You Never Know What the Day Might Bring

Mary Hamlin’s alarm went off. It was going to be another average day at Cushing High School where she was in her senior year.

Mary was tired so she pressed the snooze button. Just as she was getting back to sleep, her mother came in and said, “Get up, Mary!”

“Oh, Mom, I just need a little more rest before I get up.”

“Mary, it’s time to get up and get going. You never know what the day might bring.”

“Huh?” she thought to herself. “I never heard Mom say anything like, ‘You never know what the day might bring.’”

She raised up enough to question her mother, but she was already gone.

So, Mary dutifully got out of bed, turned the alarm off, put on her robe and headed to the bathroom to start getting ready. But when she looked in the mirror, she was shocked to see what she saw. Mary always thought of herself as average—not pretty, not ugly, not homely, just reasonably attractive with her makeup on and her hair fixed up. But what stared back at her was a pretty good looking young woman.

She whispered to herself, “Where did you come from?”

After she put on her makeup and fixed her hair, etc., she went back to her room to get dressed. She found a dress in the closet that she didn’t remember having. After putting it on and seeing herself in the mirror, the dress was perfect. It was only a school dress, but it made her look very attractive.

When she went to breakfast, her mom said, “I really like that dress, Honey. It always makes you look so pretty.”

Mary was confused. She didn’t even know she had that dress, yet her mom sounded as though she had worn it several times.

After breakfast, she was ready when her friend Linda arrived to pick her up for school. Her other friends Dorothy and Anna were already in the car.

Dorothy started with a nosey question, “So, tell us all about your Saturday night date with Dustin.”

Mary was confused. “My date with Dustin?”

Anna jumped in, “Yes! We heard you and Dustin drove to the park after the movie and you two had a hot time!”

Mary said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dorothy, anxious to know what happened, said, “Oh, come on, Mary. It’s just the four of us. We can keep a secret.”

“I don’t know what you heard, but nothing happened between me and Dustin.”

“Okay, girls,” Linda said. “She doesn’t want to tell us now. Maybe she’ll give us the juicy details later.”

Mary was really baffled now. She never in her life went on a date with Dustin Wales, quarterback of the football team. She thought he was way out of her league.

When they arrived at school, Mary thought to herself, “Finally!” For once in her life, she couldn’t wait to get away from her closest friends.

On the way to her first class, Pete Simms called out to her and said, “Mary, here is the agenda for the meeting this afternoon.”

“Meeting?”

“Yes. It’s the first Monday of the month. Time for the senior class council meeting.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Mary said as she took the agenda, still wondering what was going on.

She thought, “Wow. This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder. I thought today was Wednesday. Now I find out that it’s Monday. And I’m on the senior class council? And, what’s this business about having a hot date with Dustin Wales? Next thing you know I’ll be a cheerleader.”

That’s when Sue Arnold approached her and said, “Mary, I can’t make it to cheerleader practice tomorrow.”

“Why are you telling me?”

“Well, because you’re the head cheerleader, of course.”

Now Mary really was puzzled.

Mary went through all her classes that day.

As she walked into her fourth period class, Dustin Wales was already seated. When they made eye contact, Dustin looked at her with a big smile on his face and he raised his eyebrows twice at her.

She wondered, “What was that all about?” Then she remembered what her friends Dorothy and Anna had said about some date she was supposed to have had with Dustin. “What’s going on today?”

Finally, it was time for the senior class council meeting. When she asked someone where it was, they said, “Where it always is. Room 148.”

Mary made her way to room 148. Tables in the room were set up in a “U” shape. The only place to sit was a vacant seat at the head table. She asked Lori where she should sit.

Lori replied, “At the head table, of course, Madam President.”

Mary thought to herself, “President? Of the senior class council?”

So, Mary took the seat, got out her copy of the agenda and gaveled the meeting to order.

“The first item of business is our class gift to the school at the end of the school year.”

Someone suggested installing a sign over the main entrance with the school slogan. After a brief discussion, a motion was made and passed to have a subcommittee investigate the cost and report back at the next meeting.

“The next item is the senior prom. Where will we have it, when will it be and who can come.”

Bill recommended the grand ballroom at the Carson Hotel.

Everyone was in favor of that. So, another subcommittee was appointed to check with the hotel regarding options, costs and available dates.

Mary brought up the remaining item about the prom. “Who should be allowed to attend the prom?”

Arnold said, “I think we should limit attendance to members of the senior class.”

Nancy objected. “I’ve been dating Fred for two years and we’re already talking about getting married. He’s in college, so are you saying that I can’t invite the man I hope to marry to my prom? Even though he graduated from Cushing last year? When he was a senior and I was a junior, he invited me to his senior prom.”

Arnold replied, “Well, we have to put a limit on who can come.”

“Why?” Marla demanded. “It seems to me as long as one member of a couple is a current Cushing senior, we should be free to invite anyone we please to be our date.”

That’s when the discussion got very lively. Mary let it go for a short period, but when it became a shouting match, she banged her gavel in an effort to call for order. When that didn’t happen, she continued banging the gavel over and over, but everyone kept shouting at each other. She continued banging. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…!

Just then the alarm went off.

Mary thought out loud, “Wow, what a dream!”

She reached over and pressed the snooze button.

Just as she was getting back to sleep, her mother came in and said, “Get up, Mary!”

“Oh, Mom, I just need a little more rest before I get up.”

“Mary, it’s time to get up and get going. You never know what the day might bring.”

“Huh? I never heard Mom say…. Wait a minute! Is this happening all over again?”