Life in Suitcases
by
Melissa
Kendall
Excerpt:
At thirteen, I
was too old for most people to consider adopting. No matter how hard Mary
looked, she couldn’t find me a foster home. I went from having everything to
having nothing. My parents weren’t well off. They were just your average middle-income
family with a mortgage. Once the house was sold and all the debts were paid, I
wasn’t left with much. There was just enough money to buy a second-hand car
when I was old enough and two suitcases full of personal possessions, including
a few photo albums. That was all my thirteen years of life added up to: two
suitcases.
My first few
weeks at Abbott’s were probably the worst of my life. I spent my days just going through the motions at school. At
night, I would cry in bed until sleep finally claimed me. After about three
weeks of feeling as if I was drowning in a never-ending pit of despair, I met
Anthony. I felt the bed dip behind me one night as I was lying on my side and
sobbing particularly hard. I was so upset I didn’t immediately register that it
meant someone was lying with me. Then I felt an arm wrap around me and heard a
soothing voice in my ear telling me everything was going to be okay.
When I woke up
the following morning, I rolled over to see just who had climbed into bed with
me. A skinny boy with short brown hair grinned at me.
“Anthony Scott.”
He held his hand out.
“Elise Morgan,”
I replied. “Thanks for last night.”
“Ain’t nothing.”
We talked for a
little while longer, getting to know one another. Anthony was the same age as
me, but had been at Abbott’s since he was six. His parents were drug addicts,
which caused his removal from their care. After telling him how sorry I was
that had happened, I explained my story. It was still so hard to talk about,
but I got through it and only cried a little bit.
After that day,
Anthony and I were inseparable. We were the best of friends. We did everything
together. When I tried ballet, he did too, no matter how much teasing he got
from the other boys. When he took up guitar, so did I, even though I sucked at
it. Barely a day went by that we didn’t see or speak to each other at least a
hundred times. I doubt I would have survived my teenage years if it weren’t for
my best friend.
Though the days
were fairly easy to survive, the nights were always tough. Curled up in bed
alone, the reality would hit the hardest. Memories of families lost and dreams
of what could have been plagued each of our thoughts. We spent many a night in
each other’s beds providing comfort. Those were always the nights I slept best.
For five years,
it was Anthony and me against the world.
All that changed
senior year. Anthony and I had both been working toward Cornell. We were in all
the same AP classes and had the same GPA. We both applied for scholarships,
knowing that was the only way we’d ever get to go to college. When I got a
scholarship and he didn’t, reality came crashing down around us. I told him I
wasn’t going without him, that it had been our
dream. Anthony, always the strong one, told me I needed to go follow my
dreams, that I deserved to go to Cornell, and he wasn’t going to let me waste
my one chance to get the hell out of San Francisco.
After
graduation, we agreed to have one last hoorah
over the summer before heading off on our separate paths. We had the best time.
We found a little apartment in the city. It was really only big enough for one
person, but since it would just be Anthony’s apartment come fall, I didn’t mind
it being a bit cramped.
We did
everything we ever wanted to do together that summer. We visited museums and
art galleries, rode the cable cars, and spent hours upon hours running around
Fisherman’s Wharf. We even went to the beach and the zoo.
All the while,
our separation loomed. It was constantly present in our thoughts, as if we knew
it was going to be our last summer together. We were heading in two different
directions come September and might never see one another again.
On a sunny day
in the middle of August, I packed my two suitcases and a duffle bag into the
back of the beat-up truck I purchased with the money left from Mom and Dad’s
estate.
There, in front
of Anthony’s apartment building, I said good-bye to my best friend and the
closest thing I had to family. Hugging him tightly, I resisted as best I could
the tears threatening to fall.
We said I love
you and promised to stay in touch and visit when we could. With a kiss on the
cheek and yet another hug, he told me to go spread my wings and become the
beautiful butterfly he had always known me to be.
About
The Author:
Melissa is a 37 year-old stay at home
mum and part-time Software Support Consultant. She lives in Perth
Western Australia the most isolated capital city in the world.
She’s always loved to read and write and
spent most of her teens scribbling poetry and short stories on any scrap of
paper she could get her hands on. Over the years as daily life pressures got in
the way she lost the passion for it. After her son was born, she discovered
online books and her interest in writing was rekindled. It has been a large
part of her life ever since.
Giveaway:
Melissa is giving away a digital copy of
Life in Siutcases. To enter to win just fill out the Raffllecopter below.
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