When I finally started on my way home from the school library, the sun had already started its descent behind the horizon and the street lamps had started to flicker to life. I had spent too much time on my research paper and now I had to make sure I hurried home so I wouldn’t upset my father, who was probably on one of his usual drinking binges. I remember I made sure I kept a fast pace by counting my steps 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, a trick I picked up from a neighbor girl who use to live across the street from me. I was now passing the park which was empty except for a handful of kids who were finishing up a game of basketball. I took a quick break and stopped to catch my breath. I was almost home now; I could see my house from where I stood. It was a dilapidated old place, with sections of plaster missing or starting to crack; the chain link fence around it was in desperate need of repair and had holes in, but it was still home. Once I had caught my breath I started down the hill to my house making sure to keep the same pace I had before.
I finally made it home; I walked up to my front door and slowly opened it, trying to make sure to be as quiet as possible to hide my presence. I looked over into the living room to see my dad watching TV with his back to me. I snuck into the kitchen and found my mom cleaning up. I smiled at her and gave her a hug.
“How was school, mijo” she asked with her soft tired voice.
“It was good I had to finish a research paper, I’m sorry I’m late, I hope I didn’t start any drama between you and dad”
“No, Mijo I don’t think he’s even noticed you weren’t home, go on and go to your room, that way he thinks you’ve been there the whole time…..oh by the way I made you a plate of food, take it with you.”
“Th...
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...m the neighborhood. He wasn’t really a bad kid; he just got himself into a lot trouble. Even with all that he was really one of the nicest and genuine people I knew and well that was Moi. I closed the door and walked up to Moi.
“What’s up Moi?” I said while I nodded at him
“Not much homie, just don’t want to go to school.” He replied.
Teasingly, I told him: “When have you ever wanted to go”
“Hahah, Never homie, but I got to go. I can’t miss school anymore or the school’s gonna call the cops on me.”
“Damn, that sucks man, well let’s start going before we’re late.”
He hopped off his bike so he could walk with me. We followed the sidewalk up the hill and pass the park. We walked for a good amount of time before I realized we hadn’t talked most of the way, I looked over at him and I could tell he was in deep thought over something, like something was bothering him.
I wasn’t even outside but I could feel the warm glow the sun was projecting all across the campsite. It seemed as if the first three days were gloomy and dreary, but when the sun on the fourth day arose, it washed away the heartache I had felt. I headed out of the trailer and went straight to the river. I walked to the edge, where my feet barely touched the icy water, and I felt a sense of tranquility emanate from the river. I felt as if the whole place had transformed and was back to being the place I loved the most. That day, when we went out on the boat, I went wakeboarding for the first time without my grandma. While I was up on the board and cutting through the wake of the boat, it didn’t feel like the boat was the one pulling and guiding me, it felt like the river was pushing and leading me. It was always nice to receive the reassurance from my grandma after wakeboarding, but this time I received it from my surroundings. The trees that were already three times the size of me, seemed to stand even taller as I glided past them on the river. The sun encouraged me with its brightness and warmth, and the River revitalized me with its powerful currents. The next three days passed by with ease, I no longer needed to reminisce of what my trips used to be like. Instead, I could be present in the moment, surrounded by the beautiful natural
First, we packed our bags, then we all said, “goodbye” to all of our family and friends. I was forlorn and wanted to stay. Grandpa and our dog were driving a Uhaul while my mom, dad, sister, brother and I were in the car. I was young, so I slept most of the time, I slept in the car and we stopped at hotels every night.
I heard my door squeak as the person outside of the door opened it. It was my father. He came in and walked up to me at the other side of the room. He had a red rose in his hand and a memorial card along with it. He was a big man.
“Young lady you wait right there if you're going to pout about something and run up to your room without explanation your crazy, so let's hear it!”
I went up the stairs of my small house and sat in the creaky bed and closed my eyes
We loaded the van, and then we set off to go home. The trip home was pretty quiet. We stop a few times and my Mom always says “We’re almost there, guys.” I’m so glad I did. Well, after many, many grueling hours, we finally arrived home!
11:14 p.m.-I slowly ascend from my small wooden chair, and throw another blank sheet of paper on the already covered desk as I make my way to the door. Almost instantaneously I feel wiped of all energy and for a brief second that small bed, which I often complain of, looks homey and very welcoming. I shrug off the tiredness and sluggishly drag my feet behind me those few brief steps. Eyes blurry from weariness, I focus on a now bare area of my door which had previously been covered by a picture of something that was once funny or memorable, but now I can't seem to remember what it was. Either way, it's gone now and with pathetic intentions of finishing my homework I go to close the door. I take a peek down the hall just to assure myself one final time that there is nothing I would rather be doing and when there is nothing worth investigating, aside from a few laughs a couple rooms down, I continue to shut the door.
work it is going to take him to get home. He says, "I shouldn't have gone out so far"
With stress on my mind and a cookie in my hand, I headed towards the wooded area behind her home. At the beginning of the trail, there was an old rotting tire swing barely hanging onto a low-hanging branch. The extensive amount of muddy puddles and the surrounding damp grass made me hesitant to follow through with my grandmother’s suggestion; the mountain of homework that waited for me back at home convinced me to continue. Trees towered over me, adding to the existing weight of stress that sat upon my shoulders, as I carefully maneuvered around the biggest puddles, beginning to become frustrated. Today was a terrible day to go for a walk, so why would my grandmother suggest this? Shaking my head in frustration, I pushed forward. The trail was slightly overgrown. Sharp weeds stabbed my sides every few steps, and I nearly tripped over a fallen tree branch. As the creek barely came into view, I could feel the humidity making my hair curly and stick to the sides of my face. After stopping to roll up the ends of my worn blue jeans, I neared the end of the trail. Bright sunlight peeked through the branches and reflected off the water. The sun must have come out from behind a cloud, seeing as it now blinded me as I neared the water. A few minutes passed by before I could clearly see
“Are you sure you want to be at home? How about you stay at my place tonight instead?”
...resence of my parents upstairs, despite the brain scrambling heat of the sauna, I suddenly felt homesick, and realized I yearned to be in my basement. The pitted feeling in my stomach grew stronger as I realized it is not the basement of my childhood that I miss, it is the basement of my fraternity house where Kegs littered the floors like toys and pledges were hazed like the violent was games my youth. I found another cycle came to a close, and I found myself separated from what I had once known. The basement used to be my sanctuary, the place I could dream in. Standing just outside a basement no longer mine while still profusely sweating from the sauna, a crisp late August breeze gently cooled my body. I deeply inhaled the last moments of summer knowing full well that fleeting changes that often accompany seasonal transition were no longer of any concern to me.
Walking, there is no end in sight: stranded on a narrow country road for all eternity. It is almost dark now. The clouds having moved in secretively. When did that happen? I am so far away from all that is familiar. The trees are groaning against the wind’s fury: when did the wind start blowing? Have I been walking for so long that time hysterically slipped away! The leaves are rustling about swirling through the air like discarded post-it notes smashing, slapping against the trees and blacktop, “splat-snap”. Where did the sun go? It gave the impression only an instant ago, or had it been longer; that it was going to be a still and peaceful sunny day; has panic from hunger and walking so long finally crept in? Waking up this morning, had I been warned of the impending day, the highs and lows that I would soon face, and the unexpected twist of fate that awaited me, I would have stayed in bed.
I decided that John should drive his car to the nearest shopping mall, mainly because I did not want to use my gas. At the mall, a few friends joined us. John and I shopped for the perfect running shoe. We were both running a half-marathon later that month. Once that was accomplished, me and the guys enjoyed a post-lunch meal and talked about any ridiculous thing that entered our minds.
Throughout life I have had many memorable events. The memorable times in my life vary from being the worst times in my life and some being the best, either way they have become milestones that will be remembered forever. The best day of my life was definitely the day that I received my drivers’ license. This day is one of the most memorable because of the feelings I had when I received it, the opportunities that were opened up for me and the long lasting benefits that I received from it that still exist today.
My dad and sister watched television, my mom crocheted, and I worked on my Kinderbuch for German class. As usual, everyone but me fell asleep. At 10:30, we packed all of our things into the back of the Tahoe and pulled around to he front to return the keys.