The Waiting Game

*This item is not autobiographical (120 words)

For years, I waited for my childhood to begin.

"Sacrifice now, enjoy later," is all I have left from those years.
"If you work hard, you'll have the money to buy everything you ever wanted."
"You're not a baby, you're a man."

When other kids collected birthday gifts, I was told to wait.
When they went to the cinema to see their heroes, I waited.
When they spent hot summer days at amusement parks, I waited.
When other kids dressed up for Halloween, I thought it looked cool.
I looked forward to the day I could do that, too.

One day, I woke up, and the child was gone.

A man stared back at me in the mirror.

Still waiting.