My Big Trip

by Kali Boykin

"Mom please? 1 don't understand why you won’t let me go! It’s only for a weekend!" 1 exclaimed trying desperately to gain my mother's approval. It was sixth grade and my whole class was going on a three day trip to point Reye's. It was all everyone talked about since my class had gotten the permission slips the week before. 1 looked at my mother's tired and impatient face

"I promise it’ll be safe, yes the boys are coming too but there are separate cabins and the teachers will be there as well" 1 pleaded.

Finally my mother spoke after sitting there on the couch listening to me plead my case for the last twenty minutes.

"What if something happens to you? You're too young!" She explained a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"It's not like I'll be there by myself Teachers are coming too!" 1 repeated for the second time with an exasperated sigh.

"No I'm sorry Kali but 1 don't want you to go" She said as she got up off the couch and headed into the kitchen ending the conversation. Tears stung my face as 1 got up and went to my room realizing how adamant she was about me not going on the trip.

Later that night 1 was still in my room sitting on my bed reading a book when my dad came in.

He sat at the foot of my bed, the white paper with Point Reyes permission slip written on the front of it in big letters.

"What's this?" he asked waving the paper in front of my face. 1 glanced at it a bored expression on my face before putting the book down and turning my attention to my dad. He had just gotten in from work still wearing the blue vest with his company logo written in small black letters on the front of it.

"It's the permission slip for the three day camping trip to point Reye's my class is going on next week" I explained. My dad had always been a very outdoorsy type of person, loving the days that he could just be outside and fish all day.

I explained everything to my dad who listened intently nodding his head and smiling as I talked.

"Sounds fun" he said sounding interested in the trip himself, he hadn't gone camping something he loved to do in over a month.

"But I can't go because mom won't sign the permission slip" I said. He looked over the paper deep in thought as if mulling over the idea finally he spoke.

"what were her reasons?" he asked looking back at me. I explained the whole situation between me and my mother, naming all the reasons why she said I couldn't go. Finally after a couple of minutes he patted my leg softly before getting up from my bed,

"I'll talk to your mother we'll see what happens" He said standing at the entrance to my door. I smiled knowing that if anyone could talk my mother into anything it was my father,

A few days had passed and the deadline to turn in the permission slips was looming over my head like a weight on my shoulders constantly on my mind. I was getting anxious and starting to think that maybe my dad's special touch wouldn't work on my mother this time when one day he came into my room and handed me the permission slip both signatures on it. I beamed up at him jumping up from my sitting pose and throwing my arms around his neck

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I exclaimed happy that I was in fact going on the trip and that he had convinced my mother who was so adamant on me not going to let me go.

"looks like we need to get down to the store and get the things off your checklist soon" he said smiling.

The days seemed to fly by and before I knew it, it was the night before the trip. I was in my room struggling to roll up my dark blue sleeping bag after I took it out to see what it looked like.

"Need help?" My father asked smiling, his lean frame in the doorway, I looked up exhausted from trying every possible way to roll it up. He came in and I stepped aside watching him closely as he knelt down and rolled the bag up as tight as it could go strapping the Velcro shut and revealing a perfectly rolled up sleeping bag.

"How did you do that!" I exclaimed a little annoyed that he had done it in one try and it had taken me like five times and I still hadn't been able to do it. Patiently he rolled out the sleeping bag again and asked me to do it this time; I sighed heavily and bent down on my knees attempting to do that same thing he did.

"Stop" he said making me freeze. "You've got to put your knees on the rolled up part and your hands always on the part your rolling." He explained.

"OH!" I replied nodding my head and suddenly getting it. I tried his way and sure enough it somewhat resembled the way he had done it, I tucked the little blue pillow that it came with inside and stood up proudly. The alarm clock rang out, the annoying steady beep waking me up out of my sleep as I turned over to look at the time. It read 5 :00 in big green letters glowing in the early morning dark, I threw my feet out of the covers, the cold air hitting my feet as I put my slippers on and padded across the room to wake my parents up to drop me off at the school. A few hours and I was in the car on my way to school, I looked out the window seeing the sky light up slowly as the sun comes out making the sky turn a pretty pinkish color. My bags by my foot, I said my goodbyes to my dad, and my mother who hadn't said a word the whole car ride there and now was looking mad, worry filling her brown eyes as I hugged her but got a very weak hug back.

"I'll be fine I promise" I said before grabbing my bags and getting on the bus. I slid in the seat my best friend who had arrived before me had saved me and we began talking excitedly about the trip and our expectations.

The air was cold as we got off the bus. The wind whipped all around us making my hair fly up and in my face, we formed a single file line with a bags tucked safely in our arms as we hiked up to where our cabins were. The cabins were big and wooden with tons of tree's covering the whole camping ground, the boy’s cabin was just as big and right across from the girls cabin. There was an outback restroom and shower right in the middle of both the cabins. As soon as we put our things down we were ushered out the cabins and a little farther down to where an even bigger looking cabin was located. We learned that this cabin was the cafeteria and we all sat down at a very long wooden table eating dinner as the teachers talked about the agenda for the three days we were going to be here and the cabin rules. We got back to the cabin as the girls changed into their pajamas, some girls took out cards to play on their bunks while others just sat around and gossiped. Pretty soon someone started telling scary stories and we all ended up drifting off to sleep huddled in our sleeping bags as the weather got colder and we tried to stay and get warmer.

The next morning it was busy, with all the girls rolling up their sleeping bags and washing up and getting ready for the day. We all reported outside and talked amongst ourselves bundled up in the chilly weather waiting for the teachers to come. Finally the teachers came and we headed over to the cafeteria for breakfast. Noise filled the cafeteria as all the kids and adults came into the room and got their plates of food. After a few hours everyone had slowly finished their breakfast, where there was once food piled with eggs and bacon and pancakes and oatmeal there was now empty bowls and plates with empty glasses of Orange and apple juice. Learning that we were spending all day at the beach excitement rippled through the room everyone just as excited as the next to be at the beach all day, we quickly made our lunches and headed out starting to hike towards the beach.

The beach was nice but cold, me and my friend ended up sitting on the sand and watching kids go to the water and play in the ocean. We laughed as we watched our two friends who were near the ocean and the tiny wave that came and soaked them from head to toe, they ended up having to go the rest of the day soaking wet. Our excitement of a day of relaxation was crushed when the teachers gathered us together and explained to us our assignment for the day which was to write about the different plant life we saw, as they handed out lined paper and pencil.

"Damn! And I thought this was supposed to be fun today!" I mumbled to my friend who was trying to hold down her paper and keep it from flying away. "Yeah I know exactly what you mean" She answered me as she put her feet on the ends ofthe paper.

The sun was beginning to set as we finally headed back to the cabins, handing our papers back to the teacher as we made a single file line and left the beach. I looked back one last time to see the setting sun reflecting on the water to make it sparkle. As the day came to a close and everybody was eating dinner, exhaustion and excitement was in the air as the room buzzed with people talking and trying to guess what was planned for tomorrow, none remembering that just the first day we had gone over the agenda. Night came and the girls were in the cabin talking and laughing, I wanted to go for a little walk while it was still at least a little light outside so I asked the teacher if we could possibly go on a night walk before bedtime. She agreed and all the girls gathered at the door, puffy jackets zipped up to their necks as we all one by one went outside and took little trail to see what it was like in the nighttime. It was beautiful but cold, the stars were shining brightly and we could hear crickets everywhere me and my friend were looking at the tree's when we saw little fireflies flittering across the sky and lighting it up. I smiled in amazement at the little bugs and the light they were giving off as they moved quickly about the air. Our night walk was finished when it got close to pitch black and we had to feel our way back to our cabin with the only light coming from the teacher who was leading us in the front.

The rest of the trip was filled with hiking, plant collecting and naming and bug watching. I had so much fun that the time seemed to fly by fast and before I knew it we were inside our cabins packing up to head back on the bus and go home again. On the ride back me and my best friend sat next to each other once again but instead of talking excitedly the whole way there like we had done on the way to Point Reyes it was quiet and we didn't talk at all as she fell asleep, her head resting on my shoulder. I eventually fell asleep too my head resting comfortably on the window both of us exhausted from all the activities we had done the past couple of days. I must have been asleep for a while because when I woke up the bus was at the school and my friend was lightly shaking me awake. I grabbed my bags and left the bus saying bye to my friend and looking around for my parents, I spotted my dad and my older brother waiting by the car patiently. I was so happy to see them as 1 went up to them and gave them each a warm hug, 1 put my bags in the car and slide in myself, the whole way home 1 talked excitedly about the trip and everything we did and how much of an amazing experience it was for me. 1 got home and threw my bags down on my bedroom floor now aware of how exhausted 1 was and how much 1 needed a nice hot shower and food. 1 had gotten out the shower when my mom came into my room a look of worry and anger on her face, I already sort of knew why she was mad at me, my mother hated whenever 1 went behind her back and asked my dad for something she said 1 couldn't have or do and 1 hated when my mom was mad at me so 1 seldom ever did it 1 was about to ask why she was mad when she spoke up first.

"I tried to call you like five times and you didn't answer any of my calls! They all went to voicemail!" She said angrily sitting on my bed. 1 went over and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry mom 1 was in the mountains and we had no service up there, dad didn't tell you that?" 1 asked a little surprised that my dad hadn't mentioned it to her. At that moment the anger left her face immediately and worry took over as she burst into tears. I was so surprised that 1 didn't know what to do so 1 sat there on my bed rubbing her back and comforting her. She finally looked up at me again, her eyes now red and puffy from crying.

"I know your father told me the first night 1 wanted to call you but 1 just had to try, 1 was really worried about you" she explained. As 1 looked into my mom's worried and tear stained face I realized just how worried she had been about me the whole time I was gone and that this was literally the first time I had ever slept away from home. I could understand her worry and frustration at that moment and it all started to make sense.

"I'm sorry I worried you like that, but hey I'm back and I'm alive?" I said smiling and trying to make her laugh. It worked because a few seconds later she burst out laughing as she wiped the tears from her eyes and the worried expression on her face went away only to be replaced by happiness.

"I had a really great time though mom! It was a great experience for me" I explained. She sat there on the bed quietly and with a little smile on her face as I told her about everything that had happened on the trip. When I finished she got up off the bed and headed towards the door before turning to me.

"I love you" she said, something that surprised me because she rarely every says it randomly.

“I love you too” I said as she left me to unpack and unwind.