Making It Big

• Jamie-Lee Wallis, Grade 10
• Poetry
• 2010

On a late lazy summer night he sat upon his beaten couch and strummed on his dusty worn guitar as the moon slowly rose over the tall pine trees that lined his property. He hummed along as the crickets played their slow songs. The night continued to darken as he still played on, occasionally writing down the notes he played. His girlfriend walked out to where he sat on the veranda. She sat down next to him wrapping her arms around his neck as he still played. He played until the sun rose the next morning. “One day my songs will be well known and one day I will make it big,” he whispered to himself as he softly lifted his girlfriend and carried her into the house and laid her upon their bed. With a final glance at the women he loved, he grabbed his car keys and headed off to work.
His eyes started to droop. The last thing he saw was the road beneath his car turn away as he continued to drive straight. His ears filled with the sounds of crunching metal and shattering glass then everything went black.
Her phone rang aloud waking her from her deep sleep. Groggily she answered the phone. Her eyes opened wide and her jaw fell down as she heard the news. Falling from her bed, she grabbed the nearest clothes and her car keys and ran for the door. Tears fell from her blue eyes as she slowly accepted the truth. Her boyfriend had fallen asleep behind the wheel of the car and crashed. She sped the way to the hospital. Upon arrival she ran from her car to the desk. “My boyfriend was in a crash! He was brought in. I have to see him!” she wailed. Seeing her distressed, the nurse took her to her boyfriend. “Here he is. The crash was pretty serious. He is now stable,” the nurse said.
She slowly walked forward to where her boyfriend laid hooked up to many machines. Slowly the tears fell again as she took it all in. Days passed but still she did not leave her boyfriend’s side. She hummed the song he had been writing. “Please wake up,” she sobbed, “Please. You have to! You have to make it! You can make it!” More days passed, but still no response from his lifeless body. Doctors came and went, but she did not listen to what they said.
After a month of waiting and still nothing.
“The only thing keeping him alive is the machines.”
“What are you saying?” she whispered.
“I’m asking for your permission to turn the power off.”
She slowly looked at the man she loved. Slowly she walked over to his body. Planting a soft kiss on his forehead she whispered, “Your songs will be known, you will make it big, just not in this life time. I love you babe.” Crying she flipped the switch and walked away to make his songs known.