Becton Regional High School Sophomore Gabrielle Szymski has been chosen as the first place winner in Mrs. Justine Settembrino’s English 10 short story contest!

Settembrino has been incorporating this competition into her English 10 classes since she first started teaching in 2011. She feels as though students should be “rewarded for their creativity and hard work” and therefore does not want to limit them by assigning a prompt that students have to abide by. This grants the students the opportunity to write from their passions and interests while expanding their writing skills at the same time. The contest requires students to include all of the literary elements and the elements of a story arch into their story while also incorporating seven literary techniques of their personal choice. Settembrino felt as though her students’ stories were extremely spectacular this school year and after much mental debate decided to select multiple winners based on his or her creativity, originality, format, and application of techniques and elements. From there, all of the students from both classes were then responsible for anonymously presenting the stories and providing a summary of each one before voting for their favorite. Szymski was nominated by her peers and came out victorious in the competition.

Szymski’s winning piece entitled “I Love You” involves the experiencing of uncontrollable events from the viewpoint of the protagonist. The story starts with a phone call between the protagonist and their grandfather, who are separated by distance, and this interaction is the last the two will ever have again. Szymski explains that this scene was inspired by the last phone call between herself and her grandfather and the desire she felt to be with him at that moment. Although the remainder of the story is fictional, it does not fail to have the readers experience an array of emotions. The story then continues with the protagonist’s mother also becoming sick, and explores the protagonist’s struggle to overcome these uncontrollable situations. The story finishes off with the main character’s mother eventually dying and explores the emotions this event surfaces within the protagonist.

Szymski explains that she enjoyed the lack of a prompt given and states that her favorite part of this competition was the creative freedom allowed. Although she had hoped to be chosen as a finalist, Szymski was not sure she would be.  Being chosen as one brought her “great joy and a huge feeling of accomplishment.” Once winning the competition, she explained “I am extremely honored to be chosen as the winner of this competition since I know there were other fantastic stories that were written by my fellow peers.” Szymski believes what set her story apart from the others was that her story greatly explained the emotions and feelings of the protagonist which, in turn, allowed the reader to experience those emotions as well. Szymski explains that writing is a way she can have her readers feel and experience the different emotions included in her work and that she enjoys writing as a hobby in her free time as well. Her winning story, “I Love You”, can be read below to experience and understand these feelings yourselves.

I Love You

As the breaths before each word became more strenuous, I knew that this was the last time I was going to talk to Grandpa. I could tell that he was getting weaker by the minute. Soon enough, his arms couldn’t hold the phone up any longer.  I wish I was there. I wish I could hug him one last time. I wish I could tell him ‘I love you’ face to face. But, from East Rutherford, New Jersey to Debica, Poland, there were 4,347 miles separating us. 

“Some things you cannot control the outcome of; you can only control how you handle it. You have to appreciate every moment you spend with the ones you love because, as you can see, you never know when it’s going to be the last time you see them,” Mom started explaining. Soon her words got quieter and I could tell something was eating her up from the inside but she was trying to hide it. She wanted to show me that it was all going to be okay. But, in the end, it wasn’t all okay. 

Home. 4 walls, 1 roof.  It’s what I came back from school knowing.  

“Home can be much more than something physical; home can be a feeling. When you’re with someone very special, their arms will feel like home, ” Mom proceeded to explain. Mom taught me a lot. She was the one that was there for me when nobody else was. She always protected me from what I needed protecting from. She was the one that taught me what being loved feels like. She was my home. 

That’s what I learned through the years. Dad will do his own thing, but Mom was always there for me. Even if she had her own problems she was worrying about, she would always put them aside, even if it was just for a couple of minutes, to try to make me feel better. Whenever I was having a bad day, I knew a simple hug from Mom would make my day 100 times better. Mom isn’t just a mom to me, she is my best friend. 

But, not all days were as perfect as they were in the movies, even when Mom was there. Some days were hard. Mom wouldn’t have the energy to get up or she would hint that her back was hurting. Sometimes, it only lasted a day, while other times, it would drag on for weeks. It was the absolute worst. I constantly saw her trying to hide her pain but there was nothing I could do to make it disappear. I felt defeated. She always helped me with anything and everything but when she needs help, there’s nothing I could possibly do to fix it. I didn’t want her doing anything that she could hurt herself more by doing, so I did everything around the house; I cooked, I cleaned, I helped Chloe with homework. I did all I possibly could. But, her pain never went away. 

There were times that Mom left the house without any notice. She would be gone for a few hours and then come back home like nothing ever happened. I tried asking where she went, but she always seemed to dodge the question. It was almost like she was trying to protect me from something, something I was too young to understand. 

“I need to tell you something. You know how Grandpa passed away from a disease that stiffened his lungs causing him to be unable to breathe? The disease he had was Pulmonary Fibrosis. I found out that I have Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. This is why my back and muscles have been hurting so much. I finally found an answer!” Mom exclaimed. Her eyes got brighter, I could tell it was making her happy that she found a reason for all her pain. But what about me? How am I supposed to feel?

“I’m so happy for you Mom!” I managed to let out, pushing the lump in my throat down further and further, until I couldn’t feel it anymore. 

“I love you, Mom!” I blurted, while already facing the other direction. 

Running up the stairs, I was blinded by the tears forming in my eyes. This time, I didn’t try to stop it. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how to feel. For how much longer am I going to have a mom? I could faintly hear an ‘I love you too’ being said back to me from downstairs as I started to shut the door to my room. As soon as the door closed, I collapsed right against the door. Just for a second, I let go. 

Get a hold of yourself. She can’t know you’re upset. It’s going to stress her out and upset her. She doesn’t need that right now. She needs someone there to be there for her. You have to be that person. After everything she’s done for you, it’s what you need to do. 

 That night was the longest night I’ve had. I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was that my mom, the person I looked up to most in life, isn’t going to be here for much longer. They say the internet has everything, but the internet did not have everything I wanted it to have. There was no cure. There was nothing that anybody could do to help my mom. She was just going to get progressively worse until one day, her body won’t be able to take it anymore and she’s going to die. I can’t just sit here and watch her deteriorate but what else am I supposed to do! There is absolutely nothing anybody can do! 

That was the most heartbreaking thing to get through to yourself, there’s nothing that you’re able to do. You just have to enjoy every moment with her like it’s your last. From that day on, there was never a conversation that didn’t end with an ‘I love you’. 

After a while, the days started to drag. Even though Mom was always assuring everyone that she was okay, I knew she wasn’t. She couldn’t get up. She couldn’t do anything but lay in bed, but even then, she was in pain. I tried to comfort her. I tried to have fun with her, but there was only so much I could do. Even then, it was hard not breaking down. You’re sitting there with the person you love most, knowing they’re going to be gone within a matter of weeks or even days. The days followed a consistent schedule, until one day, they didn’t. 

“I love you, Mom!” I began, expecting to hear a response. 

“Call 911! She’s not breathing!” I started screaming from Mom’s bedroom while trying to check if she still had a pulse. Dad rushed over with the phone in his hand, to assess the situation. 

His eyes widened, and his face was ghost white. Thud! The phone landed on the floor, while the operator questioned what was happening.  He was in shock. The screeching sirens of the ambulance followed shortly. 

The ambulance ride dragged on. Mom looked lifeless. The amount of energy she had before was a million times more than she has now. Once in the hospital room, the doctor rushed in. He explained that all we can do is keep her comfortable, the words that everyone was dreading to hear. 

I thought she was okay! What happened! What went wrong! I kept asking myself over and over again while looking at Mom. Days went by and Mom wasn’t able to do anything. She wasn’t the person that was always there for me. She wasn’t the person who did all she could to make me feel better. She isn’t the person who protected me from danger. She was my Mom anymore. She was a shell of the person she used to be. She was unrecognizable. 

Everything was rushing through my head. Every time we were laughing so much we were crying. Every time we snuck out of the house to go shopping before my dad noticed. Every time she told me she was proud of me. Every time she told me she loved me. All I wanted is to hear that one more time, but I know I can’t. 

The feel of Dad’s hand touching my shoulder brought me back into the present. I lost so much time thinking about the past and reliving every moment I had with Mom, that I wasted precious time with her that I’ll never be able to get back. 

The beeping of the heart monitor gradually started slowing down, and that is when I knew, it’s my final chance. 

As her breathing got more strenuous, I took a deep breath, gently held her hand, and whispered into her ear, 

“I love you, Mom!” 

The room went silent. There is no more beeping which is all anyone would hear for the last few days. It’s quiet. She is at peace.