I was packing my bags when my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I was making sure to get each and every thing I'd need when I was out of this house for good. It was the night of my graduation, and I was moving closer to my future college campus with my boyfriend Declan. I was attending college through the ROTC program. Going into the Army wasn't my first choice, but I'd decided it when I was a junior in High School.
My friend's always told me it wouldn't work out for me, simply because I was the skinny jeans with uggs kind of girl. I wore skinny jeans on a daily basis, but don't get this picture in your head of who I am just yet. I'm not the girl that cakes her face in make-up, or hangs out with all the cool people. Actually, my friends are kind of losers. Not the losers that "get good grades, and never do anything bad." My friends are the kind of losers that blow off their homework even when they don't have anything better to do. They often say that I could fit in with all the "cool people" and that I make them feel less like losers. Also, I rarely use any make-up at all.
When I first signed up for the army, people laughed. They thought I was kidding, and laughed even harder when they found out I was serious. However, I was finishing college before I went into the Army. I still had 4 years before the adventure started.
Declan and I decided to start our family together before I had to leave for the Army, and I was excited for my family. But I was sad that I had to leave them when times were going to start getting good. But it was the smarter route. This way my college was paid for, and I would be able to fund our family for awhile, too. Saying goodbye would be hard for both of us, but I knew it'd be worth it when I came back home.
Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I read the cute message from Declan. It said, "Hey babe, you almost ready? Ma said she can drive us with her truck and that she'll drive us to the graduation. Do you want to hang out with your friends before we go? You mite not see them for a long time." Declan didn't have a car because we figured we'd just buy one after we both finished school. It was easier because the parking lot was about three-hundred dollars a year, and we were tight on money at the moment.
"Tell Ma I said thanks, and hun, I already said my goodbyes. I would rather just leave right away. I think everyhing can fit in the car." was my reply.
Zipping my two suitcases, I looked around my now empty room. The walls were a soft green, and the only things left were the couch, dresser, and bed that had been supplied for me since I'd moved in with my aunt and uncle. My aunt and uncle had gotten guardianship of me when I was in eigth grade, and as much as I'd hated it here, I will always have a small amount of respect reserved for them for taking me in when they thought I'd needed it.
My past isn't a very great one. I'd been beaten by my father, and molested by his replacement. My mother couldn't stand to loose another husband, and instead, lost me. She threw me into the foster system, and when I'd finally been happy, she gave her guardianship to my aunt. My aunt is my biological father's sister, and even though that sounds a little wierd considering her brother had inflficted so much pain, it's understandable.
My father didn't beat me because he wanted to. He beat me because he's a victim of a creul mental disorder, and it made him feel like he had to beat me. My mother had accepted the fact that he had been suffering from a mental disorder, but felt that she could change him. They were never really in love. She was just the first girlfriend that hadn't dumped him, and she stayed with him because she felt bad.
My phone's vibration knocked me out of my thoughts. "Babe, we're here. Hurry up. :)."
Standing up and grabbing my two suitcases, I walked out to see Declan and his mom - and of course the truck I told him we didn' t need. Declan always thought I had more things than I really had. Which still wasn't that much. I jumped into the back and started talking to Ma. Her name is Barb, but I just call her Ma because she's the closest thing to a mom I've ever gotten. My graduation gown was at the school because I'd been afraid of getting it ruined. With a graduating class of only 62, I had my diploma in a little over an hour.
After giving hugs to all my friends, who were all teary eyed, Declan, Ma, and I were driving away. I hadn't cried, and I didn't look back, either. I wanted my life to start, and I wanted it to start now!
