F*** Cancer, This One Did Us All In.

2

My dad is a lean guy. He wears rounded glasses that only seem to enhance his precise blue eyes. His hair is brown and so is his beard. My dad is an accountant and is always wearing those suits you thought you'd only see in movies.

"So, how was your day, Theodore?" My dad asked me.

"Oh, you know." I say. "I went to school. Then I stopped going to school."

"Very detailed description." He pulled out of his makeshift parking spot and started driving. "Come on joker. Anything interesting?"

I knew I had to break the news of my detention to my father easily. He knew that I was going to Mfundo's house tomorrow and if I messed this up he could cancel those plans. "Well, not much really. I mean, I had a really good day. And I treasure my education. Honestly, I feel every kid should be forced to learn. By the way, I like your beard. Did you wear your nice shirt today? I got detention tomorrow. You smell excellent." Wow. I suck.

"You got detention?" To prove the existence of God and his hate towards me the robots picked then to turn red. My dad looked at me and said, "How did you get detention?"

This is the part where I stay silent. "I may have talked in class."

"God damn it Theodore, why were you talking?"

Seriously, I should stop. "I was just thanking Amelia."

"For what?"

SHUT. UP. "For waking me . . . up in class." Stupid.

The robot turned green and he was forced to look forward to drive. "For the love of - what's the point of us paying for your education if you sleep in class?"

"Well, there wouldn't be a point if I always slept in classes but this was the first one this week. I mean ever."

He sighed. "Theodore, why were you asleep?"

Now here is the part where I would tell some lie about how I saved a puppy from a burning building or had to fight fifty ninjas and that was why I was tired. But I am not a good liar. Whenever I try my voice turns into a very good imitation of Mickey Mouse. Seriously, I hate it. So I looked at him straight in the eye, well at least the corner of it, and I said, "Because Maths is Hell and Mrs Hobkins is the Devil." Though thinking over what I said, I probably should have worded it differently. But my dad didn't seem too upset by what I said. He just turned the corner and rode down this street that had vendors selling oranges and Foxies on the side.

"Theodore," he said after a long silence. And I mean Phantom of the Opera long. "I understand that not every class is as fun and exciting as you would want them to be but sometimes the ones that aren't are the ones that are important. You need to learn to be more attentive and learn that sometimes you need to go through the stuff you don't like to get to the things you do. How old are you?"

"I'm sixteen."

"Yeah and you're in grade ten. Just two more years of this then you can go to TUCs or whichever university you want and then once you get your degree you can leave South Africa and go to America-"