Two Summers Ago

Two Summers Ago

Two summers ago, I visited my brother who lived in fucking Oklahoma, of all places.
       I initially wasn't going to go. I'd applied to several medical facilities over the course of a month, looking for a job that I'd hoped could occupy my mind and my time. Unfortunately, I was not given a position by any of the facilities. So, as a Hail Mary, I sent in one more application and put off my decision about either going to Oklahoma or staying in New York until I'd exhausted all my options. My bags were packed, but I still thought there was a small chance I'd get a job in the city.
       I lived in the heart of New York City, and I know what you're thinking—it has a bad reputation; there are huge rats, rude people, and smelly subways—but I promise, it wasn't all that bad. I mean, I'm sure it is now, with all the dead people walking around, but to be fair, everywhere in the world is bad right now.
       How the world was versus how it is now ... God, I don't even know where to begin. I went from being an easy-going, motivated woman to becoming a ghost of who I once was. It was like my entire personality was altered—interests, connections, and communications were totally changed.
       Of course, the last two years have been a chaotic, heartbreaking mess, but that's to be expected when you have a storm cloud over your head, following your every move.
       That, and the help of an apocalypse.
       Some days, I felt cursed.
       Needless to say, I didn't get the job I waited for that summer. For my own sanity, I knew it was best to go see my brother rather than being unemployed, sulking on a couch for a couple of months until I went back to college for graduate school. So, I ventured off to Oklahoma to spend the hot months of June and July with my brother, who had been begging me to visit.
       Here's how that went.