It was a blissful week in Pennsylvania. June, to be exact. Al peered through his bedroom windows, gazing at the beautiful scenery around him. He put on his battered clothes, ragged socks, and worn-out shoes before heading out for the day. Walking down the street, smiling whenever he could, Al gave off a warm presence. Not just a warm presence per se, but instead he acted in such a way and held himself in such a way that was enchanting to everyone around him, especially his family.

Eager to race home on his 18th birthday, Al bursted through the doors to a wonderful arrangement of presents.
“Wow! This is great guys! Thank you I love you all,” Al repeated as he tore through jaggedly wrapped gifts.
Happy for their new young man, Al’s parents cherished this moment, because they knew the tragedy approaching. Cindy, Maddy, Paul, and Andrew (Drew for short) marveled at their older brother, eyes wide open observing his every move. He was their role model, tantalized by his behavior and stature.
In perfect unison they yelled “HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!!!” and proceeded to hug him one by one. 
“Ah, who cared about my birthday anyway, huh!? All I need is you guys.”

The night came to a close and Al helped tuck in his siblings before going to bed himself. Sunlights, joy, and happiness echoed throughout the day of Al’s birthday, yet it seems there was a cold front moving in with a chance of heavy storms.

Rigid. The next morning was rigid. Bags appeared under the eyes of everyone, movement was slow, coldness set in, giving off an unfamiliar tension.
Al could sense the worrying as soon as his mom called to him “Can we talk to you for a minute Al, it’s important?”
“Yeah, sure whatever you want Ma.”
“This is hard for us to say, please sit down hun, will you?”
Al’s dad sat there useless, not that he purposely didn’t do anything, he just didn’t care enough to speak up.
“Is everything alright? If anything is wrong I can help you know that,” Al said with worry setting into his voice.
“No, Al we’re fine… we just, need to---to tell you---to tell you something.”
At this point Al’s mom was balling, no longer to hold her emotions back. Worried, yet scared, Al sat up with intent and held his mothers hand.
“Tell me Ma, Pa! Tell me what’s wrong I can help I promise! I’m an adult now I can help.”

His last effort to talk to his parents proved useless, as his parents said the most painful words he’ll ever hear.
“We’re… kicking you out of the house. Al, we’re sorry, we really are. We just can’t support all of us with our income you know that. Now you’re of age and we think it’s time for you to go out into the real world, hunny.”
There was no response. The house echoed awkwardness, along with a weird sense of acceptance. There was no avoiding this for Al, he knew his parents didn’t want to do it, they were forced to.

Days past, each with an increasingly eerie feeling as Al packed up before venturing out into his almost certain doom. What am I going to do? I have no job. I have no money. My parents can’t support me, and I have no where to sleep. Worst of all, how do I tell my brothers and sisters? Drew, being 15 caught on to the events that occurred, yet Cindy, Maddy, and Paul being triplets at eleven years of age maintained unaware. 

Angry, displeased, and furious, Drew out lashed at his parents for kicking Al out. Although he didn’t leave yet, Drew was astonished his parents would ever do such a thing.

“You’re ungrateful people! He does everything for us while you just sit there and do nothing!”
Sharply, Al races into the room to calm Drew down.

“Don’t worry buddy, everything’s going to be fine. They had to do it, I realized there’s no getting around it and you’ll have to realize that too one day.”
“If you’re leaving I’m leaving, I can help you with whatever you need!”
“No, Drew stay here with mom and dad, you need to take care of your siblings, understand?”

Finally there was some resolution, Al was off on his own path of discovery and his siblings were safe at home.
Life was lonely, sad really. Days were spent sitting on the sidewalk asking for money, and nights sleeping out on the street. The only upside, was when Al finally got enough money to buy the one thing he couldn’t live without, a saxaphone. On his 21st birthday Al was a new man, saxaphone and everything.

He became a musical genius, playing concerts for wanderers on the street increasing his money intake with everyone. One day, his concert brought his best audience. Music echoed, people danced, faces smiled with great enthusiasm. As he played on with great intensity, he peered over his magnificent crowd and saw the four most important people he knew.

“Drew! Cindy! Maddy! Paul! I can’t believe you’re here. Wait, why are you here I never told you where I was. I haven’t talked to any of my family since that day.”

His comment meant nothing. One by one they approached him, looked up at that smile they missed so much and gave him the biggest hugs they could. Now 18, Drew was also kicked out of the house, but he wouldn’t put up with it. He and his siblings left together to live a better life without their parents controlling it.

“You guys can’t stay here, you need to go back. And Drew, it’s time you learned the lesson I did, respect your elders and work hard if you want something.”

“We can’t go back, you see we left and that’s final. They don’t want us there, the bank is taking the house.”
“Well alright, you guys can stay for a week, just a week then you need to go on by yourselfs.”

They were happy now, every single one of them, even if they knew it or not. Days, weeks, months, and eventually years past by and Al was okay with it. They all did their part, Al and Drew being the breadwinner with their sax and clarinet duet, Cindy and Maddy cooking at cleaning their brand new two bedroom apartment with kitchen, and Paul being the head of logistics with the family. He counted the money, bought what they needed and made sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to. As their music became the heart and soul of Pennsylvania, their lives were at an all time high, buying new houses, getting married, having kids, but still  staying together. Nothing could ever separate them, family was family and nothing could change that to them. Not even the fact they never called their parents once, who died in a horrible accident and left all their belongings in their wills to Al, “the one person capable of continuing the family name.”