Essay on Family Lasts Forever

Family Lasts Forever

        “All aboard!” the driver yelled as we hoped onto trolley that would take us to the adventure of a lifetime. With the sun beaming down on my young and innocent face I could feel the laughter and excitement in the air. But this was not the usual feeling in the air that I had felt the numerous times before. I had a different feeling in the pit of my stomach, but for some odd reason, I couldn’t put my finger on it. This was our 13th trip to Florida and my influential 5th grade self started to worry. I could almost feel the little Satan and angel appear on my left and right shoulder. “Ah oh, hehe, you know what 13 means!!” said the mischievous Satan. “Oh hush that’s just an old wise tale that 13 means bad luck! Don’t listen to him!” And POOF, just like that they were gone in the blink of an eye.

        My sister and I practically tore off our parent’s arms, trying to get them to run over all the people that were moving to slow for out liking. As soon as the chlorine aroma hit us, we need it was time to run. Saying we were ecstatic was an understatement. The towering water rides, mouthwatering food, and Shamo almost made me forget that this was our 13th time here. Unlike most kids in fifth and second grade, we could ride all of the rides because of our unusual height. This made our adventurous and daredevil side come out as we ran to get in line to out favorite ride. The Manta. We rode the ride the first day it started and loved it ever since. We could hear kids screaming and yelling as the Manta eased them on their backs, making it hard to see where they were going. This was part of the thrill my family yearned for. After going on this ride and others to many times to count, it was time for my favorite show, One Ocean. So far nothing bad had happened and I was determined for it to stay that way. My face lit up like a star shining bright in the sky when I saw Shamo come out. I cheered and yelled like I had never done before, bouncing up and down, hoping to get splashed over and over again. Florida felt so good, so right, and I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet.

        As the sun started to set, and the lines started to get shorter, we stayed at the park to get in every last second in that we could. Not only me, but also my whole family loved this place and knew it felt like we belonged here. I couldn’t wait to get older and bring my friends along for the ride. Growing up coming here was one of the best things in my life even if I didn’t realize it then. As we were about to see the last show of the day, my mom pulled us over to the side. Oh no I thought to myself. I knew this day was going to good to be true. Her voice started trembling and her hands started to shake. I could see the tears in her eyes getting ready to pour out onto her new Ann Taylor Loft shirt she had bought new for this trip. Her lip began to quiver and in that moment I had a gut-wrenching feeling right in my chest. I felt a crazy type of pain that I never even knew existed. Then the words began to flow out of her mouth. Time stopped. The world stopped. And most importantly, my heart stopped. I couldn’t believe what I had heard. The thought never occurred to me that I would be in a new place not for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time, but the 8th. A new start, new people, new routine, everything was going to be different and I had to start over. A million things rushed through my mind but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I was in a state of shock and nothing could make this moment worse. I was heart broke, scared, I had a lot of anxiety, I was worried, I felt weak, and I had no idea how I was ever going to recover from this moment. But I just closed my eyes, and took a blind leap. I knew I had to get out of there.

        “WE’RE WHAT!?” I yelled so loudly I was confident people in Africa could hear me. “MOM WE CAN’T GO I LOVE WHERE WE LIVE” I was surprised I could get words out of my mouth because I was so dumbfounded by the situation. “It’s ok sweetie you’ll see your friends when we come to visit just breathe. Its ok—“ NO MOM IT’S NOT OKAY YOU RUINED MY LIFE!” I ran. And I ran faster than I ever ran on the basketball court. I was livid. She promised me this last move was going to be our last and she lied. I was tired of making new friends and starting over. Being the new kid and having to tell people why we moved over and over and time after time. I ran to the entrance and climbed up the big oak tree off to the side. My dad was hot on my tale. I was burning up but I couldn’t tell if it was from what felt like 100-mile sprints, or the flames fuming out of my head because I was so mad. My dad grabbed me by the back of my shirt and pulled me down. I knew I was in trouble but didn’t even care because at this point, I was convinced I was moving to my grandma’s house because my parents were so mad. I thought he was going to yell at me for the rest of Florida to hear, but he didn’t. He leaned down to my level and spoke to me softly. “I know it’s hard honey and we told you it wouldn’t happen again but don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something good, but you will probably end up gaining something better.” I wasn’t sure what to do. At this point I’m stuck between moving on and taking my dads hands, or trying to hold onto the past. I took his hand and went back to my mom and sister. We all looked at each other and somehow in that moment, I knew this was the start of something new.