First Day Back

This story is called First Day Back, written and read by Ryan Aoto. This is a LibraryCall recording. On the last night of summer break, Jaiden sat at the dinner table with his mom. Normally, he was very talkative. He didn’t get to have dinner with his mom often. She worked all the time. That night, however, he sat silent, poking at his food. “What’s wrong Sweetie,” his mother asked. Jaiden shrugged. “Are you sad that summer’s over?” Jaiden shrugged again. “You’ll have a great time tomorrow,” she said with a smile. “You’re going to be in Ms. Chen’s class, like you wanted. Juan too. You’ll get to see all your friends again. It’s going to be fun. I doubt they’ll even make you do much work the first few days.” “I know,” Jaiden started, “it’s just….” He didn’t finish. He went back to poking at his dinner. His mother stood up and moved down to the seat next to him. She put her arm around his shoulder and squeezed him gently. “What’s wrong Sweetie?” she asked again. Jaiden let out a sigh. “They’re all gonna be talking about what they did over summer.” Jaiden’s mom kissed him on the top of his head and waited for him to continue. “Arjun’s family went to India. They left before last year even finished. He’s going to have all kinds of stories. Jacob was going to go visit his uncle in Mexico. Juan said his family was going to Disneyland and Hawaii. I didn’t go anywhere.” Jaiden’s mom squeezed him a little harder. “I know, Sweetie,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. Those trips cost a lot. And mommy’s job is….” “I know,” Jaiden sniffed. “I just don’t know what to say. It was the same thing in kindergarten and first grade. Everyone was talking about all the things they did and I just sat there, quiet.” “I’m having a hard time picturing you quiet,” his mom teased. “That’s not how Ms. Miller described you.” Jaiden frowned. “I’m sorry Sweetie, I was just kidding.” “Ms. Chen’s probably going to have us tell the class what we did over summer. Or write about it.” “Well now hold up, you didn’t do nothing this whole break. You did things.” “No I didn’t.” Jaiden’s mom knelt down to face him eye to eye. “Sure you did, Sweetie. You’re always telling me about that game you’re playing.” “That’s just a video game.” “So? A couple of weeks ago you came in first place. Nana said you screamed so loudly it almost gave her a heart attack. You were grinning like a fool when I came home. You could talk about that.” “And remember at the start of break when you rearranged the entire living room and built that obstacle course? You said you were training for that competition show.” “Floor is Lava,” Jaiden reminded her. “You got mad at me for that.” “Of course I did. You broke the coffee table. I was mad, but it certainly makes a good story. Just be sure you include the part about the broken table and the angry mommy. I don’t want to hear from the other parents that you gave their kids ideas.” Jaiden laughed a little. “And what about all those books you’ve been reading, and all those stories you’ve been listening to from the library? You really enjoyed some of those.” “Mom, I’m not going to tell Juan about my trips to the library.” “Why not?” Jaiden just stared at her. “Okay, fine Mr. Cool, but if Ms. Chen asks you to write about it, put it in there. I’m sure she’d love to hear about it.” Jaiden had to admit that made sense. “Now then, you listen to what your friends share because that’s what friends do. I’m sure you want to know what they’ve been up to, right?” Jaiden nodded. “When it’s your turn, just tell them what you did. It’s not a competition. They’ll want to hear about it because it’s you, and that’s what being a friend means. Okay?” “Okay,” Jaiden said with a little smile. “Now eat up,” she said. She gave him another kiss on the head and returned to her place at the table. “Nana will be here soon and I’ll have to go. I want to hear about everything you did today.” Jaiden smiled. He ate his food, and in between forkfuls of mac and cheese he told his mom about the games he played, the pigeon that got stuck in the apartment hallway, the shows he watched, and the books he read. He couldn’t wait for school the next day, where he could tell all of his friends about it too. This has been First Day Back, written and read by Ryan Aoto. This has been a Library Call Recording.