A day when everything went wrong

Life has its ups and downs, highs and lows. Sometimes you feel as if you are on top of the world, other times you feel as if everyone or everything has turned against you.

I vividly recall a day when nothing went as I expected. Everything seemed out to get me, to trick me. It was the hardest test of my patience and perseverance.

My parents were away for the whole day, trusting me to be independent enough to take care of my daily needs. There would not be any adult supervision, just me. Hooray! It was my wildest dream come true. It was going to be the best day of my life!

"Ring..." the alarm clock rang madly, rudely awakening me from my deep slumber. Horror of horrors, I was late for school! Scrambling around the house like a madcap, I managed to dress myself in just a few seconds, breaking my usual record. As the saying goes ' Haste makes waste', buttons seemed to evade themselves from my fingertips, while the books and pencils seemed to hide themselves, making me search every nook and cranny for them, wasting my precious seconds away. My burn toasts, too, slipped from my butterfingers and landed with the buttered side on the floor. Typical Murphy's Law!

At long last, I was ready but the bus had gone. So I got out my bicycle, wiping away cobwebs from my face. Oh dear! My bike was not exactly in its first flush of youth. I shuddered as my eyes ran through its bruised and battered frame. Heaving a great sigh, I consigned myself to it with some trepidation and started my journey.

On a bright, sunny morning like that, cycling should be a delightful way to admire Mother Nature at her best. However, I supposed I had got up from the wrong side of the bed. So, there I was, growling and muttering under my breath. And Lady Luck was certainly not on my side too. My aged bicycle proved to be no match for a tiny pebble, and so down I went, school bag and all, landing on the sidewalk like a sack of potatoes. An acute pain shot up my leg, and a nasty wound bled profusely. Muffling a cry, I willed myself to get up. "Just grin and bear it!" my inner voice said. Tears stung my eyes as I hobbled painfully to school, wheeling my bicycle lugging my bag I was a pitiful sight.

I managed to reach school without doing myself anymore bodily harm. After being reprimanded by my teacher for being late, I felt under the weather and snapped at everyone like a bear with a sore head. Luckily, classes passed uneventfully. Thank God for that! As the day dragged by slowly, I practically had to pinch my arms every two seconds to prevent myself from dozing off. Needless to say, lessons went on but nothing went into my hazy mind that swarmed in space like a zombie.

Saved by the bell! The walls of the institution shook as pupils spread their wings and flew off beyond the school gates, where freedom awaited them. Just in time I remembered that my friends and I were going fishing later in the afternoon. It was my maiden trip and nothing was going to spoil my day. In a split-second, my mood brightened and I whistled all the way home, forgetting about the past events in the morning.

At last, everything was ready. All my friends were there and the fishing equipment had been prepared in advance. Then. as luck would have it, big billowing clouds started to cover the bright sun. Thunder rumbled threateningly and rain was imminent. I prayed silently imploring the sun to chase away the clouds. Alas, my hopes was dashed as big drops of rain began to fall.

Downcast, I trudged home. Drenched from head to toe, I did not even give my soaked condition a thought. Disappointment was hard to bear and a bitter pill to swallow, especially in big doses like this. I fought back tears of despair, reproaching myself for being such a baby.

Once home, I was relived with joy to find my parents back. I dashed into my mum's arms, sobbing out my woes. I related to her the unfortunate incidents of the day. Mum, my confidante, my sunshine after the rain, my bright shining star who guided me through the thorns of teenage years, provided me a shoulder to cry on. At last, I was able to retrospect rationally and find humour in being such a fool on the day when everything went wrong.

Vocabulary

reprimanded : to express strong official disapproval of 训诫

confidante ：a person to whom you tell your secrets 知己

retrospect : thinking back to the past from the present 回顾