author - "Hannah Wells"
I’ve never driven to the lake by myself. I googled the directions. It is two hours thirty- four minutes from home, a little closer from school. When I was little, I never paid attention to the time or the distance. My younger sister Sierra and I sat in the back seat reading or doing crosswords and the ride didn’t seem any longer than going to the mall, except sometimes we had to stop and pee. Now I’m driving to the lake house for the first time in more than five years feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness.
Mom and Dad divorced when Madison (Maddy), my twin, and I were eleven and our sister Carrie was nine. Even though Dad always traveled a lot for work, up until then, our lives had been normal. But what is normal? After the divorce, Mom dated several guys, but they all had kids, mostly bratty boys, and other issues that made them poor choices for being a stepfather. Then Mom met Alicia and things became normal again, at least a new version of normal. At first, it was weird seeing Mom in bed with Alicia instead of Daddy, but now it's good. Alicia makes us feel like a complete family again.
As I walk through the mall, I am filled with a sense of adventure. I’m here shopping for clothes for a special date tomorrow night. I walk into Morgan’s, a store that caters to upscale professional women, not the usual destination for a college girl. I catch the attention of a younger, friendly looking salesclerk and explain to her that I am looking for a business suit to wear on my first day as an intern at a big financial firm downtown. She takes me over to the section for business attire and she studies me as I search for a suit in one of my best colors.
Sometimes in life, some things happen that couldn't be imagined and then become routine, and finally become needed and desired. How can you explain the journey?
I’ve never driven to the lake by myself. I googled the directions. It is two hours thirty- four minutes from home, a little closer from school. When I was little, I never paid attention to the time or the distance. My younger sister Sierra and I sat in the back seat reading or doing crosswords and the ride didn’t seem any longer than going to the mall, except sometimes we had to stop and pee. Now I’m driving to the lake house for the first time in more than five years feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness.
Mom and Dad divorced when Madison (Maddy), my twin, and I were eleven and our sister Carrie was nine. Even though Dad always traveled a lot for work, up until then, our lives had been normal. But what is normal? After the divorce, Mom dated several guys, but they all had kids, mostly bratty boys, and other issues that made them poor choices for being a stepfather. Then Mom met Alicia and things became normal again, at least a new version of normal. At first, it was weird seeing Mom in bed with Alicia instead of Daddy, but now it's good. Alicia makes us feel like a complete family again.
As I walk through the mall, I am filled with a sense of adventure. I’m here shopping for clothes for a special date tomorrow night. I walk into Morgan’s, a store that caters to upscale professional women, not the usual destination for a college girl. I catch the attention of a younger, friendly looking salesclerk and explain to her that I am looking for a business suit to wear on my first day as an intern at a big financial firm downtown. She takes me over to the section for business attire and she studies me as I search for a suit in one of my best colors.
Sometimes in life, some things happen that couldn't be imagined and then become routine, and finally become needed and desired. How can you explain the journey?