Joey’s graduation was on a picture-perfect day. It was on one of those days where you could take a picture and slap it on a post card. It was a typical Amarillo, Texas day. It was 95 degrees Fahrenheit without a single cloud in the sky. Even the day after the graduation was scorching hot, though even the heat couldn’t dry up my ocean of sadness. This was the last day I would see my cousin. I remember watching the scenery change while sat in the van. My family and I were heading to my cousin’s graduation. I hadn’t seen my uncle and his family since my great grandpa’s funeral. Since that time, I haven’t heard anything from my cousins; all who are older than me. The anxiety started build as we got closer to my cousins’ house. I haven’t seen my cousin, who I was always closer with, in three years. We would always talk and laugh no matter the situation we were in. …show more content…
As we slowed, turned, stopped, and parked in front of a house.
I knew we were here; my relatives were waiting outside for us. Then I saw her, my cousin that I know nothing about now. My heart dropped to my feet at the sight on how much she changed. My racing thoughts were scattered as I thought, oh my god she different…, is she even my cousin…, No, it’s one of her friends. The one thought I feared most is that she has forgotten who I was. I wanted to disappear into my seat as my parents got out motioning us to follow their lead. My cousins followed their parents lead into greeting us. I went down the line greeting my relatives. Joey, Crystal, and Jason; they were all here. My disorganized thoughts were interrupted by my aunt said in disbelief, “Oh mija, how much you’ve grown.” Before I could answer my parents took the steering wheel of the conversation and directed it to how my cousins have grown. While they were talking about politics, relatives, the usual family gossip; we got our suitcases out of the car and into the
house. “Mija, you can go sleep in Crystal’s room.” I froze to a halt. I was about to start arguing that I could sleep in the leaving room with my family. Then my mom gave me, do what you’re told or you’re grounded, so I nodded and followed my cousin to her room. She didn’t say a single word as she grabbed the inflatable bed. I could not stand the silence that fall in the room. I decided to cut the string of silence with a question, “What grade will you be in next year?” That was the sentence that reawakened the ancient friendship we had. Two hours. That is the time I had left before, I left for another three-day trip back to North Dakota. I looked under Crystal’s bed to make sure I didn’t forget any of my stuff. After so much bonding I couldn’t see myself leaving her; not again. That light bulb turned on, at an idea. I got my cousin and told my plan to her. She agreed to my plan and head for our parents. “Can I go with you to North Dakota?” Crystal asked. We had an hour conversation with our parents to see if she can stay with me. The next thing we know is that she is sitting next to me in the van heading back to North Dakota.
Walking into Walnut Hills High School right now would have anyone thinking the just walked into the middle of a tornado. Everyone you look there are students running in and out of doors, in and out of cars, and most certainly either turning in missing assignments or retaking tests. There is only one way for you to explain all this ciaos, Senior Year, the year that all teens await with so much excitement and ambition and the year that every single hour long study dates pays off. For the class of 2021 this isn’t just their final year at Walnut Hills this is the year that friends separate and head off to their different university to follow their dreams.
Within the few minutes of meeting, my cousins and I were treating each other as if we had lived together for years. We were sharing crazy memories and laughing like old friends. Just in the car ride to my grandmother’s house, we shared secrets among ourselves and sang our hearts out to our favorite tunes. Once we arrived, I met my grandparents for the very first time in person, and they embraced me as if I was their own daughter.
It was August 8th of 2013 when my dad got a call from my Aunt Theresa. She urged him to come over to her house because she had devastating news. The car ride to her house was quiet. The weather was gloomy, the sky was filled with dark cumulus clouds.When we pulled up to my Aunt’s house, the adults were organized into a small circle. My uncles were supporting my grandma, however, I thought nothing of it. My parents had told me to go inside because they had a matter to attend to. I went inside to hang out with my cousins. I saw them a couple days before, but the feeling of happiness never subsides when I see them.
I looked around at everyone in the room and saw the sorrow in their eyes. My eyes first fell on my grandmother, usually the beacon of strength in our family. My grandmother looked as if she had been crying for a very long period of time. Her face looked more wrinkled than before underneath the wild, white hair atop her head. The face of this once youthful person now looked like a grape that had been dried in the sun to become a raisin. Her hair looked like it had not been brushed since the previous day as if created from high wispy clouds on a bright sunny day.
Arriving at Lacey’s house I walk to the backdoor letting myself into the house. Lacey was putting on tanning lotion in the kitchen, “Lacey,” I called to her, “my mom wants me to pick up snacks for the beach, do you want to go into town with me?”, “Sure,” she replied, “do you mind if my cousin comes with us?”, “Of course I don’t mind,“ I answered, “but we have to get moving, my dad only left me the car to use ‘til noon.”
Before, I could even take note, it was already October. It was time for me to pack everything in my room, and say my final goodbyes to my family members. I was going to leave everything that meant a lot to me behind. Previously, before October, we picked up my dad from the airport so that he could help us load all of our belongings to the U-Haul truck. Lily, ‘my cousin’, (we aren’t related, she is just a very close friend who I consider family) was staying with use because she want to see her father, who was also living in Denver. My mom and dad, sister, uncle, cousin, and I all stayed at the house one last night. I remember that my sister said that all her friends gathered around my mom’s car to wave goodbye to her. Her closest friends got very emotional and they started to cry. Not only did the move affect me, it also affected my sister greatly. It was like someone had given her a punch in the stomach. By the next day, we had everything in the U-Haul truck, and it was time for me to leave my precious Vegas behind. We had now started the drive to
I was sitting at my small desk in my room when I saw my dad had come home from who knows what, wearing a sad face. He came up to my room with a big red rose. Right then I knew what was going on. I never spent a lot of time with family members who I was not close with. I acknowledged their presence, but I never talked a lot to or about them.
Finally, it’s June 3rd. Laura is going to be graduating from Silas University today with her whole family present. With Carmilla still in Toronto, Laura couldn’t wait to see her girlfriend after not being around her for a month. School kept Laura busy, while Carmilla had to deal with work. They’ve had skype dates and Carmilla even managed to help Laura with some homework over the webcam. Finally, she gets to see her girlfriend face to face and she couldn’t be happier. Carmilla apologized most of the time for being busy, Laura felt the same since she had to work extra hard just to make sure she could graduate with honors. She is and she couldn't be happier.
He we go. Just me and myself now. I can write whatever I want and Mrs. Wesbecher can’t read it. To this point I have wrote about a lot of fun things I have done throughout high school, but that was just the PG version. Sophomore year is when things really began to heat up. One day over at Alex’s we found the key to his parents liquor cabinet. We did exactly what 15 year old guys would do, took some sips and wow did we think we were badasses. Looking back opening the cabinet taking a few sips and locking it back up really quick was quite comical. One night during Sophomore year it was Alex, Cal, and I, Alex drank a lot and we started to walk around town (no license yet). We walked around town for a long time with Alex’s sloppy ass. After a while
Over the summer, I was missing home, and the fact that i was to visit my hometown at the end of the summer made time feel like forever. I took a law class, and was drowning in work, perhaps this contributed to the seemingly everlasting weeks. But when i returned I was left with a feeling i can't quite name. Everything was exactly the same. It was exactly how i remembered it. All the people were there, all the streets, my house, the weather. But, still everything was different. The city did not change but the people did, and so had I. All my friends were still my friends, but they had their own jokes now, their own lives, without me. I thought this would make me angry, but it didn’t. I just felt a huge sense of relief, kind of like everything was going to be okay. It was the first time i’d felt this in over a year. I had finally let
I never went to a single formal dance until my senior year. On nights when there was a
“It will be okay,” she had said. My sister never lies, but that day she did, taking a rather large part of me with her, leaving behind an empty shell that searches for a glimpse of her in the busy marketplace. I grasp the shoebox tightly, suddenly coming to a realization. It was never her harbouring hope of a family from the photographs, rather me hoping it would be enough to anchor her to me. I close my tired eyes, vision growing fainter, body becoming paralyzed, and the busy voices of the flea market muting to a dull throb. And slowly I fall, fall into the dark abyss of my mind, memories blurring out the present for the past, until all that remains (of us) is a shoebox filled with photographs.
... thought that maybe we won’t be friends or even know each other in the future. Unexpectedly, we all had these feelings of fondness for a place we a come to despise and couldn’t wait to leave. Why would that happen to us? We all realized that in this moment we’re growing up but are far from “grown up.” Suddenly, there is a flash of light and in that moment I knew that the three of us would be separated for the rest of the day, maybe our lives. The flash brought everything back. It gave us a reason to go back into the hallway and meaninglessly chat with our friends. After we left that room we were still sharing a moment together but in a different sort of way. The picture was there and we had superficial thoughts but the graduation was so much more. It marked a major time in our lives and sent us off into the future. No longer were we the next generation because we were being sent off into the grown up world. Would we all still be appreciated? How is the world going to receive three naive girls who don’t know anything? All these questions were to be asked and to be forgotten because we got caught up in the moment. The picture marks that time in our past and an important time it was.
February twenty-third 2010 was just a regular ordinary day. I was on my way to class on this cold February afternoon, when my phone rung. It was my cousin on the other end telling me to call my mom. I could not figure out what was wrong, so I quickly said okay and I hung up and called my mom. When my mom answered the phone I told her the message but I said I do not know what is wrong. My mom was at work and could not call right away, so I took the effort to call my cousin back to see what was going on. She told me that our uncle was in the hospital and that it did not look good. Starting to tear up I pull over in a fast food restaurant parking lot to listen to more to what my cousin had to say. She then tells me to tell my mom to get to the hospital as quickly as possible as if it may be the last time to see her older brother. My mom finally calls me back and when I tell her the news, she quickly leaves work. That after-noon I lost my Uncle.
It was looking like a long day and my cousins had come around for something but I couldn’t be bothered to think why. I was sitting on my black reptile looking sofa as my cousin Sherjeel ca...