Narrative

Traveling Child

The sun at dawn will always have the same meaning to me; a new beginning. It was like if we were to leave early we wouldn't have to bare another goodbye from neighbors and friends that we had once again just started to know. I can never remember staying in one place longer than the other. I only remember how fast my time in each new city lasted. It seemed that once I had finally started to settle we were off to a new start again. As I grew older, I couldn't help but imagine the day where all the constant moving would end so I could finally watch the sun rise from a window that wasn't moving on four wheels. 

The early air bit my cheeks as I slid across the icy driveway of our little Nebraska home in my brand new pink pajamas. I carefully glided my way to the right side of our big brown Chevy Express and grabbed on to the sliding door handle. I juggled my teddy bear and blanket into my right hand as I tried to pull the frozen door open. 

"Hurry up, Michaela, I'm freezing." my sister,Alicia, pouted.

"You're always bragging about being older and stronger so why don't you get it?" I shot back.

"Get out of my way then." she roared, as she pushed past me.

I moved out of her way feeling proud of myself for my come back and watched her struggle to open the door.

"Don't just stand there, Michaela, help your sister out." my mother chimed in as she pulled hard on the passenger side door. She was always a little cranky in the morning. 

Alicia then turned around and stuck her tongue out at me. Even though we were eight years apart it never seemed like it. Forty-eight hours of nagging from her and my two little brothers was going to feel like a death sentence.

Although it can get a little crazy with a family of six plus a dog in a car for hours on end, the sights you get to see when you move across the country are the most memorable. I can remember driving out west and being at such a high altitude we would drive through clouds and it still seem so low to the ground because of all the tall surrounding mountains. Some places looked the same but, yet every place was different and that was the hardest thing to deal with.

I was so proud of my dad for his service in the Navy. Traveling was the best experience of my life. We started in Nebraska then move to the East then the West. Yet, I always wondered what it would have been like if my father had never joined the military. I imagined we lived in Ohio,where my mother grew up, and I would of attended Kinder garden through Twelfth grade without having to move during the year and miss out on important lessons in class or fun pep assemblies. I wanted to have friends that I could hang out with every day instead of writing a letter too them every other week before losing their address in between a move.

 Now earlier when I was talking about  places being different I was really talking about the people that are different. You don't know what's normal into you're there. Bullies are still everywhere and it was always hard to become part of a social group when you're the new kid. No matter what age or grade I was in I always struggled to keep up with the other kids. Whether it was with my grades or social life I always felt out of the loop.

On my first day of sixth grade I was at a brand new school. We had just moved from Maine to Washington state. This school was a middle school of fifth,sixth,and seventh graders. It was my first time with a locker and multiple teachers. I had no idea what I was suppose to do. 

"13...24...16" I whispered to myself as I slowly twisted the dial on my locker. This was my fifth attempt of trying to open it before my first class at 7:30am. 

"Having trouble?" A tall boy with spiky black hair murmured as he walked by me. 

I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment

"Could you help me?" I stuttered "I think I'm going to be late for class" 

The boy gave a wide smile "Sure thing, what's your combination?" 

I handed him the slip of paper my mother had given me with my combination and he gladly took it. He adjusted his thick framed glasses and opened the slip of paper.

I watched him fiddle with the lock just as I had and a few seconds later I heard the lock pop off and the door swing open hitting the locker next to it. 

"Thank you." 

"No problem. "My name's mike, by the way. You must be new." 

I nodded my head as he held out his hand for me to shake it. We compared schedules and found our first class together. It wasn't the same one but they were across the hall from each other. Mike became my first real friend that year. 

My family stayed in Washington for that year and my dad retired the next. We moved to Ohio like I always imagined we would. No more moving but just one more goodbye. It was hard, I thought I would of been happier about it but, I was finally ready for it. I won't forget that final move. It was early in the morning towards the end of summer. We said our goodbye's  the night before. As we pulled out of the driveway in our worn old Chevy I pressed my hand against the glass window and the sunlight warmed my face. Another new beginning.