I came home from school around the last days and my mom told me to sit in the kitchen so they could talk to me. I knew since about six grade that my dad was looking for a new job. Finally, it had come down to it, my mom looked at me and told me my dad was leaving. My heart dropped and I was super confused on what was about to happen. She said he was going to Iowa for an interview the first thing I thought was. “Where the heck is Iowa?’ A few months later I was on a plane going to Iowa to see if my dad would get the job or not. I met new friends at the school I would possibly go to and I really liked all of them. I remember meeting Haylee for the first time touring the school. I don’t remember a lot about that day other than her. I sat down in Mrs. Bangassers room and saw a girl sitting in front of me with a huge train track smile. A white shirt, sweatpants, headband, hair tied into a ponytail, and wearing Crocs. The first thing I thought when I saw her was “she is probably a b*tch”. Turns out she’s not, she’s actually one of my closest friends right now.
A few days later my family went to the church where my dad would find out if he got the job a few people went downstairs to evaluate him. Sitting in the library of the church waiting for what was next in my adventure of life. One of the board members came upstairs shook my dad's hand and said: “Welcome to Ivester.” My heart dropped I held back tears telling myself this is what my dad wants in his career. Everything moving slow, I felt like I was spinning. This was now my home, a small town named Grundy Center, Iowa, was my new home.
I and my mom flew back to Virginia to start packing. Around a month later it was time to leave. I had said bye to all of my friends told them this isn’t the last time I would see them. Time to go. This is when everything was slow, Seeing my room empty and sitting in the corner of my room curled into a tiny ball. Everything gone, curtains down, and dried nail polish stained to the floor. Every move you made was an echo. I opened the closest slowly, fighting back the tears, seeing the marks of growing up. Remembering the pink and yellow room I had from the chipped white paint on the wall. Telling yourself that it’s ok even though you're losing your childhood home. Looking through the window one last time and remembering sneaking out every night in the summer. Walk slowly towards the door, fight back the tears, feel the rush through your chest a sharp excruciating pain. Crying to your mom isn’t gonna help, just leave its just a house right? One more time, nope. Dad hits the torn time to go. Pull open the sliding door, let the fresh summer air hit your face. Close it. Leave it all behind. Bye memories, bye to everything you thought you knew. Hello, a new adventure and hello growing up.