It was a good day for Jason. A few weeks after Jason entered his senior year, he was picked  as captain of the John F. Kennedy High School swim team. Jason has been an excellent swimmer since he first stepped into a swimming pool. For Jason, swimming has always been his first priority, even before school. Everybody else in his family have also been swimmers and it was Jason’s duty to continue his family name. This week he was planning to do just that. Jason had lead his swim team to the national round of the high school championships for which the award would be meeting Michael Phelps, the best swimmer in the world, and one hundred thousand dollars for their school.

“Jason!” Jason’s mom yelled, “ get up you’re going to be late for for the bus, it's leaving in forty-five minutes!”
Oh my god, Jason thought, today’s the big day. Time to go kick butt. There was just so many things that were through his head right now. He had never been to any competition like this one, and with a grand prize of one million dollars to his school, and meeting Michael Phelps! What if I don’t do well? What if we get disqualified? What if I let my team down?

“Jason, come on, you’re down to forty minutes, get your lazy butt out of the bed!” Jason’s dad shouted.
After about twenty minutes, Jason was down in the kitchen eating breakfast with his suitcase and swimming gear next to him. He quickly ate his cereal, waiting for his parents to finish so they could drop him at his school. While he was waiting, Jason checked the weather conditions in New York.

“Nice, it’ll be pretty warm in New York, great conditions to swim in,” Jason added, “ Oh yeah, dad, when are you going to meet me in  New York?” Jason asked.
“Ummm, I think my flight leaves at around 12:30 in the afternoon tomorrow,” his dad said.
After a couple of minutes, Jason was sitting in the back of his mom’s Subaru, waiting to get onto the bus with his teammates, preparing for the long ride ahead of him. It was going to be about a six hour bus ride from Philadelphia to Albany. It was in this bus ride that Jason would experience a moment which he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Jason was sleeping on the bus, trying not to worry about the huge competition that was up against him. His high school was ranked number nineteen in the country and to be captain of that team is a very prestigious honor. But when you are that good on the team, you also have a big responsibility when it comes to which people are on your team, which events they can swim, and your overall effect on the team. Obviously, Jason had done a good job of doing that, otherwise they wouldn’t have been on that bus. Jason was such a good swimmer that if anything happened him, John F. Kennedy High School’s swim team would not even have a chance of winning or even coming back to this competition.

“Hey Jason, wake up, your dad is calling you,” Max said.
Jason slowly opened his eyes and grabbed his phone. Oh, it’s 10:30, they must be leaving for the airport right now, Jason thought.
“Hey dad, what’s up?” Jason asked.
“Hey Jason, I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Jason’s dad explained, “ your mom, she’s been in a pretty bad car accident. I was debating on whether or not to tell about this until after your competition, but I felt it was your right to know. Sorry, but I won’t be able to make it.”

Jason just sat there, completely stunned, without saying a word. He could not believe the things that his dad just told him. His dad knew that this would happen. Jason loved his mom so dearly and couldn’t and wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Now the only thing Jason could think about was his mom and the kind of horrible situation she must be in right now.

“Ummm, is she okay?” Jason asked.
“Well, right now it doesn’t look too good,” Jason’s dad replied.

“Then I need to come home. I can’t swim with mom in this condition. The moment I get to New York, I’m taking a cab back to the airport, and coming home on the next plane to Philadelphia,” Jason exclaimed, and he hung up before his dad could say anything.

Jason had decided what he wanted to do. He wasn’t going to let anything anyone says affect the decision that he made. Now the only thing Jason had to was to tell his teammates and his coach. Once Jason would tell his teammates that he was leaving, he knew that they would be devastated. If he left like this without any warning, he would be letting the whole team down. Maybe Jason had to talk to his coach and then make his final decision.
Jason never thought that going up to his coach and talking to him would be this hard. He had grown up with this man and he taught almost everything he knew about swimming. His coach had been like a second father to him, and Jason was the only his coach would trust with his baby child. Now Jason had to break his coaches heart to tell him that he didn’t want to swim in nationals. He had to do this to see his mom, even if it meant going against everything that Jason trained for as his high school swim team’s captain.

“Hey coach, there’s something I’ve got to tell you,” Jason started, “ I just got a call from my dad, and my mom has just been in a major car accident.”

“Oh wow, is she okay?” Jason’s coach asked.

“Well from what my dad told me, she isn’t in very good shape. And I don’t think I’ll be participating in this competition. I know that this meet is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, but I have to go home and see my mom before it gets even more serious.”

“But Jason, you can’t just quit like this. We have nobody to take your place, you’re the best swimmer on our team, and of course, you’ll be letting your whole team down.”

“Yes I know that, but my mom is in a very serious condition and my family doesn’t know where the accident is leading to.”

“I know, but you just can’t do this to your team! You have been an amazing swimmer your whole life and this is what you have been preparing for! You can’t just give up something that you have been preparing for your whole life!” Jason’s coach shouted. When Jason heard this, he got extremely mad. He did not want to talk to his coach. Instead, Jason went to him and shoved him until he fell to the ground. At that moment, all his teammates ran up to Jason and their coach, trying to hold them back from hurting each other even more. Jason was trying to make another move on his coach, but his teammates were too strong for him.

“Really, what if you were in my situation? What if this time was going to be the last time that you were going to see your mother? I’m not putting some stupid competition before my mother’s well being!” Jason yelled.

“I understand,” Jason’s coach mumbled. He was still very dazed because of what Jason did to him.

“No you don’t understand. If you understood, you would support my decision and that would be the end of it!”
Jason was now on the brink of tears. He could feel the hot droplets of hatred welling up in his eyes. Now the whole bus was looking at the two of them as if they were insane. They couldn’t believe that two people who were so close could argue in this sort of manner. They could not believe that Jason had physically hurt his coach. Jason’s teammates let Jason calm down by himself and they went to go help their coach. His arm was slightly bruised so they gave him an ice pack to help relieve the pain.

Now they were looking at Jason. He was looking outside at the depressing gray clouds that were hanging above him. He could see the fields of rural farm land, the long rows of trees, fruits, and vegetables. Someone on the team was going to have to talk to Jason. There was no way that they could let Jason go from the swim team. He was too good of a swimmer and Jason was the only chance of them winning the competition and meeting Michael Phelps. There had to be some way that Jason’s teammates somehow convince Jason to stay.

“Hey Jason I’m really sorry about your mom,” Mike said. Jason just looked outside the bus and pretended that he didn’t even hear a word that Mike told him. He didn’t want to hear the things that his teammates have to say to him. His teammates didn’t even know what Jason was going through right now. They didn’t even have any idea of what it was like to be extremely close to losing your mother. But, since Jason didn’t tell his teammates how he felt, people kept on coming up him, sharing the things that they want to say. “And I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but do you really think that not participating in nationals is the best thing to do?” Mike asked, “ Plus I’m sure that the rest of the team wouldn’t want you to go too.”

Even though Jason did not want to hear anything that his teammates had to say, people still kept on coming up to him, sharing the things they had to say.“Jason what are you doing? You shouldn’t just leave like this,” some people told him. “No, you should do what you wants to do,” others interjected.

But all of this did not matter to Jason. He didn’t even care about what other people had to say. He just tuned them out, and tried to get some sleep. He was going to use the five hundred dollars of gift money to buy himself a ticket back to Philadelphia.

By the end of the bus ride, all of his other teammates had spoken to Jason, giving him their idea of what to do. At one point, Jason even talked to them, telling to shut up and go away. He was obviously very depressed and he needed time alone, something he would get on his plane ride back home.

Once they reached the hotel, Jason told his coach that he was going to get a cab and go to the airport. His coach did not even try to say anything to him, for he knew that Jason wouldn’t listen. The only thing that he and all the other people on the swim team could do was support him on his decision and do their best in the competition. After saying by to all his teammates, Jason immediately got a taxi, on his way to Albany International Airport. Jason did not even go up to his coach to apologize.

“Hey dad, I’m on my way to the airport. I know that you don’t want me doing this, but I have see mom,” Jason said.

“But Jason, your mother is getting better. She’s in much better situation and she is getting better,” Jason’s dad replied.

“Yes I know, but still, I want to see mom,” Jason broke in.

“Well how are you going to pay for the ticket? The only way you can get that ticket is if I pay for it,” Jason’s dad said.

“I am going to use my gift money that I have,” Jason declared.

“Fine Jason, do whatever you want. Just remember that your mom is in a better state and think about how many people you’ve just let down,” Jason’s dad remarked.

Jason hung up the phone as soon as his dad said that. It was good enough that his teammates and coach don’t support on his decision, and now his dad doesn’t want him to come home. For the rest of the taxi drive to the airport, Jason tried to sleep, trying not to think about the things everyone said to him.

After another half hour, Jason reached the domestic terminals of Albany International Airport. He paid the driver, got out of the car with his bags, but he didn’t go in. He just stood there, thinking about the things that everyone said to him. Then he looked around him to see if the cab he took was still their. He turned around and found another taxi.

Sometimes, we have to think twice before we do something. Until the very end, Jason had not even considered participating in the competition so he could see his mom. But when he was at the airport he thought about the things his coach, teammates, and his dad said.

Later that week, John F. Kennedy High School won third in the national competition.             

Jason as the captain obviously got to keep the trophy. Third place wasn’t first, and they didn’t get to meet Michael Phelps, but they still won fifty thousand dollars for their school. When Jason came home to check on his mother, she was in a much better shape than what his dad had described. She only had a few fractured ribs. She was released from the hospital about two weeks after Jason’s competition. Going back to the competition was the right thing to do. If  weren’t for that decision Jason wouldn’t be the swimmer he is today. He would be the same old stubborn person who wouldn’t listen to anybody. Sometimes, one moment can change your life forever.