Lessons Learned

The shield in my left hand reverberated with a loud “Tang” as the sword crashed down upon it, sending a jolt of vibration through my arm. 

My sword came down upon my opponents shield, metal clashed against metal, creating a cacophony of “Tang!” “Tang!” that reverberated through the crisp air. 

As I pushed forward with determination, I could feel the weight of my opponent’s shield pressing against mine, the metallic grinding filling my ears.

Suddenly, a distant voice to my right broke through the intensity of our battle, calling me back to reality.

“It's time to come in, dinner's ready,” my Mom’s voice floated from the back porch, the unmistakable smell of spaghetti wafting to my nose.

Reluctantly, I lowered the garbage can lid in my hand. “Awwww, gee Mom, we were just playing King Arthur…”

Rocky mirrored my actions, glancing between me and my mom with a sheepish grin.

“No,” she retorted firmly. “Put those lids back on the garbage cans and dispose of those sticks. You'll poke someone's eye out! Then come inside, wash your hands, and get ready for dinner.”

“Oooookaaayyyy.” I hung my head, feeling defeated.

Following her instructions, I bid farewell to Rocky, and with a casual “see ya,” he made his way home.

I washed up and made my way to the dining room. But just as I approached, I overheard my parents conversing in hushed tones.

“When do we break it to him?” my mom murmured.

“Well,” my dad responded, “the movers are scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow, so it must be done soon.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut from Superman himself. We were moving? A flood of questions engulfed my mind. Why? WHY echoed loudly in my mind.

As I stepped in, a thick silence enveloped the room, my arms folded tightly across my chest, a scowl etched on my face. The only sound was the gentle tick-tock of the kitty cat clock on the wall. Breaking the stillness, Mom spoke up, her gaze fixed on me, acknowledging that I had overheard them, she mustered a weak smile. "We were planning to tell you during dinner," she began.

“A few things,” Dad chimed in, a faint smile dancing on his lips as he glanced at Mom.

"Moving... moving?" My head throbbed with disbelief, and my heart raced in panic. I refused to accept this sudden change. How could they do this to me? All my friends, the Superman fan club during lunch... everything was here!

“Well, I'm NOT GOING.” I yelled, storming off to my room. Slamming the door shut behind me, I crumpled onto my bed and stared out into the dark, a whirlwind of emotions tearing me apart.

I gazed at Angie's house across the street, my heart heavy and tears welling up in my eyes. She was the one I would miss the most, I had to admit. I hadn't been interested in girls before, but there was something special about her. 

Clutching my Superman figure tightly, I nestled it against my chest as I lay flat on my pillow, drifting off to sleep.

The following morning, I was stirred awake by noises downstairs. I sat up and shivered against the cold air. My eyes were heavy and I rubbed the sleep out of them.

A soft knock on my door preceded my mom's gentle voice as she entered. "Hey there, are you ok?" she asked, concern evident in her tone.

"I dunno," I replied, jutting out my lower lip and crossing my arms.

"I know this is sudden, but there's more we need to tell you," she said, settling beside me and wrapping her arm around me.

"I don't care," I retorted. "I'm not hungry, and I'm going out to play once I'm ready."

As she rose, a shift in her tone signaled a change. "Well, it's your choice. We're quite occupied today. The movers are here to pack up our things for the move. Today marks our last day in this house."

"But mommy... today?" I choked back tears.

"Yes, remember we discussed the consequences, and you said you didn't want to be involved. I'm really busy now. You need to be back by four o'clock, and not a minute late," she warned, wagging her finger before closing the door behind her with a loud clunk.

"Well," I muttered to myself, feeling the weight of the situation. Resignation filled me. Perhaps I should just run away and join the circus like Toby Tyler. That would show them!

Ten minutes late I had forgotten the circus and I grabbed my Superman figure with a determination not to cry I slid down the banister one last time.

I grabbed my favorite baseball cap and pulled it snugly onto my head and headed to Rocky's house.

The sun felt warm and I forgot my troubles and played a game by not stepping on the sidewalk “lines”. The calls of a red winged blackbirds I could hear coming from the creek. The wood beneath my feet creek as I walked up the stairs to Rocky's door. I knocked on the door and in a minute Rocky answered.

We sat on the porch steps deciding how we would spend the day. I struggled with the weight of the unspoken words that had been eating away at me. Finally, the truth spilled out, my voice betraying the turmoil within: "We're moving."

Rocky's reaction was immediate and raw, his shock palpable in the air. The sharpness of his voice and the sudden contact of his fist hitting my shoulder emphasized the gravity of the situation. "YOU'RE MOVING?!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief and hurt.

I nodded with a heavy heart, meeting his stunned gaze with empathy. Despite attempting to conceal his emotions, his wavering voice betrayed the turmoil within him as he struggled to process the sudden announcement. "No way! Oh, that's...sad," he muttered, a hint of vulnerability seeping into his tone.

As the reality of our impending parting sank in, I offered a gentle smile in an attempt to ease the ache in both our hearts. 

"Maybe I'll come visit sometime," Rocky suggested tentatively, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

The poignant exchange hung in the air, our unspoken connection saying more than words ever could. "Well, of course you can," I reassured softly, our shared past and bond serving as a source of comfort in the face of inevitable change. "I'm sure our parents would make that happen."

And so, amidst the backdrop of memories and the unknown future, we sat in silence.

I looked at my Mickey Mouse watch. I had plenty of time to play.

“Well let's not waste the day!” I said as I jumped up.

“Let's go, then” Rocky said and we headed into his backyard.

We played in the creek for awhile until Rocky slipped and got wet up to his knees. We fell on the grass laughing. His mom always said that he could never be around water without getting soaked.

Walking back through the forest we came across a large pile of boards partly covered by blackberry brambles.

Rocky ran home to get a hammer and nails while I scouted around for the right tree to build a tree fort.

The rest of the afternoon we spent nailing pieces about ten feet off the ground in an old oak tree. It's thick branches just right for some 2x4 braces and some plywood nailed up as walls. We even had some old hinges and made a door.

Satisfied with our Fortress of Solitude we sat down on the damp wood floor.

We started reminiscing about our childhood adventures. "Remember when we collected pop bottles and made five bucks?" Rocky recalled, a nostalgic twinkle in his eye. 

"I still have those comics," I chimed in, a smile spreading across my face. 

As the wind whispered through the trees above us, we delved into more memories - building snow forts, climbing trees, and sneaking extra candy from the corner store. The bittersweet undertone of nostalgia mingled with the carefree joy of days gone by, shielding us from the weight of our current worries. "And the time we pelted snowballs at Danny's house?" I offered, eliciting a round of laughter from Rocky. 

"Oh yeah, he definitely got us back good," he chuckled, the image of Danny's retaliatory snowballs still vivid in his mind. "My mom was furious about the hole in my brand-new jeans that day," I mused, chuckling at the recollection. Talking about my mom stirred a mix of emotions within me, causing me to glance at my watch. “Oh crap, it's already three o'clock. I should start heading home,” I muttered sadly. 

Rocky's gaze wandered into the distance, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

With a heavy heart, I removed my beloved baseball cap and placed it on Rocky's head. “Take this, Rocky.”

“Sure,” he whispered softly, “and we'll still have weekends to look forward to. Maybe you could even stay over in the summer?”

We descended from our cherished tree fort, and I laid a comforting hand on his shoulder as we admired our handiwork.

“It's time for me to go,” I murmured.

We trudged back to his house in silence, the weight of impending separation heavy in the air. Ever since we were toddlers, we had been inseparable companions.

As I trudged back from Rocky's house, I absentmindedly hopped over the cracks in the sidewalk, my movements slow and deliberate. Approaching my own house, I noticed several men carrying beds out the door and loading them into a bright yellow truck. Feeling a heaviness in my chest, I perched on a nearby fire hydrant, stealing glances at the activity while trying to appear nonchalant. Suddenly, my gaze shifted to the steps of Angie's porch, where I saw her slumped over with her head buried in her hands. A lump formed in my throat, and my mouth felt dry. My eyes darted to the Superman emblem on my shirt. In that moment, I wondered: What would Superman do?

I jumped off the hydrant. I was sure my mom would drive me to see her too. I could comfort her with that information.

I looked both ways and crossed the street and headed towards her house.

“Angie!” I called but she did not hear me. “ANGIE.” I yelled. Her head came off her arms that sat across her lap and she looked at me. Tears streaked her cheeks as she saw me. 

Not holding back she jumped up and her saddle shoes made clip-clop sounds as she ran down the sidewalk towards me.

Her voice sounded tired and she spoke through sobs of grief, “Y..Y..You...you're moving?” she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

“I didn't know until last night.” I said trying to be brave.

“That's not fair!” she said. Her body shook with another sob as she tried to calm herself.

“But maybe we'll still see each other. Rocky said I could stay over this summer.”

“But that's a long time.” She said with a hitch in her voice. She wiped the last of her tears. There would be no dimples this time.

Bravely attempting to lighten the somber mood, I offered, "I brought Superman," holding up my toy with a hopeful smile. 

I reached down and gently touched the back of her hand. She turned her wrist and her fingers enveloped mine. We just stood with the warm breeze and stared in each others eyes.

The trail of tears dried on her face and she said,“Sure, lets go play.”. We headed hand in hand to her porch. I sat down to wait as she disappeared inside her house.

I waved as my mom stepped out from behind the big truck and my gaze caught hers. She waved back with a big smile on her face. Maybe things were not so bad after all. 

The screen door screeched as Angie returned with her doll house.

Laying it out on the porch, we played as if time could be frozen in those fleeting moments. Superman saving the doll family from imaginary house fires, yet unable to rescue our hearts from the impending separation. 

After growing tired of playing with the dollhouse we sat and talked about the times we spent together. We talked about how I had given her my old Superman lunchbox so she could join the Superman club at lunch. We laughed about our favorite TV shows and cartoons and the days we spent playing in the snow. The weight of unsaid words hanging heavy in the air. 

That's when I heard a car horn honking.

Both of us jumped a little at the noise. Angie's eyes got shiny and I turned to look to verify who was honking. I really did not want toknow. The horn was from my dad he was waving me over to get in the car.

“OH! It's time already.” I looked her in the eye and we both stood up slowly. Small tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she said, “I'll miss you.” Then she hugged me.

My eyes mirrored hers and I hugged her hard. 

We separated and I stood back wiping my own eyes.

My head hurt like my heart and I could not say anything.

I looked down at my hand and then I held out my hand to her offering my prized possession, my Superman figure.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes and she slowly lifted her arm and grasped Superman and held him to her chest.

Then she leaned forward, her lips softly caressing my cheek before her shoulders slumped and she turned away, sobbing as she hurried inside her house. I felt small, smaller than an ant, as I made my way to the car. I tenderly touched my cheek where her kiss had left its mark, the toes of my shoes barely grazing the pavement as I scuffled into the back seat. 

In somber silence, my parents and I drove away from our old home. Through misty eyes, I observed Angie returning to the porch steps, Superman cradled in her lap, tears freely flowing down her face. I quietly brushed away my own tears, mustering the courage to hold back my emotions, not wanting my father to see my vulnerability. As we reached the end of the block and turned left, I gazed back until I could no longer see Angie.

“This isn't fair”, I crossed my arms and lowered myself further into the seat. I watched the telephone poles zoom by as the car rumbled along.

My mom patted my arm and told me things are not as bad as they seem and to remember that actions have consequences.

I was pushed against the door as we made another turn. A few minutes later we made another rturn and the brakes squeaked as we slowed to a stop.

Puzzled I sat up eye level to the window and peeked out.

My mom turned and looked at me, “We're here.” she said.

I looked to the left. There I saw a giant house that had a giant yard.

“What do you mean? Where are we?” I could not understand what was going on.

“Our new house, silly.” She said.

“But we so close to our old house?” my eyebrows lowered.

My mom pulled the latch on her door and patted my arm, again, as she turned away. “ You spent so much time pouting that we never got to tell you it was a few blocks away so you'd have the same school, the same friends. You justy might have to ride your bike a little father, that's all.”

Now I felt I wanted to be smaller than an ant.

“But..” I started.

“No buts. We also needed another bedroom.” My mom said as she looked at my dad with a huge smile.

“Why?” I said.

“Because you're going to have a new baby brother or sister.” she said.

There was a loud clap in the back seat as I slapped my palm to my head. 

A baby?

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt a mixture of shock, confusion, and excitement swirling inside me. A new house, a new sibling... It was all so much to take in at once. But amidst the whirlwind of emotions, the thought of how to explain all of this to my friends and Angie, especially Angie, weighed heavily on my mind.

As we stepped out of the car and began unloading our belongings, I couldn't shake the feeling of apprehension about facing my friends with the news. How would I tell them that I had been so close all along and yet had missed the chance to know? How would Angie react when she found out that I never took the time to truly understand what was happening?

With a heavy heart, I trudged into our new house, my mind racing with thoughts of how to break the news. Would they understand? Would they forgive me for my stubbornness?

Time would only tell.