Remembering Memories | Teen Ink

Remembering Memories

March 16, 2017
By A11isonM BRONZE, Amissville, Virginia
A11isonM BRONZE, Amissville, Virginia
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Getting ready to move cross country together Avery and Savannah are in Avery’s house where he has been living for the past five years. This is the house that he moved into after his freshman year of college. He lives here with some of his high school buddies. Preparing to move meant that they had to go through all of his belongings.
A few days before they had to leave there was one closet left where they had to clean it out. This was the closet where everything got piled up. It was the junk closet, that is why it was the last one to be cleaned. Diving in head first Avery started pulling boxes out while Sammi was going through them.
The first box was one that contained nothing but trophies. “Why did you bring all of these with you? Why did you not leave them at home?” Sammi questions.
“I thought I would need them. When I left home that summer when we got the house I brought everything from my room. My mom threatened to throw anything I left. Those trophies are important. This box contains all of the ones that I won in little league. There should be another two or three boxes with trophies,” Avery answered.
“Are we bringing all these trophies with us. Are they really necessary?” Sammi asks.
“I guess not. We can drop them off at my mom’s house because I don’t want to throw them away. Do you know how hard it is to win a trophy in little league?”
“Nope. But that sounds good. That also means you can show me around your home town when we drop them off,” Sammi says excitedly.
They spend two more hours clearing out the dreaded closet and finally they are on the last box that was shoved all the way in the back. Once Avery saw what box was left he picks it up and takes it to his almost clear room. He wanted to move away from the mess around the closet because he knew that this was one that they would really want to go through. Once they make it to the room Sammi asks, “Why did we move, there was space to open that box by the closet?”
“This box is one that will take time to go through, especially for you. This box contains all of the photo albums my mom made me before I left for college. The albums contain my whole childhood and where I grew up,” Avery says.
“Why did you never tell me about these, I would have loved to see them. You should have had them displayed.”
“I did not display them or show you because some of the photos and mementos are embarrassing. I did not want you or the guys ribbing on me about them. That is why they are in the back of that horrid closet,” Avery answers.
Now on the clear bedroom floor the two open the box coming face to face with five large photo albums containing Avery’s whole childhood.
The first page has a photo of a sign that reads “Welcome to Beaumont, Alabama” Avery narrated by saying “This is where I grew up” (Nickelback) 
“Did you like your hometown?” Sammi asks.
“Yeah, it was great. Everyone knew everyone. And the cops especially knew me.” Avery answers.
Flipping through the book pass all the baby pictures they come to a house. It was the house that he grew up in from age 3 till he moved out.
“I loved that house the only thing was “The second floor is hard for sneakin’ out” (Nickelback) It was a great house to live in. I had all my best friends around me and we had a baseball field we called the ‘Sandlot’ down the road,” Avery says while reminiscing.
A few more pages pass with descriptions from Avery about why they were significant to him. Then a page of Avery and his best friend Joey in their Little League uniform is presented.
“Look at this photograph. Everytime I do it makes me laugh.” (Nickelback) Avery says to Sammi.
“Y’all look like you were best friends.” Sammi says with a smile.
“Yeah, we were. In high school he had to move away, and I have not talked to him since that day he left,” he says solemnly.
A few more pages pass then a photograph of Avery in a cap and gown in front of a school is next.
“And this is where I went to school. Most of the time I had better things to do.” (Nickelback) “Even though I was always skipping and getting caught by the cops I still graduated. I think they just wanted me out of that town.” Avery says with a laugh.
“I would have never thought that you would have trouble with the law or skipped school. You are on the dean’s list and always following the rules,” Sammi questions.
“I wanted to be a different person here. At the end of high school I was not liking who I was becoming. I almost went to jail so many times and it was all because I wanted attention from the wrong group of people.” Avery answers.
Now with all of the albums gone through Sammi has a better since of what Avery did as a young child. Putting all of the books back in the tattered box, they carried it out to the loaded truck to ensure that the box made it to the new place.
“I miss that town. I miss their faces.” (Nickelback) I never thought I would,” Avery says.
“We could stop on our way?” Sammi says.
“It’s a little out of our way but that sounds like a great idea.”
With the last of that closet cleaned out the house was empty. All of their belongings were in the truck ready to move cross country with them.



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