My American Dream

My responsibility of having my first bill at a young age. Started as a negotiation with my mother and ended up being one of my happiest moments in my life. It was the kind of moment a teenage girl dreamed of having and mine happened sooner than later. In the end, I became one of the happiest girls because I’ve finally had the one thing that I wanted most. It was the time I bought my own car. Or to go back: Nothing in life was ever handed to me or my siblings. My mom grew up in Jamaica and came to America not knowing the importance of education in American. America was very different from what she was familiar with a new environment, new cultures, and new places. So with that being, said I and my sisters didn’t always have the opportunity

The goal in driver’s ed class was to pass in order to get a green slip to take a driving course if you were under the age of 18. My twin sister had gotten her green slip sophomore year of high school and started already driving before mine. My older sister “Kayon” wanted a new car so she had gave my twin sister her old car when she had gotten her new one. When I had finally gotten my license, we started sharing the car but at the end of the day it was still my twin car. Yes, I was a little a jealous because having a car in high school was a big deal, and it was one thing that I wanted. When I was in my senior year of high school my dad had sent me money to buy my first car, ended up buying my first car through a car salesman that went to my church. Bought it and ended up hated it. I kept it for a year then ended up selling it during the summer of my second year in college. During that whole year, I decided that I wanted to take a year off from school because I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take. And that was not okay with my mother. One thing about my mother is that she always wanted us to go down a different path from her so we can one day have a better life. This was around the same time that I wanted a new car, but the only way I could get a decent car is with my mom cosigning for me. It was a winter night my mom came in my room.

“Brittany, I want to talk to you

She came and picked me up after she got home from work and said, “Let’s go.” We found a sales person, and she introduced the idea of leasing to mom and me. I agreed that since I was working I would pay the car payment every month because I knew I could afford it and I knew my mom didn’t always have the money to give us what we wanted. So the sales lady introduced the car that would be in my budget. I picked the car my mom and I both loved. My mom asked me, “Brittany, are you going to be able to keep up with the car payments?”

“Yes, Mom.” Then I explained how much I make a week.

Then she said, “Okay, I’m going to cosign for you as long as you go back to school, and I want to see the school schedule as soon as you get it.”

I replied, “Yes, I am definitely going back to school. I’ve always wanted to, but I just didn’t know what I wanted to do.” I got in my new car and drove off. That day I took on one of the biggest responsibilities I could have. It was that day on forth that I had to start not only putting money aside for my bills but enough money for my car payment every month. I had to take on the responsibility of budgeting and putting my priorities before my wants. That day I encountered one of my first major