Out With The Old
“Matt, are you ready for school yet?!” Mrs. Doren calls up the stairs.
“No…” Matthew calls back.
“Why not?!” Mrs. Doren calls.
“Spotty’s dead!” Matthew yells back.
Spotty was Matthew’s pet fish. Things had been going too well for way too long. Typically, in that case, that means something bad is bound to happen. Well, now it would appear Matthew’s luck had turned for the worst.
Matthew’s uncle, a rather rich, but unlikable man, had passed away recently. By chance, Mr. Doren was given the biggest share of the money. Immediately, Mr. Doren spent the money on a bigger house. With this bigger house, Matthew’s parents planned to expand their family.
Matthew, of course, was excited by the idea. First, they got Matthew an aquarium for his bedroom and a pet fish named Spotty. Matthew loved that fish a lot. Well, Mrs. Doren also wanted to have more kids.
Unfortunately, after a visit to the doctor, it was revealed that she could not have any more kids. To cheer her up, Mr. Doren took the family on a cruise vacation. Matthew had the time of his life, but, all too soon, regular life had to resume. Mr. Doren promised the family that they could go on another cruise some time as they still had so much money left.
Everyone was happy for awhile. Then things began to crumble. Mr. Doren lost his job and therefore could not keep up the wealth. A bigger house requires higher payments, so, rather quickly, funds were being lost.
The Doren’s, rather reluctantly, sold the big house and moved back into a small house. They’ve now been back in this smaller house for awhile and Mr. Doren is desperately searching for a new job. Spotty had been moved to a smaller tank and, apparently, the stress of moving was too much for the little guy. Now here we are, Matthew, at 13 years old, must face the harsh reality that is death.
Mrs. Doren ascends the stairs. This upper floor contains one small bathroom, one small bedroom, and an extra storage closet that honestly can’t fit that much stuff. The parents sleep in a bedroom on the first floor crammed between the kitchen and the living room. On the other side of the kitchen is a small side room with a little table and chairs.
“I’m sorry, Matt…” Mrs. Doren says, kneeling next to her distraught son. “We’ll all miss Spotty…”
“Why did he have to die?!” Matthew asks.
“Nothing lasts forever, son… Spotty lived a long life. You did everything you could to keep the little guy alive,” Mrs. Doren says. “Don’t blame yourself…”
“I can’t go to school… Everyone’s going to make fun of me… Boys aren’t supposed to cry…” Matthew says, wiping his tears.
“You’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to be upset,” Mrs. Doren whispers. “Even your father cries sometimes… You wouldn’t know it because he doesn’t want you to be worried if he cries in front of you. Last time you had a really bad flu? Your father cried. Sadness is a valid emotion, Matt.”
“What am I going to do…?” Matthew asks.
“Life has been hard recently… When things get tough, remember the good days and hope that the sun will rise again,” Mrs. Doren says, giving her son a hug. “You are the most amazing boy alive. You are intelligent, not just mentally, but emotionally… You are brave, strong, and compassionate. We need more people like you on this planet. Now, get to school. We’ll have a funeral for Spotty when you get back.”
“Thank you…” Matthew says, sniffling.
Matthew casts another longing glance at his fish tank. Spotty has passed on, but he will be remembered. Matthew quickly gets a fresh shirt on. His other shirt has too much snot on it from crying.
Quickly, he splashes his face with cold water to reduce the swelling. Drying his face, he brushes his hair and teeth. He’s going to be a bit late for school, but it’s better to be late than to skip school all together. He takes a deep breath, still trembling as he grabs his school bag.
The middle school Matthew is enrolled at isn’t far. He runs along to school. If he were to walk, he’d only be even later. As he is running, he gets a prickly feeling in the back of his neck.
Matthew stops briefly. It feels like someone is watching the boy. He looks around at the stretch of woods along the path he was running. Nobody’s there, but it sure feels like someone is watching.
“Hello?” Matthew calls out.
There is no reply. A few birds take flight, chirping warning cries. Matthew sighs and keeps on running. Perhaps it was all his imagination; perhaps nobody was there.
The second bell is already ringing by the time Matthew gets into the school building. By now, everyone is expected to be in their classes and seated. The principal sees Matthew enter the school building and comes to confront him. Matthew flinches, realizing he’s in big trouble.
“Matthew Doren! Might I ask WHY you’re entering the school building right now?” the principal asks, crossing his arms in disappointment.
“I’m sorry, sir… My pet fish died and-“
“That’s a poor excuse, sir. Surely a fish dying isn’t worth coming to school late! Run along to class. This is going on your record, Mr. Doren!” the principal scolds, coldly.
“I’m sorry…” Matthew says, hanging his head low.
Matthew hurries off to his first class of the day. The teacher looks a little annoyed at the disruption. Lily, a blonde-haired girl, smiles a hello to Matthew. He does a half wave and starts rummaging through his bag to get his stuff out.
“Ahem, Matthew. Get your homework out,” the teacher says. “You just missed the morning announcements.”
“Sorry, ma’am…” Matthew whispers and takes his homework out.
“Do you have an excuse for being late?” the teacher asks.
“According to the principal it wasn’t a good excuse…” Matthew mutters. “He already wrote me up…”
“Very well, then…” the teacher says, marking Matthew as Tardy on her own attendance list.
