Ugly ☼ J .Gilinsky [ EDITING ]

One

Araceli

Moving day. 

The day I have been patiently awaiting since the beginning of senior year. The day where everything changes and life becomes brand new. All of my stuff was sent out to Nebraska last week and my leasing agent, Liam, made sure to put all my boxes in my apartment for me. When I met him, we clicked instantly and he's more of a friend than a landlord to me. We've been in contact ever since I signed the lease and I'm so excited to be going into a foreign state having a friend.

He's twenty-three and gay, currently enrolled in beauty school to fulfill his dream of being a celebrity makeup artist but until he gets his cosmetology license, he works at one of his mothers apartment complexes as a leasing agent. 

I wish I could hug my mom forever but my plane is boarding within the next twenty minutes and I want to be sure that I make it on time. We have been at the airport since six o'clock this morning, my flight isn't scheduled to leave until nine thirty but what can I say? I wanted to be sure that I would make it on time. "You would've made the flight on time if you showed up at nine," my mom laughed as we got into the car this morning. "Your father was the same way, always had to be super early to everything."

I have been standing in the same spot hugging my mom for what felt like forever when I finally pulled away. "I have to go now mom, I love you and I promise to call as soon as I land."

"I love you too, and you better call as soon as you hit the ground," she smiles with tears in her eyes. 

I look over at my little sister and she's crying. "Hey Angie, it's okay," I pull her in for a hug. "I'll be back before you know it and hey, you and mom can always come visit me. I'm always a flight away and most definitely a phone call away."

My last few weeks in Texas I spent with my mom and sister. We went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, we visited the Alamo, we went to Austin, Dallas, and we even went to a few Astros games back home. I spent every single one of my last few days with them and I loved absolutely every second of it, which is why leaving them feels ten times harder than I thought it would.

-

I landed in Nebraska and as promised, I called my mother first thing. "Hi! Oh my goodness, how was the flight? You should eat something, are you feeling okay? Is it hot over there how it is in Texas? How are the people? Are they nice? How is everything?"

"Mom," I laugh as I grab my luggage from the luggage claim. "I literally just got off of the plane not too long ago, I haven't even stepped foot out of the airport and I have yet to have any interaction with anybody. Liam is waiting for me, he's going to take me to my apartment and then we're going to the dealership to look for a car."

"Oh, yes," she speaks as she rustles through something on the other line. "Speaking of vehicles, you and your sister also have money stored away in a separate trust fund for vehicle allowance. I can't believe I let it slip my mind, I will call the bank and have the money transferred over to your account. I believe you have sixty thousand dollars available, if I'm not mistaken. I will double check and send over all the details."

In school, everyone was always jealous that my sister and I "had it made." I couldn't believe the audacity that some people had. All of the money that we inherited was due to my father's death, nothing about that was having it made. Trust me, I'd much rather be broke with my father still alive than rolling in riches in his absence. There's not a day that goes by where I don't miss him, some people are just cruel. "Consider it a blessing in disguise," I was told. The only reason why we got such a huge payout and the only reason why we continue to receive checks monthly is because the company was completely at fault. Nothing about this is okay, but I have to make the best of my situation and I learned to just ignore the comments.

"Okay, sounds good," I state as I look over and see Liam smiling and waving vigorously. "But hey mom, I have to go. I will call you later when everything is settled and situated."

We say our goodbyes and she hangs up the phone. I walk up to Liam and he engulfs me in a hug. "Oh my gosh girl, I can't believe you're actually here!" He squeals and helps me with my bags. "We have so much to do today, first lets get you to the apartment to drop off these bags. You'd be absolutely surprised at how many babes are crawling around in Omaha."

-

After a very long day with Liam, I was finally back at the apartment. After we dropped off my bags earlier, we headed to the dealership and it only took me an hour to decide on the car I wanted. I ended up going with a 2019 SRT Challenger Scat Pack and it was only forty thousand off the lot so I still have an extra twenty thousand in savings. Thankfully, I paid it all flat out and don't have to worry about a monthly payment. My mom wasn't too happy about my choice in transportation but hey, she's not here to really do anything about it.

Then, after the dealership, we went to go eat this cute little restaurant downtown. It was a family owned business and the layout was so adorable, the food was amazing too. 

After we ate, Liam showed me around town and we went to different stores here and there looking at all the different decor options they had. Surprisingly, this took up majority of our day and I am worn out. I never thought I'd be so tired from just shopping but I am so glad to be in bed watching Netflix. When we got back from our little spree, Liam helped me mount my TV to the wall and get my room situated.

I look over at my nightstand and smile at the picture of my father and I from when I was twelve. We were in Mexico for the summer, possibly one of the greatest summers I have ever had, and in the picture, we were sitting on the bed of his truck eating tacos and smiling at each other. Oh, how I wish he were here. Life would be so different, I know that for sure.

This is it. This is my fresh start, the start to something big, I thought as I dozed off into a deep sleep.