{Choices//Tom}

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Riley Halifax

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I am out here because I chose to be. Not because my mom kicked me out of the house as the rising sun chased the moon from the sky in the early hours of the day. I was too tired to protest, but there’s no way I would admit to that. For anything I do is my choice, my decision, and for me to go down to help my dad on the docks at six in the morning was my idea.

We didn’t live that far away from the docks, but I decided to drag out the walk as long as I could because the weather was decent, and walking in the new sunlight was nice. Well, as nice as it could be considering I was about to fall over from being sleep-deprived. The chirping of birds and the subtle whir of boat motors made everything seem peaceful (since peaceful and whir of boat motors are synonymous around here.)

The sun just barely shone through the gaps between the boats as I approached the dock. Squinting my eyes against the bright light didn’t help much either, in fact all it did was make me almost run into a tree. Disgruntled and off balanced, I turned my head and continued down the path. As I got closer to the dock, I started regretting my choice to come down here this early. I really should have just stayed in bed and slept until noon. But no, of course me, being the helpful person I am, decided to be a saint and go to help my dad. I learned my lesson thank you very much.

My path finally changed from the dirt road that led from our house to the chipped planks of wood from the dock. I shielded my eyes against the sun and started to look for my dad. It didn’t take me long before I saw the light reflect off of his boat as he anchored it down.

“I didn’t expect to see you up this early.” I couldn’t really tell if he was being sarcastic or genuinely surprised, and that rubbed me the wrong way.

“Well hi to you too.” I replied as I picked up a bucket and unloaded it off the boat. We continued working in silence, unloading the seeming endless boxes and buckets onto the dock. The work went decently fast, and before eight we were nearing the end of the task. The sun was now further up in the sky, and even though it was summer, it was extremely pleasant.

We ate an simple snack, making chairs and a small table from the boxes we previously unloaded. Since my mom sent lunch with me when I had left this morning, we didn’t have to run into town to pick something up, and let me tell you, that was something to be thankful for. See, the dock where we keep our boat is on the “bad side” of the district, and I’m not overly fond of most of the people around here. We sat and talked about father and son things, manly things, stuff like tools and work and life.

I don’t like talking about that kind of stuff, but it was my choice.

“Riley can I ask you for a favor?” And without even waiting for an answer he continued, “I need you to run into town for something I ordered last week, and I just don’t have time to pick it up today. It’s in the store on the corner of Main and 4th Street. Thanks, knew I could count on you.”

Well okay, yes he kind of told me but I totally made the choice to go get it for him. I could’ve said no, and he would’ve gotten it himself; he wouldn’t have cared, well actually he would’ve but he could have gotten over it. But that’s how I found myself on the narrow, paved road into the worst part of the district for something I made the choice to do.

It may have been my choice but that doesn’t mean I didn’t regret it.