I Mistakenly Thought You Would Use This Time.
Dear Dylan,
I had a vision for you today that is so far off, I can’t even believe I am about to tell you what I envisioned.
Since you have a full day off from school, and your SATs are on Saturday, I mistakenly thought you would use this time to prepare. I expected that you would wake up around 9:00 and, even without brushing your teeth, you would take a practice SAT. Then you would hop in the shower and eat quickly – protein and vitamins – and by 10:15, you’d practice another test. By noon, I envisioned, you would have taken three practice SATs and your brain would be fully prepared to conquer a test that could mean the difference between your dream college and … well, somewhere else.
Then, I thought, you’d have some leftover pizza for lunch and browse through that book I got for you about writing college essays. I imagined that you would do some of your college research about majors, auditions, and requirements to find out what will be required of you when you apply. Then, having been inspired by the book, you would work on your essay for your college applications – and maybe even write a couple of them.
My guess is that, in actuality, you are reading this at around noon, when you finally stumble out of your bed and head for the shower. You have built your entire day around hanging out with your friends instead.
Since I am working this morning, I will be picking up your friends on my way home. And then I will sit on my computer all day long, instead of going anywhere or doing anything. At 3:00, I will drive you and your friends to the plaza, where you will shop and eat and hang out. You will be free to do whatever you want because you have absolutely no responsibilities.
I am sure, by Saturday, you will somehow be magically prepared for the SAT. And I am sure that the six missing assignments I noticed online are actually “already done” and probably even “totally turned in,” as they always are – at least in your mind.
So enjoy your day hanging out with your friends. And the day I envisioned for you…? Well, that was obviously just a dream.