Writing Exercise Ten: Student Themes

Nothing else can go wrong!

My dreams kept calling to stay, “Melissa sleep, Melissa stay and sleep.” It was a great dream.  The warm beach sand felt so wonderful against my back as the bight sun warmed my face.   I wanted to lay there all day in that dream.  Waiting outside of my warm bed was the frost and cold air, and I knew this.  As soon as I opened my eyes I knew that I was late.  Like a jack-in-the-box the clock sprang out to me.  It was already past seven a.m.  I had only forty minutes to get dressed and make it to school. It was my first day of class at Ashland Community College. I thought that somehow I could make it, but I had a deep feeling that today something might go wrong. 

The clock was ticking faster and faster.  Why couldn’t this be the day that time stood still?  I didn’t have much time to get dressed and to make it to class.   Class would start whether I was there or not.  I quickly gabbed my green silk dress.  It was the first outfit I saw as I opened my closet door.  It also was the only thing clean, pressed, and ready to wear.

I hurried in to the bathroom to wash my face.  As I looked into the mirror I was startled. The image that started back at me was a fearsome creature.   Boy did I look bad.  My eyes were sagging they are the worse case of crows feet I have ever saw. My red nose made me look like Rudolph.  I loved seeing it every morning.  I had to make time to put on some makeup. I would scare my new professors if I went looking like this.  But as I reached down to grab my makeup bag I hit the edge of the sink.  A sharp pain was felt all over my forehead.  Blood trickled down to my eye.  I think the cut made my forehead look better, and the blood was really a plus.

I did a fast check just to making sure I didn’t forget anything. I made sure that I had books, pens, and my purse; yes I have everything.  Or so I thought.  Then I noticed my lovely bunny slippers that warmed my feet. They are very warm and comfortable, but they didn’t match my silk dress.  While I was changing my shoes my son, Chase, decided that today would be the day he would try out his karate kick.  It was a great kick right to my left leg.  It was the perfect punch. The punch had taken my feet right out from under me.  Falling to the floor, I wondered why did I put him in karate.  Chase, who was laughing his head because I was crying.  Now I would be going to school with a cut on my forehead and a limp.  Oh well I thought it will only add to my character. 

To the kitchen I rushed, quickly grabbing my toast to butter.  I didn’t have time to sit and eat.  I darted to my car, while eating the toast. As I turned to get in my car I could see the breadcrumb trail all the way back to the door.  It was a trail that even a blind crow could follow.  I’m surprised a flock didn’t attack me right then.  I looked up to make sure they weren’t circling my head.

“Classes would be starting soon,” I kept saying.  Now nothing could stop me.  That was the moment when my car stalled.  I didn’t know how or if I would make it.  My car always knew when I needed it the most, and would always fail me. It always seemed like calling it a million names helped it start.  “What else could make this day go wrong?” I asked myself.  When the car finally started I yelled, “Yabb-a-dabb-a-doo,” like I was Fred Flintstone. I looked down at my watch.  My eyes popped out of my head when I seen it was ten after eight.  I had twenty minutes before my first class.  “I can do this,” I said.  As I took a deep breathe and put the car in gear.

Toast in one hand, crumbs on my face, shifting the gears with my other hand, I was picking up speed.  I thought I could speed a little faster than I normally would.  “Surely there’s not going be any police out checking for speed demons this early,” I said to myself.  I was going so fast I think even a speeding bullet would have eaten my dust.  I was praying that I didn’t have a flat tire. (The way the day had started nothing would have surprised me).  My left driver’s side tire was going bad. You could see the wire shining like the reflection off a bald man’s head. 

I was never so glad to see the school’s parking lot.  Wouldn’t you know that of all days there would be no parking spaces left on the hill next to the school.  I had to park in the lower lot and walk up the stairs.  I’m not sure how many stairs I climbed but it seems like a million.  I was out of breath by the time I reached the top. My side was starting to hurt for the lack of oxygen. At this point I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to class, but I knew I couldn’t make it up any more stairs.  I would be taking the elevator to the third floor.  I sure hope that school was worth all I had to go thru to make it here.

“Tomorrow,” I said to myself, “I’m going to set my alarm early. I will give myself plenty of time to make it to school.”  I didn’t want to walk up the stairs again.  If I ever start a day with a bad feeling you can bet I will go right back to bed.

By Melissa Hankins

Tom Hanks and ACC

Tom Hanks and I are dancing. The song, "Footloose," blares loudly around us as we smile at each other. My husband, Rick, interrupts us by nudging at my back. I keep my eyes on Tom, and wave Rick away with my hand. Rick nudges hard at my back a second time. Tom Hanks and his smile evaporate into a mist. In my semi-conscious state I realize that it is time to rise and shine. Slowly awakening, mind groggy, eyes blurred, it begins to register that today is my first day at ACC.

Without saying a word, Rick turns off the alarm clock. I raise my disoriented body from the warm bed. Scuffing my feet along the floor, I move into the dark hallway. My eyes are shut tight, and my arms reach out in front of me for balance. Groping along the walls, I reach the dark bathroom. When I flip the switch in the bathroom, a shock of light flashes into my foggy eyes. I fight the urge to go back to my warm bed, and finish my dream about Tom Hanks. Instead, I decide to take a shower and go to school.

I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Looking back at me is my ugly morning hair with its gray strands. A long sigh escapes from me because I feel more like a grandma than a college freshman. As I brush and rinse my teeth, I avoid glancing at the mirror. Grabbing a clean washcloth and towel, I head to the shower. The hot water feels good and the Irish Spring soap refreshes my senses. Singing songs wakes me up even more. Beginning with the song "Footloose," I continue to loudly sing my personal top 40 hits. The feeling of hope pours into my spirit and I am ready to start the day. I towel off and briskly walk into my bedroom.

Rick has covered his head with a blanket. I realize that he has heard my singing and I giggle. I choose a pair of jeans and T-shirt from my closet for my first day. I am feeling younger and jeans seem to be the perfect clothing. After styling my hair, and applying makeup, I look into the dressing room mirror with approval. On my way back through the bedroom, I stop and uncover Rick's head. He smiles without opening his eyes when I kiss his cheek. He groggily says to me, "Have a good day at college, honey."

Looking at the alarm clock, I realize that I will be on time. As I leave the house, I remind myself of the reasons I decided to go to college. The decision to go to college is for my own personal achievement. The thought of completing college appeals to me. My focus changes on my drive to school, I think more about my dream of Tom Hanks. A dream of Tom is the perfect beginning to any day. At ACC, I park the car and grab my bookbag.

I am feeling optimistic and youthful as I start walking up the dreaded ACC stairs. I start to hum the song, "Footloose." Heart pounding, legs tired, gasping for breath, I reach the third set of steps. My earlier optimism, which energized me, is now diminishing. Continuing slowly toward my first class I think once again of the reasons I am here. Finally, I reach the right classroom and take a seat. Catching my breath from the climb, I hope for the best, and wish that Tom Hanks could be the professor.

--Kathy Biggs

Waking From a Dream Filled Sleep

Waking from a dream filled sleep at five a.m., I grudgingly slip out of bed and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash my face, and put my sweat suit on, getting ready to walk my morning mile on the treadmill. Half an hour later, I make my way back to the bathroom, stripping the sweat suit on the way, to let the needlepoint shower wash away the self induced fatigue from the accelerated walk I just put myself through. Clean, dressed, and fully awake now, I head for the door, grabbing a cup of coffee on the way, ready to go to school.

Greeting me outside is a beautiful morning filled with sunshine, and a gentle breeze ruffles the maple's leaves. Looking up, I see a vivid blue sky that promises a glorious day ahead. A few of my neighbors, who are always up and out early, call to me as I approach my car. After chatting a moment or two with these people, I get in my car, debating which route I want to take. Shifting the car in gear I head to ACC, a community college in Ashland.

Choosing the more scenic route this morning enables me to see magnificent house that seem to be emerging from rivers of multicolored flowers. I view stores, busy with people going about their way, and children in colorful dress waiting at different points along the street for the bus that will take them to school.

Noticing the speed on the car's speedometer had having been waned by the yellow caution light up ahead, I begin to gently nudge the brake pedal down to slow the car. At the same time I search anxiously along the sides of the street for the police car that sits waiting with the loathsome radar gun ready to monitor my speed.

Waiting at the stop light for oncoming traffic, I light a cigarette as an ambulance speeds by with its siren screaming, presumably on the way to the hospital with some poor unfortunate person. Just as I'm about to take a drink of coffee, my windows begin vibrant and I hear a thumpity-thump, thumpity-thump-thump coming from the stereo in the car behind mine. Wishing he would turn the volume down, I say to myself, "If he isn't deaf now it won't be long."

Later, my trip nearly over, I drive onto the school's parking lot. Thoughts of today's classes go through my head as I park my car and finish drinking my coffee. In the parking lot, students of all ages are streaming toward the school. Some of them are talking and laughing' others are quiet, not yet fully awake. Getting out of my car, I place my loaded book bag over my shoulder, which causes my body to tilt slightly from its burdensome weight, and walk toward the school.

Reaching the school's entrance, my reflection can be seen in the glass doors. To the casual eye, I may look foolish, if not downright ridiculous, but the image I see is that of a fortyish woman full of enthusiasm and optimism about fulfilling a long time goal of getting the education need to become a first rate nurse. Stepping inside the school, I become apprehensive and a little insecure, but my determination to reach my goal is strong enough to urge me on to my first class. My thirst for knowledge at this point seems to be insatiable.

— Karen Clark

The Journey

To the sounds of birds chirping outside my window I awoke. Their sweet and mellow offerings made for a beautiful natural alarm. Body trembling, mind racing, I headed toward the kitchen. The wife was already up permeating the summer morning air with the smells of bacon, toast, and eggs. Breakfast this morning was unusually good, although the same loving hands prepared it every morning. No time for reflections. Hurriedly I showered and dressed. I gathered my keys and walked into the living room. I called to my partner, my wife, to hurry and finish dressing. She, too, was to embark on the adventure.

Out of the dirt glazed window, I began to survey my empire. To be more precise, my eyes were sweeping back and forth across my yard looking for the exact spot on which my wife had parked the car. There it was by the old wooden bridge that allowed the road to cross Martha Noe Branch and enter my yard. Framed by the brilliant colors of summer, the new silver Mitsubishi really stood out. The sun reflecting off of the paint was nearly blinding.

Through the front door we left our rented home to begin the one and a half hour journey that would end at the Ashland Community College campus. Sweat dripping, pulse pounding, I rattled across the old bridge and down the gravel road to the main road. Main road, hah! I laughed in the governor's face. Actually, it is a two lane blacktop snake with many world serious curves that could test the skills of a professional road race driver, a road that demands that you stay focussed. Somehow I found room for my mind to wander, an event that doesn't usually require much space. As I drifted into the doubts and insecurities of why I should not be going to college, my wife snapped me back to reality by shouting, "Slow down!"

I looked at my speedometer. I was doing sixty miles an hour on a road that you are lucky to average fifty on the best of days. My foot eased off the gas then my mouth kicked into gear saying, "I thought you wanted to get to school a little early?"

She replied, "I did say that, but I want to arrive alive!"

The rest of the trip passed in silence except for the oldies playing on the radio.

The thoughts racing inside my head were moving faster than any car around me: "What the hell as I doing? How am I going to pay for this? Will I fail? I'm too old. I've been out of school too long. I'm going to embarrass God, myself, and my country. I won't deserve to live." The wild thoughts continued to flow as I turned onto the ACC campus. After driving around the parking lot for approximately twelve hours, I finally saw a space and parked the car. We hurried into the building and began to look for our respective classrooms.

Down the hall we walk in the direction of the English classrooms. We arrived at the assigned areas. She enters room 303 and I go into classroom 304. I take a seat and begin to sneak peeks around the room. I think I am old enough to be most of these students' father. The fears begin to slip back into my mind. The anxiety level heads for the roof. Just as I am about to rabbit out of there in walks the instructor.

He is not the Japanese man I expected to see come through the door. Obviously his name has led me astray. Everything about him is in conflict with my preconceptions. I had pictured a short overweight Japanese man, with glasses. I had expected him to be an unyielding tyrant. Instead I was looking at probably the most laid-back guy I would ever know.

Compared to the journey there, the trip home was unremarkable. As the campus became a memory in the rearview mirror, I thought, "How can dead-wood stand among these young trees?"

by Rodney Hisle

Life Changes

It’s almost midnight; I can’t go to sleep.  My mind is pondering on the last 18 ½ years of my life.  Thoughts of high school, getting a job, getting married, and having children remind me of the path I chose to follow.  I ask myself often, “If I could have changed anything about my life, would I have done anything differently?”  My answer is always "No."  I believe that most things I could have done then, I can still do now.  My decision to go to college is evidence of that belief.  

Tomorrow evening I begin my first college class.  I am so excited!  I never dreamed at age 37, I would be pursuing a college degree.  With that thought lingering in my head, I pull up the covers and doze off, just to be awakened by the ringing of the alarm clock.  In my small, ageing, three-bedroom house, the ringing bounces off the walls and sounds like a train horn. 

It’s cold and rainy outside.   I can hear the rain hitting the roof.  I just want to stay in my warm, comfortable full-size bed.  With one eye opened and the other one shut, I reach over to hit the snooze button.  I think to myself, “Just a few more minutes.”  It doesn’t take much to convince me that I need more sleep. Ten minutes later, the alarm clock sounds again, disturbing me for the last time.  I must get up regardless of my need for more sleep.  I turn off the alarm.  Feet on the floor, eyes half shut, body shivering; I head for the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee.  Now I am wired and ready to go.  Quickly, I travel down the hall to the bathroom to shower and dress.    

It’s time to wake up the boys.  I only have to call them once.  Hair sticking straight up, eyes wide open; they hop up and give me a hug and a kiss.  In the shower they jump, continuing their morning routine of getting dressed for school. I make my way to the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.  This morning I chose to fix something fast…cereal, milk and juice.  After blessing our food, we begin to discuss today’s agenda.  I remind the boys to ride the bus to grandma’s house.  My college classes will start tonight and I will be home late. 

Clearing the dishes, I tell them to grab their backpacks.  “Let’s go!” I shout.     Pulling up beside the high school, I drop off my oldest.  Now on to middle school, to drop off my youngest.  With both boys delivered to their destination, I head toward the Family Resource Center where I work.   I spend the next several hours making school visits, working on the yearbook, answering calls, typing and filing.  All day long, I catch myself thinking about school.  I’m getting excited.  It’s now 4:00 p.m. and my workday is complete. 

As I am leaving the center, I begin to think about the next few hours ahead of me.  Toward Elizabethtown I head, the home of Elizabethtown Community College, where I will be attending this semester.  The college is one hour away.  It gives me a little time to think about things like my family, my job, college night classes, studying, and test.  I’m nervously thinking, “Can I do this?” I pull onto campus, find a place to park and thank God that my poor old van made it here safely.   As I walk toward the school, my mind racing, stomach knotting, body shaking, I tell myself, “I can do this!”  I find my class, take a seat and realize, “Wow, this is real!”           

By Donna Wilson

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