One morning, Paul got up earlier than usual. He sat out on the balcony and watched the sun rise over the horizon. John joined him and said, "That's a beautiful sunrise, isn't it?" Paul said, "I guess." There was a tone of sadness in his voice. John asked, "What's wrong, Paul?" Paul said, "Even though I'm doing better, I sometimes think I'm still not over my father's death. Oh, John, how did you get over your father's death?" John said, "The loss of a friend or a loved one is not something one gets over. You'll always miss them, but over time, dealing with it gets easier." Paul asked, "How did you cope?" John said, "Uncle Bob helped me a lot. My grandma helped a lot, too. Her house was a safe place for me to go when things got really bad." Paul said, "I have some pretty good friends." John said, "That's good. Hang on to them." Paul then said, "People have told me that I should just move on already." John said, "Don't listen to them. Everyone grieves differently. Never let anyone tell you how to feel. You feel how you need to. It's okay to feel sad, angry, or even lonely." Paul said, "You don't mind if I cry, do you?" John said, "Of course not. Never be embarrassed to cry. You'll cry all your life. The only time you won't cry is when you feel that it's time to move on." Paul cried for a while and then said, "Thank you, John." John said, "You're welcome." When the two bands met for breakfast, Erin said, "Paul, your eyes are a little red. Have you been crying?" He said, "Yes. I'm still in the grieving process, but I'm doing better. John gave me good advice this morning." Lola said, "That's good." John asked, "Would you like to sing a song for your father at tonight's concert?" Paul said, "I think I'd like that." At the concert, the two bands performed "Calypso" by John Denver. Paul said that his father really loved the song. He shed a few tears at the end, but he managed to make it through with help from his friends. After the concert, Peter asked, "Are you all right, mate?" Paul said, "Yes, I am. I couldn't have done it without you guys." The two bands hugged and retired for the night.
TO BE CONTINUED
TO BE CONTINUED
When I had entered the fifth grade, I was dreading it. I had heard rumors that the teacher was really mean. When I met her before school started, she seemed really nice. On the first day of school, I was wearing one of my Beatles t-shirts. She noticed it, and she said, "Darling, I love you already!" I said, "Okay, then." She would take up for me all the time. The other kids often called me glasses. She heard them and said, "She has a name, guys. Her name is not glasses. It's Winter." There was one day when another girl kept picking on me. I finally had enough and said, "I might look sweet and innocent, but that shit is for suckers, and I'm no lollipop." I looked at the teacher. She winked and said, "I heard nothing." I would have had her for the sixth grade, too, but unfortunately, I moved to Tennessee as soon as the school year was over. We both cried. We promised to keep in touch with each other, and we've kept in touch to this day.
