Moving On

Moving On

Growing up, I moved all around the southeast United States. My dad is in the radio business and his job required us to move to new cities all the time. By the time we got the boxes unpacked in one place, it was time to pack up and leave again. In a way, this helped me out because, I met so many people and made so many friends when I was little that now, talking to and interacting with new people is no problem for me. Until the sixth grade, I never finished one year in the same school. From sixth through tenth grades I lived in a tiny town in south Alabama called Daphne. I never imagined how hard it would be to leave the one place I could actually call home.

The first day of sixth grade, I walked into my classroom and, as I usually did when starting a new school, took a seat near some friendly faces and introduced myself to the girl next to me. Her name was ---- and I had never felt an instant bond like that before. As the day went on, I met a lot of new people. I loved my new surroundings and my new school. I found a "click" that I fit into and we were inseparable. The five of us were always together. Also, I like to think that I did a lot of my "growing up" while living in Daphne. I had experienced many things for the first time and had to deal with things such as death and my first broken heart. In the back of my mind I had to be realistic so, I was just waiting for my dad to come home from work one afternoon and tell us it was time to move. Surprisingly, the whole year went by and there was never any mention of moving or even any job offers. I guess that over the next year or so, the idea of moving never entered my head. I got used to living in Daphne. Middle school came and went, high school started, and I had the best friends I could ever ask for, and I loved everything about that little town.

Towards the end of my sophomore year of high school, my parents and I were sitting at dinner when those words I used to be so used to hearing came out of my dad's mouth. "I've been given the opportunity to interview for a job in Nashville". I couldn't believe he said it so calmly, like it wasn't a big deal. Without thought my eyes filled with tears. There was no possible way I could be calm about this. The thought of having to leave the one place I could finally call home scared me to death. As soon as my mother looked over and saw me crying she tried to calm me down, telling me that nothing was final and they he hadn't even gone up for an interview yet. I wouldn't hear it and ran upstairs to lock myself in my room for the night.

The next morning my mother came up to talk to me about the whole situation. She told me that this would be a huge promotion because, if he got the job, he would be the Regional Vice President of Clear Channel Radio. She also reminded me about how much I loved Nashville. My aunt, uncle, and twin cousins lived there and I always loved to visit them. The more I talked to my mom, the more I began to accept the fact that this was what was best for our family.

My dad did end up going for the interview and about a week later he got the phone call telling him that he had gotten the job. By this time I had gotten used to the idea but now came the hard part, having to actually leave my friends. I got to spend the rest of that summer there while we tried to sell our house and, even though it was the best summer of my life, I knew that when it came to an end, I would have to leave and things would never be the same. My best friend gave me a surprise going away party so the night before we left I got to