A Smile Comes With a Tear

by Red Violet

There are many people in your middle school experience. You’ve got your teachers, your friends, and then there’s your parents. Your parents are supposed to be there for you when your world is falling apart all around you, but what if they’re the reason your world is falling apart?

Before I start off you should know that my parents are divorced, and my mom is remarried to a man named George, and they live in Walnut Creek together. It all started in the 6th grade, but to me this story really began last summer. The custody case was in the middle of August. I would either go to a Walnut Creek school and alternate weeks between my dad and mom, or I would go to Claremont and live with my dad and go to my mom’s every other weekend.

I had been talking to my dad a lot about the whole thing, but with my mom... not so much. It’s not like I couldn’t talk to my mom or something, it’s just that it’s easier to talk to the parent who you want to live with more. The only problem about this was that I had a two week vacation in Greece with my mom and George.

When we first started the trip things were fine, but about a week in they started getting a little irritating. We all got frustrated with each other more and we got in more arguments. Then one day while George was swimming with my mom’s best friend and her boyfriend Dick my mom asked me about it. I was so scared that I would hurt her feelings, I just did not want to talk about it. I basically refused, but then after a huge fight I did. And as I had feared my mom started crying, then of course since she was crying, I started crying. I remember she looked at me with eyes full of tears and said, “Why didn't you tell me about this until two weeks before the court date?” I answered simply, “Because you never asked.” Then she started getting really angry. I could see the anger as she yelled at me, “DO I HAVE TO ASK? I am your mother and I deserve to see you at least half the time and I will take you and your father to court until I can. I will fight!” I remember, “I WILL FIGHT!”

After that my mom didn’t say a word about the custody case the whole trip. When we got home I went to my dad’s house and wouldn’t be seeing my mom until after the case was over. In the meantime I just relaxed at my home with my dad, just kinda chilling. A week went by and it was time for the court case, that day I woke up and my dad was already out of the house. So to pass time I watched some TV, but an hour passed and he wasn't home yet. So then I spent a little while just watching the minutes go by and suddenly I heard a car pull up in to the driveway. HE WAS HOME! I walked outside and saw his face.... He opened the door smiling more brightly than he ever had and ran over to me. He swooped me up in his arms and gave me a spinning hug.

Even though there was still stress for the next year with my mom crying and making me feel guilty all the time, life was okay. For once it didn't completely suck. And that’s how I got where I am today, writing this report, sitting in this chair, in Ms. Thaler’s portable, at Claremont Middle School, in Oakland.