chapter four
I slowly
took my gown off as the ceremony had ended. Purchasing my tassel, I held onto it
as they handed me my Valedictorian strap along with a plaque as to honor my
achievement of having the highest GPA in the history of Oak High.
“C’mon,
smile. This is supposed to be the most happiest day of your entire life.” My
brother said with much atheism.
Since he
caught a ride with his best bud, Casey, he decided to ride with me. “Man, I
never thought Casey would be a computer technician.” He said with a shocked
expression. I just sat in the passenger seat looking out of the window. It was
nearly 2:00 p.m. and all my friends were going to a party at the Embassy.
“Oh
yeah, I was looking around your room and found an envelope.” Erik said.
“Yeah,
so what?” I said with an attitude.
“Why
didn’t you tell me that you have a scholarship to Harvard?!” He said.
“There’s
no point. I have nothing to show for it.” I said back.
“Hey,
don’t throw your life away like that.” He said.
“Hey,
you’re not my father. Remember. My father’s DEAD.” I said snapping at him.
The car
came to a sudden stop. I hit my head on the dashboard.
“What
the hell did you just say to me?!” he said with the most disturbing face.
“You
heard me,” backfiring at him.
“Look,
I’m not your father but I am your brother and the only one who cares for you
as much as Mom or Dad.” He said soon followed by him breaking down in the car.
He started the car and continued to drive home. No other words were spoken from
that point. Never said a word to each other during lunch or dinner. The house
was as quiet as a library.
At around
10:30 p.m., all lights were turned off. Lying on my bed, all I could think about
was how hurt Erik must have felt after that conversation. I reached under my
pillow and pulled out picture frame. Within that frame was a family portrait
taken at Griffith Park. I can still feel the sun hitting us as we ate our
sandwiches. I stared at it for at least 20 minutes as more and more tears ran
down my cheeks. I laid it gently under my pillow and turned the lamp off.
Beep!
Beep! Beep!
The alarm
clock was still set at 7:45 a.m., and I had a lot of packing to do. We decided
not to sell the house and leave it the way it is. On my bed laid two huge
suitcases, which were half packed with my personal possessions. Still no words
were spoken in the household.
The only
thing running through my mind was my decision about college. Should I take that
scholarship to Harvard or the one to UCLA? Should I live permanently in Florida
with my brother and take college courses there. Nothing was decided. Nothing at
all. The day was soon turning into night as I finished packing two duffel bags.
It was nearly 9:00 p.m., as our flight leaves at 11:00 a.m. the next day, so I
decided to hit the sac.
I lay in
my bed, wanting to talk to Eric. And yet, it was too difficult to. Before
turning the light off, I looked around my room, noticing the cluttered bags next
to my door, the picture frames throughout my entire room, filled with pictures
of family and friends. Remembering the memories I had with my little sister, a
smile appeared on my face with tears following. I turned the light off and laid
my head on the pillow as I dreamed of how it would be if my family were still
around.