"An Interview with a Twelve-year-old"

"An Interview with a Twelve-year-old"

"Okay, I'm going to start with your name, then I'll ask you some questions. I want you to answer them to the best of your ability, okay?"

"Alright, can we just get started with this, I'm not getting any younger here ya know!"

"Shhhh," said Jenny.

"Mom, Jenny shushed me, " I yelled across the room.

"Now, you girls play right."

"Ok," we yelled back to her in unison and started to giggle.

" Ok, just answer the questions, and this will be over quickly."

"Alright, as my grin grew, Whatcha wanna know Miss TV reporter." In a sarcastic tone looking at her.

Jenny shoves a makeshift mic in my face. I jumped and pushed it back at her. "What the heck is that?"

"It's my mic; you're supposed to talk into it."

"No, it's not, it's our hairbrush, that's nasty and sticking it in someone's face like that is rude."

"Okay, sorry, talk into it, here I'll clean it out first. Jenny starts pulling out a wad of hair, and her nose wrinkles up in disgust. There now, What is your name and how old are you?" she asked me.

I eyed the hairbrush again, rolled my eyes, and reluctantly leaned forward and said, " My name is Teresa, and I am 12 years old."

"Nice to meet you, Teresa."

I stared at her for a second, placing my hands on my hips, "Jenny, now you've known me all your life. "Why, did you just say that to me?" I busted out laughing as I fell off of my chair.

"Gezzzz, you're sure making this interview difficult. It pretends, ok?" She started laughing too, looking down at me, sitting sprawled out on the floor. She rolls her eyes at me as she gives me a hand up.

"Thank you," as I get comfortable back in my chair.

"You're welcome, so, Teresa, What would you like to be when you grow up?"

I sit there looking up at the ceiling, swinging my legs back and forth. Wait, I know, I want to be a stewardess and fly all over the world."

"Are you sure that's what you want to be?"

"Yep, that's what I wanna be!"

"Girls, dinner."

"Ok, Mom is right there," we said together again and started giggling on our way to the kitchen.

Weeks went by, one night while we were getting ready for bed, I told Jenny. "I'm not going to be able to be a stewardess, now."

She looks at me with a puzzled look, "Why not, you were so excited about flying around the world? You have been practicing for weeks on how to be one."

"Well, I looked into it, and you have to be 5'8" to 5'9" and not weigh more than 120, as I threw my hands up, and I'm nowhere near that."

"True you aren't, so what are you going to be now, you don't have long before you're out on your own and such?"

"I'm going to be a Ballerina and dance "The Nutcracker" on stage in New York." As I twirled around the room."

"That sounds wonderful, but you better start practicing now, because you're all over the place."

"Yeah, I know," as I bumped into the wall.

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Night after night, I practiced being a Ballerina, I had checked out a book about them at the library. I even wrapped up my feet. Weeks past and I couldn't do it any longer. I turned around, and Jenny was watching me.

"Are you ok?" she asked me. She could see my frustration building up and the tears forming in my eyes.

"No, I'm not, I can't understand how they can stand up on their toes for that long? It hurts like all get out. I've tried everything." I sat down on the edge of the bed, and Jenny wraps her arms around me. I am wiping away the tears that are cascading down my cheeks with the tips of my fingers.

"It's going to be okay, trying to reassure me, So, do you have any idea what you want to be now?" she asks.

I shake my head no, and my brain kicks into gear, what can I be? All of a sudden, I got it. I jumped up and shouted, "I'm going to be a NUN!"

Jenny's eyes widen, and her mouth drops, "No Way!"

"Yep, I am going to be a NUN, as I calmly take a sigh of relief, just like Mother Teresa." Smiling from ear to ear, I squared my shoulders up proudly, as I announced it again.

"You can't be no Nun."

"Why not."

"Because, Nun's can't have children, and you told me that you want a dozen kids, that's why not."

I calmly walk across the room and yelled out the door, "Mom, can Nun's have children?"

"No, why are you asking that for?"

"Never mind, that won't work either," yelling back to mom.

Jenny is now rolling on the bed, laughing at me.

"Ok, fine, I'll be just like mom."

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Years pass and looking back, if I had become the stewardess, my first choice, I could fly with my youngest son once he retires from the Air Force and becomes a commercial airline pilot and my oldest son, would be the mechanic who works on the plane we fly.

Now, if I had become the Ballerina, I would've danced on the stage with my grand-daughters. What a glorious feeling that would've been.

Now, looking back, if I'd taken my third choice, none of this would've been possible. I watch my sons and grandchildren and think about those days of long ago.

"Hey, Mom, what are you thinking of?" As my oldest son walks by the kitchen table.

"Here, pour yourself a cup of coffee and pull up a chair. I have a story to tell you."

I'm glad that I choose to be a mom.

Word count: 982

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August Pretty Pesky Prompt: 🏆 Winning 2nd place
Think back to your childhood when someone would ask, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” And write a story about how your life would be different if those crazy childhood dreams had come true.