Waiting Up
1
Ok boys and girls, I wrote this when I was 16 or 17 years old, I think. And I see my errors, but I say, let them stay! :) This is not a piece I will change, too long ago for me to bother. I put this up now as the only piece I will provide from my earlier writing. Also, I dedicate this to someone who will go unmentioned. :) May it provide you something to take away; if nothing else, safety in knowing you are not alone.
“Waiting Up”:
Glancing at the clock again, I could see that I was reaching into the wee hours of the morning. It was 11:59pm and he still wasn’t home. Another yawn escaped my lips without my consent and again when I tried to stifle the first. I looked over at the TV and told myself the movie was worth waiting up for, but I have never been a good liar, so why start now?
I stretched out on the couch and rolled over. Deciding to give my eyes a break, I let them slide shut; but my mind didn’t pass up this opportunity to rest, and before I knew it I was fast asleep.
The front door creaked open and a man staggered in. He closed the door behind him and fell with a heavy thud. He crawled to the stairs and slowly turned to lie on his back. He groaned as he struggled to sit up. He stared at his shoes for a few minutes and looked at his hands. They didn’t look very helpful, but he needed them nonetheless. It took him a few minutes, but the shoes managed to find themselves an empty space on the floor. The man pictured his bed at the top of the many stairs. They never seemed to be so many as there were tonight. He thought about that comfortable bed again, but his mind would hear no more of thinking: it was too difficult.
I awoke with a start, flying off the couch. I gasped, my mind snapped out of my half-asleep daze. He was home, but was he walking around? I held my breath, straining to hear any clues to his being awake. A moment passed and I finally heard what I wanted. I knew my dad had just fallen asleep because the snore was still light, for him at least. It quickly grew louder and as unbearable as it was, I was happy to hear it. He got home safely, and now I could go to bed. Relieved, I rose from the floor, using the couch as an anchor. I turned off the TV that I was never interested in and made my way to the front door to lock it, tiptoeing over the sleeping corpse that lay at the bottom of the staircase.
It was apparent that he didn’t make it up the stars, despite his efforts. I stared at him, transfixed. How can he do this? Not only was he killing himself, but he was also hurting other people. I thought of only myself at the moment. My eyes swelled with tears. I was vaguely aware of my body screaming at me from the sleep deprivation. I lie down on the wooden floor, spread eagle, listening to him snore. The unceasing tears rolled from the slits of my eyes, wetting my ears and getting into my hair. I felt so mentally exhausted that I could have slept on the floor as I was, but there were still some things to do. I picked myself up off the floor, climbed over the banister, checked my mom’s and brother’s rooms, peered out the window to see if the cars were okay, and then sauntered back downstairs.
I avoided talking to him at all costs when he was like this, but I needed to get him into bed. While I was in my brother’s room, I had seen the time was 2:47am. Mom would be waking up at 3:30am to go to work soon. He needed to be out of sight so she wouldn’t have a fit and make herself sick or raise her blood pressure. Her medical problems always worried me, so I tried my best to help her out mentally with these kinds of needless stresses. She doesn’t know I do these things, like wait up for him. If she did, I’m afraid it would put her in the hospital.
Whenever he usually passes out in a chair or the couch, I let him sleep it off, but stay awake until he goes to bed. Today was Friday, and he wouldn’t be in any condition to take us to school in the morning; so I put sleep in the back of my mind and decided on Mom’s health. I wouldn’t have her wake up to catch Dad on his way to bed like this again. I pinched his ears and tugged, pulling his head up. He woke up slowly and began mumbling in some foreign drool. I was disappointed in him to no extent, desperately tired, annoyed at his attempt at English, and not in the mood to hear his dribble.
I waited until he was as fully awake as possible and left him on the stairs to take care of himself before he could continue to embarrass himself and me. When my head finally touched my pillow, the sleep was almost instant; but before I allowed it to completely take over, I said my nightly mantra, my prayer to my Higher Power. I said the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.
“Waiting Up”:
Glancing at the clock again, I could see that I was reaching into the wee hours of the morning. It was 11:59pm and he still wasn’t home. Another yawn escaped my lips without my consent and again when I tried to stifle the first. I looked over at the TV and told myself the movie was worth waiting up for, but I have never been a good liar, so why start now?
I stretched out on the couch and rolled over. Deciding to give my eyes a break, I let them slide shut; but my mind didn’t pass up this opportunity to rest, and before I knew it I was fast asleep.
The front door creaked open and a man staggered in. He closed the door behind him and fell with a heavy thud. He crawled to the stairs and slowly turned to lie on his back. He groaned as he struggled to sit up. He stared at his shoes for a few minutes and looked at his hands. They didn’t look very helpful, but he needed them nonetheless. It took him a few minutes, but the shoes managed to find themselves an empty space on the floor. The man pictured his bed at the top of the many stairs. They never seemed to be so many as there were tonight. He thought about that comfortable bed again, but his mind would hear no more of thinking: it was too difficult.
I awoke with a start, flying off the couch. I gasped, my mind snapped out of my half-asleep daze. He was home, but was he walking around? I held my breath, straining to hear any clues to his being awake. A moment passed and I finally heard what I wanted. I knew my dad had just fallen asleep because the snore was still light, for him at least. It quickly grew louder and as unbearable as it was, I was happy to hear it. He got home safely, and now I could go to bed. Relieved, I rose from the floor, using the couch as an anchor. I turned off the TV that I was never interested in and made my way to the front door to lock it, tiptoeing over the sleeping corpse that lay at the bottom of the staircase.
It was apparent that he didn’t make it up the stars, despite his efforts. I stared at him, transfixed. How can he do this? Not only was he killing himself, but he was also hurting other people. I thought of only myself at the moment. My eyes swelled with tears. I was vaguely aware of my body screaming at me from the sleep deprivation. I lie down on the wooden floor, spread eagle, listening to him snore. The unceasing tears rolled from the slits of my eyes, wetting my ears and getting into my hair. I felt so mentally exhausted that I could have slept on the floor as I was, but there were still some things to do. I picked myself up off the floor, climbed over the banister, checked my mom’s and brother’s rooms, peered out the window to see if the cars were okay, and then sauntered back downstairs.
I avoided talking to him at all costs when he was like this, but I needed to get him into bed. While I was in my brother’s room, I had seen the time was 2:47am. Mom would be waking up at 3:30am to go to work soon. He needed to be out of sight so she wouldn’t have a fit and make herself sick or raise her blood pressure. Her medical problems always worried me, so I tried my best to help her out mentally with these kinds of needless stresses. She doesn’t know I do these things, like wait up for him. If she did, I’m afraid it would put her in the hospital.
Whenever he usually passes out in a chair or the couch, I let him sleep it off, but stay awake until he goes to bed. Today was Friday, and he wouldn’t be in any condition to take us to school in the morning; so I put sleep in the back of my mind and decided on Mom’s health. I wouldn’t have her wake up to catch Dad on his way to bed like this again. I pinched his ears and tugged, pulling his head up. He woke up slowly and began mumbling in some foreign drool. I was disappointed in him to no extent, desperately tired, annoyed at his attempt at English, and not in the mood to hear his dribble.
I waited until he was as fully awake as possible and left him on the stairs to take care of himself before he could continue to embarrass himself and me. When my head finally touched my pillow, the sleep was almost instant; but before I allowed it to completely take over, I said my nightly mantra, my prayer to my Higher Power. I said the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.
0
artcellrox
The Grey Knight :y
*reads through the whole text*
:|
*hugs Kitten*
I don't know why you thought having written this years ago would have made it bad. Honestly, not only do I feel more from this piece personally, but it seems more grammatically correct than your other one. You're doing awesome, Kitten, and I only hope your stories get better from here on out. :D
:|
*hugs Kitten*
I don't know why you thought having written this years ago would have made it bad. Honestly, not only do I feel more from this piece personally, but it seems more grammatically correct than your other one. You're doing awesome, Kitten, and I only hope your stories get better from here on out. :D
0
*read the 54 sentences*
*BLINKS*
*stared in to the monitor*
*sigh*
Great one, kitty! I am not really INTO the piece, but the whole plot, the scenery and grammar is great.
Thanks for sharing this with [that artcellrox guy above me] and me! :P
*BLINKS*
*stared in to the monitor*
*sigh*
Great one, kitty! I am not really INTO the piece, but the whole plot, the scenery and grammar is great.
Thanks for sharing this with [that artcellrox guy above me] and me! :P