I moseyed my way down the stairs, exhausted due to the fact that it was 4 in the morning and I couldn't fall back asleep. This always happened to me. Once I woke up, there was no going back to sleep. It's a brutal consequence that comes with aging. So many responsibilities and so few hours of sleep. I figured it wasn't worth my worry as my bare foot slapped against the cold wooden floor at the bottom of the steps.
As I proceeded towards the kitchen, it was obvious that somebody was up. Every downstairs light was on and I could hear a slight shuffling of papers on the table. It was Jonathan again. It amazed me that he could be up at such an early hour. His circadian clock was so out of whack. I had always wondered how he managed to go about his daily tasks on such few hours of sleep. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't sure if he had gone to bed at all, or just decided to wake up before the birds.
"Doing some homework?" I asked absentmindedly. It was fairly obvious, but I felt inclined to ask given the odd circumstance.
"Yup" he replied, not bothering to look up. I habitually grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and made my way over to the Keurig.
"How much ya got?" I inquired further, only mildly interested.
"A decent amount" retorted Jonathan. He obviously wasn't in the mood to talk to me. I was just trying to be a concerned father. I opted to grab my coffee and head back upstairs.
I plopped myself down in the swivel chair and gave the computer mouse a shake to wake it up. I continued thinking about Jonathan. It was so peculiar the way he lived his life. He went about school work in such an inconsistent manner, it really made me wonder what goes on in his head sometimes. I realize he's still just a teenager, but it was still intriguing the way he worked sometimes. One week he's diligent about his tasks and does everything in his power to get them finished, and the next he seems to have given up completely.
Suddenly I heard the creak of floorboards behind me. Apparently I was too deep in thought to hear him coming up the stairs.
"I'm going to bed" said Jonathan matter-of-fact.
"You haven't gone to bed yet?" I asked in a shocked tone.
"Obviously not" he snapped back at me.
I slowly spun back around and faced the harsh contrast of light emitted from the monitor.
I love this! This is such a high school student thing! One week diligent and the next, no so much... Well at least for me it is! haha This does a good job at describing you and it makes me laugh realizing how many others have those awful late nights jamming out their last minute homework that we procrastinated on and forgot about! Remember its not only you!
ReplyDeleteJonathan I loved the first-person point of view! You portrayed an aging middle aged adult perfectly and it made me laugh. Sometimes parents just don't understand the pressure that is put on us. We all know that our parents have more pressure than us do to paying bills and working all day, but we are the ones who come home and are constantly pressured by the ones we love. The one thing I absolutely loved about this was that I could literally see you doing this! The way you described yourself in the story was how I would have described you! Anyway, keep working diligently and you hard work will pay off!
ReplyDeletei could totally picture Ramón when i read this haha. nice work
ReplyDeleteGreat "voice" in this Jonathan-- the first person narration was believable and effective. Although your characterization of yourself seemed mostly one of irritation, the direct characterization description of the inconsistent work habits provided another shade to the character. I have to admit, I think you're more likable than you made yourself out to be! But anyone at 4am is bound to be a little grumpy. :)
ReplyDelete"He's got potential"-- true.
15/15