CHAPTER 1 from Lessons from our Mothers and Fathers Life Doesn’t Come with a Manual, It Comes with a Mother A SHORT STORY OF A MOTHER’S LOVE FOR HER SON BY CLEOPHUS P. FRANKLIN, JR. All of a sudden, the noisy chatter of young kids playing and clamoring about during the morning recess period came to a halt on the playground of Daniel J. Corkery grade school, located on Chicago’s west side of the city. As a rambunctious first-grader, I was no different from any other anxious and excited youngster when it came to recess time. Each day at school, I would sit restlessly waiting for the recess bell to ring, to provide a respite of relief and transition from math, science, history, and literature classes—to fun and games on the playground! So when the noisy playground activities ceased that morning, my curiosity got the better of me, and I began searching around the playground for the source of what had paused our energetic play. As I scanned around the playground from the top of the monkey bars, I saw why my friends had diverted their attention and were no longer playing with me. I could see the smooth movements and confident gait of this beautiful woman walking outside the fence, coming near to where we were playing, several of my friends watching her approach. By the way, my friends were not the only ones transfixed on this vision of beauty as a few of the male teachers also had their heads turned in the woman’s direction. I remember hearing the soft symphony and chattering of whispers as she came closer, saying, “Who is that lady? Boy, is she pretty! Why is she coming to our school?” I also stopped playing as the woman paused and came toward the school’s fence, but for another reason. Seeing her brought a big smile to my face. People around me continued to look on as this mysterious lady stopped right in front of us, peered over the fence, and said, “Cleophus, come here, son.” I jumped down from the monkey bars and darted over to my mother (to my friends’ surprise!), who proceeded to reach through the fence and plant a big kiss on my large and shiny forehead! I asked her, “Mom, what are you doing here?” She smiled and responded to me in her signature comforting tone and said she was there to meet with my teacher and principal. As she hugged me and told me she loved me, I watched her head toward the school entrance and go inside the school. I was beaming with newfound pride. I returned to my play, radiating positive emotions and feeling uplifted while wearing proudly the lipstick my mother had imprinted on my head from her kiss, like a painted warrior ready for battle! My friends, however, were still a bit stunned as they said to me, “Hey, Cleophus, is that pretty lady your mother?” to which I responded, “Yeah. Yes, that’s my mother!” as
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