“I’m an adult?” I said to my father as he hands the keys to the car. “Yes, yes you are now” He said with a sad grin on his face. It’s summer time in Myrtle Beach and I’m about to go out for the night. As a graduation present to My cousin Kaitlyn and I, my dad and my uncle rented us this huge 6 bedroom beach house in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for us and our friends. This was the first time I realized that I had become an adult.
We arrived at the beach house late in the afternoon that first day. My cousin and uncle had already arrived. It was just me and my cousin there at that point, our friends weren’t due to arrive until the next day. We got out of the car and I could instantly feel beads of sweat dripping down the back of my neck. It was a hot, steamy day with the temperature around 95 degrees, as was the norm around this time of year in the south. We exchanged our greetings and then Kaitlyn and I unloaded the car.
Afterwards we decide to take a walk down the beach to watch the sunset; the sun was so low in the sky, surrounded light wispy clouds. The sky was tinted with shades of orange and pink. After we got back to the house we ordered pizza and then decided to go out for the night. We told our fathers, and they were a bit hesitant at first but then they decided it was okay. We got ready and then as we were leaving I asked my dad for the keys to the car. He said “Son, you’re 18 years old now and I’m trusting you to be responsible and to act like an adult.”
It was such a simple, little conversation but that’s when it hit me; I’m not a little kid anymore and im not in high school anymore either. It had only been a week since graduation, so I really hadn’t had time to process it yet between all of the graduation parties and getting ready for this vacation. It felt like such a huge rush of energy and excitement, as if I had just received the best news of my life. At the same time though, It felt like I had just lost a piece of myself and who I thought I was. I was mourning the loss of my childhood. I just stood there stunned for a moment, until Kaitlyn comes up to me and says “Come on, let’s go!” So we got in the car, and on the ride there I was thinking, and wondering why Kaitlyn hadn’t come to a realization like I had. Then I realized that she had figured it out long before I had.
She had been living on her own since she had just turned 17. A few years ago my uncle got a job in city that was almost 3 hours away so he got himself an apartment out there to stay during the week, leaving my aunt and cousin back at home. Then on New Year’s Day 2009 my aunt passed away suddenly. After this my cousin had to live on her own in that house, until my uncle sold it, and then she got her own apartment. My grandmother went and stayed with her for 6 months right after it happened but after that she was on her own.
The rest of the vacation was awesome. I had never been able to experience freedom like that before. We partied all night at the clubs in the city and recovered during the days by lying on the beach just to do it all again the next night. It really made me become more grown up and more responsible than I had been before. It was a really good experience about being on my own before heading off to college.
Robert,
ReplyDeleteWell written. In form, this fits with the purpose of the assignment. Like the way I design prompts to explore some small event or quote, you do the same here. But make sure that is what you are doing. As much as I think I can see how the story about your cousin and the apartment fits the purpose here, make it clearer. How does her experience reflect upon you? How does it frame your idea of adulthood.
You say the vacation was awesome, but show me this. Describe the ways it was awesome that contributed to your own feelings of adulthood. Describe things in a way that reflect this piece's greater meaning to you. Never forget what you are trying to achieve in a given piece of writing, as that constant reminder will keep your organized and focused.
-F