The day was bright and hot, the perfect summer day, but I found myself rushing into the halls of my high school with my mother. As we made our way down the halls of the empty school, I frantically glanced at the clock on the wall and moaned.

“I’m going to be late!” I cried and glanced at my mom, who kept marching forward, her flip flops tapping the tile floor.

“No you’re not,” she answered and stopped to look down a hallway, searching for the sign that would point me in the direction of my segment two driver’s ed. class.

My eyes darted back to the clock as I complained to my mother, “They won’t let me into class even after a minute!” It was exactly one minute until the class commenced.  We had walked the main hallway of the school twice and I was beginning to lose hope of ever making it to my session.

I began to walk dejectedly down the hallway, knowing that I was too late, and there was no use in continuing our frenzied search. My mother exhaled in frustration and followed me. We strolled past the empty hallways lined with lockers, hoping to see the bright yellow sign of the driving school.

As we were moping, I noticed a previously unexplored hallway that branched off the main hallway and I heard unfamiliar footsteps. My mother, who had started walking in front of me, turned down the hall and motioned quickly for me to follow.

There it was, the bright yellow sign of my driving school and a tall man standing outside the classroom, searching for other straggling students. I started moving quickly towards the classroom door, hoisting my falling bag higher onto my shoulder.

As I strode purposely towards the door, my mom stopped abruptly and gasped, saying loudly, “Tony?” My head shot up to look at her, and then down back at the teacher who had straightened up and was staring at us with wide eyes from where he stood, still a few feet away.

“Tony Sokol?” my mom cried again and this time the teacher answered.

“Yes?”

“I’m Carolynn! I’m Steve’s sister,” she nearly shouted and ran to give the teacher, or should I say Tony, a hug. I stood away from her with a look of utter confusion pasted across my face. Who was this guy?

Before I knew it, I found myself encompassed in the arms of Tony. My face was pressed up against his Wayne State University shirt and I reluctantly hugged him back. Quickly pulling away, I mustered a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

Standing awkwardly in the hallway I listened to my mom and Tony as they talked loudly. Finally, I decided that I had done my time in the hall and decided to move into the classroom. I mumbled goodbye and darted into the room. To my dismay, the faces of confused students in the classroom were focusing on what the disruption was, or in other words, me.

My heart sank farther down into my stomach when I realized that to get to a group of empty desks I would have to make the seemingly endless journey to the other side of the room. I gulped and opted for the seat that had magically seemed to appear right next to me by the door.

Sliding into the seat, I threw my bag under my desk. I rested my flushed face on my hands and stared at the graffiti covered table. I grew as annoyed as my classmates when I heard my mom still talking animatedly to Tony. Glancing up at my fellow students, I saw a few of them mumbling in annoyance at the holdup. Finally, I heard my mom say her goodbyes to Tony and then heard her shoes clicking down the hall. Mr. Sokol came back into the class, closed the door and started his lesson.

Though I listened to the lecture, I refused to raise my hand. While listening, I peeked next to me to see who I had chosen to sit next to. My heart sank when I saw who it was. Basketball shorts that fell to mid-calf, ugly scuffed sneakers, baggy tee shirt, chunky fake diamond earrings, and the most zit filled face I had ever seen. I turned back towards Tony and internally groaned - first my mom and now this piece of work. I knew that this was going to be a long, long day.

And it was but, although the day seemed endless, I’ve realized that having my mom know so many people can be a blessing in disguise. If you think about it, having connections with people can be a huge key to success. These relations allow you to find similarities in what you are trying to accomplish in your life and ultimately create bonds that will let you to connect with others and allow you to achieve your goals.