BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Wake up Mr. West! Wake up Mr. West! said the clock. Omari the bear’s alarm clock blared. He slowly opened his eyes to check the time. The clock read 7:53. Not able to think clearly, he dismissed it and pressed snooze. His eyes suddenly shot open as he realized he was late for his last day of school at Universe City High. One more instance of lateness and he won’t be able to graduate. He immediately hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush, briefly brushed his teeth and gargled with some mouthwash. He threw on his clothes, shoes, and jacket and fled the apartment.
It was a cool and moist September morning, with a couple clouds in the sky. The warmth of the sun kissed Omari’s fur as he rushed to the train station. The crowd waiting for the train was massive. It was as if everyone in the city was taking the same train. He checked his watch, 7:59. He pondered how he could make it to school in time when class starts in 30 min. “Next train arriving in approximately 15 minutes,” said the robotic voice in the station. He made a split second decision to take a cab since the train was obviously going to take too long to arrive. He stumbled down the stairs as he made his way to the corner of the block. He peered down the street to see if there was a cab in the distance. He saw a ray of yellow reflected in the distance and tried to hail it, but the cab driver didn’t see him. SPLASH! Before Omari knew it he was soaked with puddle water. “Could this morning get any worse?” he thought. It was now 8:10 and there was no cab in sight.
At this point, Omari figured he might as well try walking. He walked for about four or five blocks, and was overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness. He was thinking about how he’s going to be late, and not be able to graduate. “Wow, I’m a failure,” he thought to himself. Then, as he was walking he heard a voice call out to him. “Good Morning Omari, why so blue?” It was his friend Nimbus the cloud passing through, who had graduated last year. “Today has been the worst, to say the least,” he replied, “I’m going to be late, and if I accumulate one more absence I won’t be able to graduate with my class.” “Do you want a lift? Maybe we can talk about it on the way,” said Nimbus. “Sure, why not?” said Omari. He hopped on top of Nimbus and they went on their way.
“So what’s really bothering you?” Nimbus asked as they ascended.
“I feel the pressure, and I’m under a lot of scrutiny, from myself, my moms, and even professor Murakami at school,” said Omari. “My momma couldn’t get through to me, and I feel like I’m letting the people I care about down.”
“Listen, at the end of the day it’s your life, and you decide what you do with it,” said Nimbus. “You should still reach for the stars, so if you fall you land on the clouds” he added.
“You’re right Nimbus,” said Omari. “I think that not allowing people’s opinions and doubts to get to me will help my confidence for sure. I got this. I’m going to pass and graduate, and follow my dreams!”
“Now you’ve got it man.” said Nimbus. “Now let’s get you there before the bell rings.”
Nimbus zoomed through the streets and took a shortcut through the stadium, and before they knew it, it was 8:28. They finally touched down at University City High. “Thanks man!” Omari screamed as he rushed into the building.
“No problem!” Nimbus said as he zoomed off.
SKRRT, his sneakers screeched as he sped to professor Murakami’s class. He checked his watch one more time and all of a sudden, BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Wake up Mr.West! Wake up Mr.West! Omari, startled, sprung out of bed. He realized that he had been dreaming all along, but he hadn’t forgotten the lesson he learned from his talk with Nimbus.
He was ready to conquer anything now, especially the last day of school.
