Awkward Days

Day 1 after the kiss . . .

Everything so far seemed to be a normal day to Gary, he got up, had breakfast, showered, and then headed off to school, but when he got to school it all changed. Gary's school was very old and smelled of moth balls, the halls were lined with blue lockers that only reached four feet due to the fact that only the elementry students used them. The hallways were painted tan with a darker beige stripe. The floors were the typical linoleum tyles that would bore anyone that stared at them for more than two seconds. The school was shaped like an upper case U divided into two wings, the first wing held all the administration offices and teachers lounge, and the second wing held all the classrooms. In between the two wings was a gym that was also used as the cafeteria in the morning and afternoon.

Gary walked into the cafeteria were all his friends met in the morning before going to class. As he entered he noticed the eyes of his fellow students locked on him. He walked over to the table were his friends had gathered and sat down.

"So . . . I hear you got yourself a girl friend." Timothy, one of Gary's friends who was unusally small for his age, said. He was fat and had shaggy curly brown hair with dark brown eyes and freckles covering his face.

"No, who told you that?" Gary said pretending not to know what Timothy was talking about.

"Rumor is you and Haley kissed." Timothy said with a wry grin.

"I didn't kiss her! She kissed me and i didn't even like it!" Gary lied to his friends.

The group of kids all looked at gary unconvincingly and let it slide at that knowing all to well the temper Gary had. A couple moments of awkward silence passed and then the bell rang for class. Gary darted out of there as fast as he could so he could escape the uncomfortable situation.

For the rest of day at school Gary noticed his classmates whispering and laughing about him. He obviously knew what everyone was talking about and that made him frustrated.

When Gary got home after school he noticed Haley repeatedly walking over to his house and then at the last moment turning back to her house. After the fifth time of her doing this Gary decided to go out and see what she wanted.

Gary walked out onto his porch and started swinging on his porch swing waiting for Haley to come over.

As Gary came out Haley was getting ready to head back over to try and talk to him, but when she saw him she nervously turned around and went on her porch. She too began to swing on her porch swing. The two both swung on their porches glancing over at the other for a few seconds and then looking away as soon as the other looked over.

"Just get up and go talk to her." Gary said to himself. As he sat there fighting with himself Gary failed to notice Haley walking over.

"Hey." Haley said drawing Gary out of his thoughts.

Shocked and unsure of what to say Gary responded "Hi." Haley stood there saying nothing as Gary looked at the ground shuffling his feet in the air as he sat on the porch swing.

As Gary started to say something Haley also started to talk. They both stopped trying to let the other talk and after a second or two they did it again. An awkward moment passed and then they both bursted into laughter. Gary looked up at Haley to see her looking at him innocently. The two stared into each others eyes for a few heart beats, Haley then went and sat next to gary on the swing. No words were spoken as the two swang, Haley slowly inched her hand towards Gary's and eventually slipped her fingers in between his.

"I could get used to this." Gary said with a smile. Haley laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

First love

"Gary wake up!" Frosty yelled as he vigorously shook Gary from his sleep. Gary sat up, annoyed at his brother, to see him jumping exuberantly by the window. The two shared the attic in their new house which happened to be the biggest room in the house. The ceiling was roughly ten feet tall in the middle and declined at a forty degree angle down leaving three feet of standing room where the wall and ceiling met. They had two twin beds, one on each side of the room, with the window in the middle. There was a TV set up in front of their beds with two banana chairs facing it. In the middle of the room was a stair case that came from the second floor up to the attic.

"What is so important?" Gary asked in a grumpy morning voice.

"It's a snow day! We don't have to go to school today! Come see." Frosty said as he rushed over and yanked Gary from his bed and over to the window. Gary looked out to see the whole neighborhood covered in two feet of a fluffy blanket of snow.

"Well what are we waiting for let's go play!" Gary said as he ran off to get ready.

For hours the two brothers played in the snow joyfully making igloos and pretending to be spies on a mission to Antarctica. After a while Frosty wanted to go inside but Gary wasn't done having fun in the snow. As if on cue when Frosty left Haley came out to play in the snow. Gary immediately went over to Haley's house and asked if she wanted to play. She said yes and started to play.

At first they made a snow man together naming him Rowland. Once Rowland was finished and topped off with a top hat the two friends decided to journey off and see what adventure lay ahead of them. Close by there was an acre of forest sitting unoccupied and ready to be played in. The two ran through the snow pretending to be superheroes on the look out for an unknown enemy, stopping every now and then for a battle with the imaginary evil villain Grog. At one of the battle sites Gary got hit by a lazer beam shot by Grog's lazer gun arm. Gary fell to the ground acting as if he was mortally wounded. Haley ran over in a panic to tend to the wound before it was too late.

"Don't you die on me Gary we are the only heroes this world has left." Haley said through exaggerated fake sobs.

"Tell my mother . . . I . . . love . . . her." Gary whispered as he feigned his death. After a long sigh Gary went limp playing the role of a dead man with conviction. Out of the blue Haley did something that shocked Gary. She leaned down listened to his breath and then kissed him on the lips. Gary's eyes burst open at the realization of what was going on. When the kiss was over Haley sat up and looked at Gary with a innocent smile. Gary not knowing what to do stumbled up and tried to stutter some remark but was ultimately left speechless. Haley sensing she had erred in kissing Gary got up and ran away embarrassed at what had just transpired. Gary stood there frozen still not knowing what to do, wanting with all his heart to chase her and get her to come back.

Gary solely made his way home still trying to mull over what had just happened. When he finally got to his house he couldn't help but look over to Haley's house hoping that she would come over and talk to him. This was all too real for him and an entirely new situation to him. He had never had a girl kiss him before and wasn't quite sure what it meant. Where they boyfriend and girlfriend now? Does he need to buy her flowers? Will they get married? It was all too much for the ten year old boy and all he wanted to do at that moment was go inside and hide away until it was all over.

Gary opened the door to his house and walked in wearing a puzzled look on his face.

"What's on your mind Gary?" Mother asked.

"Mom if a girl kisses me does that make us married?" Gary asked trying not to reveal what had happened.

Mother laughed and studied the young boy for a moment before guessing "Did Haley kiss you?"

"Well . . . uh . . No I wouldn't kiss her that's gross." Gary said defensively shifting uncomfortably under mom's omniscient stare .

"I didn't ask if you kissed her, I asked if she kissed you." Mother said knowing by Gary's response the truth of the matter.

"Well she didn't and that's that." Gary yelled as he stormed off to his room.

He sat in his room staring at the sloped ceiling wondering what he should do next. As he thought about the kiss he realized that he actually liked it and wanted to try kissing her again. These feelings surprised Gary, they were foreign to him and the nature of the feelings left him with a vulnerable sensation deep within. It was happening way to quick for his liking, he wished that he could go back in time and stop Grog from shooting him with his lazer beam so Haley wouldn't have ever kissed him.

One question kept coming back to his mind. What is going to happen when they see each other tomorrow at school?

journey to a far away land

4 years after the accident . . .

"Wake up buddy its time for our big adventure." Mr. Bruns said to Gary as he rubbed his head. Gary sat up, looked around, and realized that this would be his last time waking up in the room he had come to know so foundly.

"Do we have to move dad? I like it here, all my friends are here and no one is gonna like me in the new town." Gary said.

"Yes son we do and don't you worry everyone is going to love you. They would be crazy not too." the dad said as he walked over and started to rub Gary's back. Gary looked up at him and after a few seconds he gave a resounded sigh, got up, and grabbed his bags heading for the door.

"Now wait just one second." Mr. Bruns said. "You can't leave without your trusty sidekick." He pulled out a brand new action figure still in the box, the exact one Gary had been saving his nickels up to hopefully buy one day. Gary's eyes lit up and he ran over to accept the gift.

"Thank you dad you're the best." Gary said as he wrapped his arms around his dad trying to hug him as tight as possible. Mr. Bruns smiled at Gary and then got up and walked out of the room nudging his son to follow.

Within an hour the car was packed and the family of 5 was ready to go Gary, his brothers Frosty, and Toby sat in the back of the car surrounded by suitcases and all sorts of possesions they could fit in the large SUV. Mr and Mrs Bruns finally got in after checking to make sure they had everything packed and then headed off for their new home in Ohio.

The drive was long and boring taking 5 days to complete. When they finally arrived in their new neighborhood Gary scanned the street to get a feel for his new 'home'. The houses where small and victorian styled each spaced out about 15 feet from the other. The street stretched long with trees growing from virtually every front yard. As Gary continued to look around he spotted a girl around his age across the street. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. When she waved at him he turned and ran into his new house embarrassed.

"What do you think bud?" Mr. Bruns asked as he looked over the house. Gary looked at his dad and shrugged and then continued on to tour the house. At first Gary was unimpressed but as he continued to investigate this new domian he realized that he actually did like it. There were a couple hidden doors randomly placed throughout the house more than likely for storage but to young Gary these were doors that might start a new adventure. He stumbled upon  a door in the middle of the upstairs hallway and when he opend it he found stairs leading up into the attic. He nervously creeped up them fearing that some sort of monster awaited him, but when he reached the top he looked around and saw nothing but an empty attic with a single window.

"Gary were are you?" Mother called out to him.

"Coming mom" Gary said as he ran to his mom. He came down the second flight of stairs to find the girl from across the street standing in the living room smiling as she saw him. "Gary this is our new neighbor she wanted to come over and say hi." Mother said. Gary stood there not quite sure of what to do so Mother pushed him over to her and said "Say hello Gary."

"Hello my name is Gary." he said extending his hand awkwardly. The girl grabbed it and shook rigorously "My name is Haley I live across the street so i guess we're neighbors now." She said with a cheesy grin. After standing there for a couple of seconds with nothing said Haley said "Well it was nice meeting you Gary but i gots to get back to my house for supper." she then ran off back to her house skipping all the way.

"Ok lover boy go choose your room." Mother said while Gary stood there staring at Haley as she left. His face grew red from embaressment, he turned away from his teasing mom and went to unpack his stuff.

A month later . . .

As Gary slowly adjusted to life in his new town, Cuyahoga Falls, he quickly learned how much he truly enjoyed this new place. Little did he know this town would change his life forever . . .

the miracle

The father slumped at those words fearing the worst to follow them. "don't sugar coat it doctor . . . please just tell me what is going on." the father said. the doctor looked at the him with a smile and said "Mr. Bruns i have good news to tell you. your son is fine, a miracle has occurred in this hospital tonight. when your son came in I thought for sure he was going to die. Matter of fact he should have died or at least broken every bone in his body. However as we examined him and tended to his wounds we found that he had only sustained a broken pelvis and some minor head injuries. Your son will be able to leave the hospital in a matter of days." The father grabbed the doctor and hugged him overjoyed with the news he had just received.Everyone in the waiting room started to shed tears of joy as they realized how lucky they all where to dodge the bullet.

As the mother entered the room where he son lay fragile and vulnerable she saw something in his personage that touched her, she saw peace at its most innocent form. "Mommy!" the young boy shouted reaching out his arms towards his mother "what happened to me mommy?" The mother held back the tears and said "you had an accident but don't you worry everything is gonna be alright." The young boy looked at her and smiled then pointed and asked "mommy who is that?" The mother looked behind her to see an empty room "Gary there is no one here but me." she said. "No mommy she is right there." the young boy replied. Again the mom looked to where Gary was pointing and saw nothing but the empty chair in the corner. As she looked back to her son she recognized the confusion in his eyes as he continued to point at the chair. After a couple heartbeats had passed by Gary understood the truth of the visitor "Mommy are angels real?" he asked. At that moment the mother felt an overwhelmingly powerful sensation in her body telling her that she was not the only one in the room with her son. "Yes son angels are real and i think your visitor is the one sent to watch over you." the mother could not believe the words leaving her mouth but could not doubt the validity of them either. she had indeed felt the presence of another being there but knew for a fact that no one was in the room with her.

There in the empty chair in the corner of the room sat an angelic being sent to watch over her son.

2 days later . . .

"So watcha think doc can i go home?" young Gary asked.

"Well i don't see why not. Do you think your ready to go home?" the doctor asked.

"Of course i am ready i was born ready, but i don't need those stupid crutches." Gary said stubbornly.

The doctor laughed and picked up the crutches and walked over to Gary "I know you don't like them but they will help you to get better and if you don't use them we will have to keep you here until your pelvis is all better which could take weeks."

Gary quickly accepted the crutches and hopped up to try and get used to the them. After a couple of circles around the room he looked up at the doctor and said "I guess there not too bad." The doctor smiled at the young boy admiring his innocence and said "well then i will get the nurse and she will wheel you down to the parking lot so that you can go home."

The doctor left the room leaving Gary to himself. The young 6 year old sat back down on the bed silently cursing the crutches when suddenly a familiar personage entered the room. the person was glowing as bright as the sun and had Gary squinting his eyes. He recognized this as an angel but it wasn't the same one that had been in the hospital the day of the accident. This angel was not anyone he could remember seeing before but he somehow knew him. "Gary, my son, I have come here to give you a message and some hope. You my dear boy have been chosen for a great work which will change the world. Always remember to trust your heart. You will soon be introduced to a man full of wisdom learn from him and never forget the lessons he has for you." and with that the angel disappeared from the room leaving Gary overwhelmed with confusion.

The nurse then walked in and saw the look on Gary's face "Is everything ok?" she asked.

Gary looked up at her still in a daze from what had happened. He was not sure whether or not to tell her what had just happened so he decided not to and said "Yes everything is fine." The nurse didn't question him any further and walked him down to the entrance of the hospital.

When the sliding glass doors of the hospital opened Gary got out of the wheel chair and crutched out of the hospital. Little did he know that he was taking his first step on his long and difficult journey.

in the beginning

IMPORTANT: these stories are based on real events but are ultimately fictional!


In the beginning there was calamity, chaos, and panic running rampant throughout the halls of the dimly lit hospital. a man of approxamitly 6 feet paced back and forth awaiting the moment of truth. His heart skipped a beat as he heard the sounds of a new born child ringing throughout the hall. The doors to the delivery room opened and out came the doctor "Congratulations Mr. Bruns you are the proud parent of a healthy young boy, please go on in and see for yourself." As he entered the room he saw the image of an exhausted yet glowing mother and in here arms lay an innocent newborn child. The rims of his eyes filled with tears as his pride swelled within him, this was his child. The mother looked up at him smiled and said exhaustedly "we did it!"

6 years later . . .

It was noon day in June the birds where chirping and the sun was shining. All the members of the neighborhood got together on this day for a flag day parade and a pancake breakfast. Shortly after the breakfast had begun a loud scream permeated throughout the neighborhood. A young mother on her way home began running towards the cause of the scream. Fear and despair swelled within her as a recognition of the voice penetrated her soul. As she approached the scene the image that greeted her was horrifying and too much for her to bear. There lying in front of her was her youngest child underneath 14 pieces of cold and unforgiving scaffolding weighing 1,752 pounds. A few breathless moments passed as she stood frozen in complete horror. Almost as an answer to a prayer others arrived and began to save the young boy from certain death. It took four men to lift the scaffolding off the child and when they did they realized the depth of the tragedy. The young boys head doubled in size from swelling as blood dripped from both ears.

Soon enough the paramedics arrived and initiated the life saving work. As the word spread of the tragedy local news vans rushed to get coverage of the story. On arrival they were greeted with angry family members of the victim. The paramedics had called in a helicopter in an attempt to get the child to the hospital before his lifeblood had left his body. When the helicopter finally arrived the rush began to try and save the life of the innocent boy.

During the helicopter ride the father of the victim was allowed to ride along so he could be with the child before he passed into the afterlife. As the child arrived at the hospital it was plain to see that he was grasping onto life by only a small amount so the pace quickened tenfold. The frantic parents soon were reunited in the hospital and the nervous pacing began once more, a reminder to the father of a similar night of pacing in this very hospital.

After what seemed to be days the doctor walked out into the waiting room crying profusely. The father ran over to him and said "what is going to happen to my son?" the doctor looked at him, wiped away the tears and said "I dont know how to say this."

to be continued . . .