, the box was heavy.

I couldn't handle the weight anymore, the box slipped out of my hands. Broken glass was everywhere. “....FLYNN!” My boss said as he threw down the newspaper and ran over to me.
“What is wrong with you?!” He said trying to pick up the broken pieces of glass. “I’m sorry boss, I....I…” I said trying to get the words out of my mouth. “You are an idiot, you can’t do anything right, you’re fired!” He said standing up and throwing down the glass. At that moment I knew it was true and nothing meant anything to me now. “I’m sorry boss” I said as I walked away in sadness couldn’t even keep my head up.

I walked across the highway once again to see the homeless man. It was still pouring hard outside and I had gotten fully wet again. Seeing the homeless man, made me wanting to walk up to him. I felt like I would be in his shoes one day.
“Tough isn’t it?” I said sitting down next to him
“For sure,” He said back
“How did you get here?” I said looking back
“Well...my mom died when I was only 17 and I had to get a job to support myself. Since, my dad left me at a young age. I was an only child and I wasn’t very social, so I had nobody to turn to or to look up to. By the next few weeks I was working 12 hour shifts and only having about 3 hours a day since I was still in school. I ended up losing my job very quickly and I couldn’t find a new one. I dropped out of school and since then it’s been a hard. ” He said in disgrace
“How old are you now?” I said
“30, if I had one thing to tell you it is that, always love your life and don’t take anything for granted.” He said. “Thanks, I really appreciate that. Well, actually mom died too actually today due to of lung cancer. She smoked like there is no tomorrow. She was always depressed most of the time; she said the smoking helped her relax. She was abused starting from a young age. She never hit me though. She was the dad I had never had. Tears started rolling down my face “Hey it’s ok” He said giving me a pat on my back. “She would wake up early and would make cinnamon buns every morning. I remember the rolls would just rip in half so easily and the sun would shine through the window, it was like living in a movie. I would be so happy and she would too.  She would always have a beautiful smile. Her last words were “Believe in yourself and don’t forget about me, I love you son.” It was so calmly but so lovely. I miss her.” I said as I started to cry.                                                                                                                                                                     “Hey, it’s going to be ok. Just because she is not alive doesn't mean she isn’t looking down on you in heaven. She loves you and will always love you. Don’t get upset you mom wants you to be successful. I believe in you and she does too.” He said
“Thank you so much, that means a lot to me.” I said wiping off the tears off my face and giving him a hug
“Here take this twenty, it’s all I have. I just want to help.” I said handing him the money
“Thank you so much! He said
I walked away and I could feel him looking at me as I walk away. I could feel him smiling and I think he knew I was smiling too.

From that point on I realized, you can’t let the worst get to you. Sad and bad things happen in life but you always have to stay true to yourself and to always be happy. The homeless man made me notice that and I will always remember him. Sure, I miss my mom but I know she is looking down on me and smiling.