The Plane Ticket

Hey Mom, it's Cody
And before you you say anything
I want to tell you how this story ends

I'm not coming home for Thanksgiving

There, now you've heard the ending
But before you respond to this e-mail
And start asking me if I've lost my mind
I want to tell you a little story

I was cleaning out my dorm room
Getting ready to head to the airport
And I was the last person left on my floor
Because everybody else took off last night
But I decided to stay and go bar-hopping
With a few of the guys

Yes, I go bar-hopping
Yes, there was drinking
No, no driving
These were all bars in town
Yes, you should still be ashamed of me
But first, hear me out

I was packing up my room
When I heard music coming from down the hallway
And I was like--what the hell?
So I go down the hall
And there's this girl in the room at the end of the hall
Who I've seen a few times
But never really talked to

Her room was mostly packed
But she was just sitting on her bed
Knees up to her chin
Reading a book
And listening to the music
Mumford and Sons
So obviously I mentally applauded her

I asked her if she needed help
Getting her bags to a taxi or something
And she said she wasn't sure where she was going yet

It was about an hour
Until we were supposed to clear out the dorms
So I thought that was weird

I sat at her desk
And we talked for a little bit

It turns out she's from Massachusetts too
And she told me that she didn't have the money
To fly home for Thanksgiving
And that things were rough at home
Because her parents were fighting a lot
You know, money stuff
And her grandpa was sick
And maybe it was for the best
That she didn't go home

So, I gave her my plane ticket

Because it sounded to me
Like she might not have a lot of family Thanksgivings left
And I thought she should have at least one more
Before things got really bad

Now, Mom, I know you might be worried about where I'm going to go
But my friend Steve lives an hour away from campus
And he said I could hitch a ride with him
And do Thanksgiving with his family

Mom, obviously I'd rather have Thanksgiving with my own family
But you always taught me to help out when you can
And I saw a chance for me to help
So I did

We don't have a lot to be unhappy about in our family
Aside from Grandpa's new-found interest in butter carving
And I'm still coming home for Christmas
And Easter, and probably Arbor Day
If you have any say in it

But who knows the next time
This girl's going to get to go home, you know?

I just felt like it was something I had to do

Mom, you told me when you were sending me to college
That I wasn't just there to get an education
You said I was there to learn how to become an adult

So maybe I drink a little too much
Or I skip a few classes
Or I'm dating one of my professors

--All things we can talk about later

But I don't want to be the kind of adult
Who sees somebody hurting
And doesn't do anything about it

So I gave away my ticket
And I know you paid for it
So I'll pay you back
Or you can make it my Christmas present this year

I just want you to know
It was something I had to do
And I hope you can understand why

But I think you will

Something tells me if you were sitting there in that dorm room
Listening to Mumford and Sons with that girl
And seeing her talk about her grandpa
And how much she'd like to see him

You would have done the same thing, Mom

I don't know that for sure
But something tells me
You would have