Friday, March 30, 2007

THE BIG MOVE



The Big Move
I’ve lived in Brooklyn, NY ever since I was born. I never thought that, I would leave the city I loved for so long. Little did I know that my freshman year in a New York high school was going to be my last time in the city. Guess I was a fool to think that my life would always be the same.
The weather was so nice out. The flowers were blooming, everyone was outside hanging out on the street corner, people were honking their cars, and the police siren was getting louder as it passed me by. I was on my way home from school, when my dad ran into me. I kissed his cheeks and went up the stairs of my building. As my father approached the last step, two male figures jumped out at him. To their surprise it was a man that they almost abducted and they ran out the building. Things like that was going around my neighborhood. Many of the people taken were young females around my age. They would rape them in their own building and leave the body there dead.
My father was so horrified about the thought of those men and how they could have taken me. I would have been just like those other girls. He refused to let his only daughter live in a dangerous environment. On that night he told my mom to find another place to live, far away from the city. My mother chose to move to Ohio because her sisters lived there. It was around April when my parents dropped the bomb on me. I was to pack all my belongings and leave the only place that I have ever known as home. I was devastated. How could they do this to me? There was no point of arguing, my parents minds were already made up. As the months got closer to the BIG MOVE, I cried myself to sleep everyday. I was going to move to a different state, new lifestyle. I didn’t want to leave my friends behind. But I had to.
June 30, 2003, my mom, three brothers and I moved to Reynoldsburg, Ohio. My dad had to stay back home so he wouldn’t lose his pension. We were welcomed by a group of neighborhood kids. That didn’t matter to me. I knew that I wasn’t going to like them and was not willing to give them a chance. I went to Reynoldsburg high school and joined the choir. Then I joined the step team. My cousin was the captain and she encouraged me to join. I spent 5 months at that school not talking to anyone and giving people mean looks, when they tried to have a conversation. One day it hit me. By being mean to everyone else doesn’t make me happy. I was sad because I felt alone. I had to face the facts that Ohio is where I live now. And I have to make the best of my stay here. So I started hanging out with people at school and my neighborhood. I made a lot a friends, gained many memories, and had lots of laughs. If I did not come to this conclusion, I would still be crying and wondering why I am so alone.

3 comments:

Cap'n Fatback said...

Melinda, this is a wonderful narrative. My one suggestion is to make it clearer how this relates everyday stress in your life. I'm sure there is a connection, but a paragraph of explanation is needed to keep your focus here. 5/5

JKA said...

Ohio isn't so bad. I'm glad to hear the state eventually won you over. Nice Post.

NYPRINCESS88* said...

Thank you Jarod