In the time of the 20th century, many things have been invented. Technology has gone up; yet humans are still left back trying to make more and more. The government keeps trying to take control of what’s going around the world, doctors trying to find cures, and perhaps teenage girls getting pregnant. There is the decision of birth control, condoms, and abstinence.

Why me? I keep questioning myself whenever I glance back. I should’ve listened to my mother’s voice. Her voice of advice always said the good and the bad. I have no father, I wish I did though. My heart sinks in every time I watch in my mind 6 months ago. My mother’s car accident and the time I felt alone. My brother and I had to move in with our grandparents. I felt an unoccupied space inside. Can’t someone help me? Can’t someone come up with a machine to travel back in time?

I know my mom is in a better place now. I miss her adoring actions and the love she demonstrated to us. The reflection of her can be seen through me. She has brunette long hair, the height like a normal house door and the flourish look. My little 14-year-old brother Dan is shorter than us. He has blond hair like my daddy. He’s very polite and vulgar, too. The first time he met my boyfriend he didn’t show a happy face. Jason had his football jersey on. With his brown hair and the winter fresh breath of his standing in the living room. He had his medium-thick body beside me trying to convince my grandparents and Dan to take me out.

Living in Arizona is pretty crazy. I go out with my friends to shop, the lake, or have some movie time. High school ends for me in a couple of weeks, so friends have parties and all. “Let’s go Melanie,” my friends insisted. “O.K.” I responded. There is a graduation party tonight. Kids from school are going. Oh, did I mention no adults. Some friends and I car pulled. As we entered, the house had a smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. My ears felt tormented by the loud music. Jason and I sat down on a stool by the kitchen. Everything was beginning to go down. Cups were flying everywhere and a very crowded space. It came to my decision of taking a shot or not. I’m not a big fan for sure. “Yeah! C’mon! Shot! Shot, shot,” the people shouted. Their sour breaths all over my face made it even worse. “Yeah, try it just one. It won’t harm babe,” Jason said. “Ah,” I signed. This kept going and going, until the notice I felt with nausea. The world is spinning around me. Melanie. Melanie! Melanie!!? I heard the voices and their faces started to be blurry, then melting. My world stopped functioning.

At about 5:00 A.M. I woke up with a severe headache. This is not my room so, this is not my house. “Gosh,” I whisper to myself. I turn around and spot Jason. “Jason. Jason! Wake up,” I said, shoving him softly back and forth. “Can you take me home?” I asked. “Mm hmm,” he mumbled. I rolled out of his bed and went to the bathroom. My body felt weird and I know I passed out, but it’s different this time. I didn’t plan to do anything else. A fact I know shouldn’t happen.


No! My thoughts of being a mother didn’t come up until this moment, even though I’m barely seventeen years old. This is not possible! The news spread out. Friends at school and my grandparents didn’t take it well. My mom’s life suddenly,
is realistically happening to me.

I’m in a room with monitors and computers. The white, plain room with a smell of latex gloves. The nurse places blue gel on my stomach and starts to polish. From the distance I see my created child. The little six month old heart beats. Pump! Pump! It’s moving inside me; soon it will look like me. “Well, you’re all healthy. The baby is developing and be ready until it’s time,” the nurse told me. I used to think that you have to eat a lot, get a tummy, and have a baby because the girl is so stout. My childish thoughts aren’t there anymore and my innocence is going away.

School has been hard. Try taking the rumors and criticism of people. Walking through the hallways, passing each locker. The memories of friendships, the dances, and games. The smell of leather jock coats and acidy nail polish. The sweet spray that when you pass by it gets caught in your tongue. Running into a bunch of students going the opposite way. As I sit in lunch, my friends join. They’re interested in knowing how I am and my baby. My baby’s dad is at school, but mostly hiding from me. It hurts to deal with the attitude he takes. He’s not the guy who said, “I LOVE YOU,” or “I’ll be there when you need me.” As I take a bite off my pizza, Jason passes with a glare on his face. From the corner of my eye I see he keeps staring. “Whatever, huh,” I say. It’s not like it matters, there will never be a second chance.

The day keeps going with my brother arriving home. He hands me a letter from school. They’ve seen something different about Dan. We took him downtown to the clinic and the information says he has a cancerous disease, Lung Cancer. He has recently been coughing a lot and losing weight. I thought that it was because he was in track and ran a lot. Maybe there’s still time to cure his body.

Dan is no longer in school for a month. Whereas, I’m getting ahead in all my classes to be finished. My grades are good! I applied for a scholarship and have been planning to take college classes at home. My time needs to be spent with my little Dan.

The sun is bright and its heat stings. I take a walk outside to get the mail. I instantly feel soreness. I ignore the ache below my stomach. I distinguish it fast, and I know why. I’m at eight months and two weeks. My contractions activated. My grandma took a stare at me and packed to the hospital.

Beep, beep… my heartbeat sounds. I can eavesdrop from the doctors. Apparently, the medicine took my body into a sleeping mode. The 6lb 11 in. baby boy was born. My family and friends are joyful. They never let go of me, even through the toughest times. Dan has therapy every other day except on weekends. I work from morning to noon at Burger King and from 7:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. at Mike’s Supermarket downtown.

My scholarship request was accepted. I plan to start college classes in seven months. Dan is now a freshman in high school and my baby is going to be four months old. Dan has medical help from healthcare. They say the treatment is working.

Life is wonderful when you take control and know how to live it. It’s not the parties you go to or how cool you may seem. Life brings many obstacles that are good and bad. As for me, Dan graduated high school. Those were tears of joy when he walked down the aisle. Always think before you act. A lesson teaches you and shows you at the end how far you have come.