His Daily Check-In By Maxie Jones

 I started the second semester of tenth grade on February 1, 1978. On February 2, when I woke up to go to school, my mother didn’t. She had passed away in her sleep during the night. After we laid my mother to rest, I went back to school, but I didn’t care much to be there at all. Since it was a new semester, my teachers didn’t know me very well. My English teacher, Mr. Goldberg, would ask the class questions and call on people to answer. When he called on me, he’d pretty much be waking me up from wherever my mind would be. I’d say, “ ’ Scuse me? What was that?” He’d ask me again, and I’d have the correct answer.