Love of My Life

Chapter 1

"Saayyyy Cheeeeesseeee"

"Cheeessseeee" I smiled hard as the flash from my mom's camera shined into my eyes making me blink. Today was the day I finally graduated high school and I couldn't wait to get away from these white people. I mean no offense, I love white people, but I was ready to be with my own culture. A culture where you're not asked "Can I touch your hair?!" or "Is this your real hair or is it a weave?". A place where I could be loud and the stereotypical black girl and not be judged. Where I can rock my natural curly fro and not have them damaged by wandering hands.  A campus where black culture was accepted and no one got left out for being one of the twenty black students in the ENTIRE school.

"Melonie, honey, you're dozing off again." My mom said waving her hand in my face. It was then I realized I was staring at a light in the ceiling and smiling hard.

"Sorry mom. I mean can you believe that in just two months from now I'll be at Howard University studying to become a journalist?! I finally get to be with my people and learning more about my culture all while having fun and being on my own." I said smiling while walking out of the stadium my graduation was held at.

"I know. My baby all grown up." My mom said tearing up.

"Now don't you go crying Lina. This isn't the first time you've sent a child off to college." My dad said while holding my sobbing mother and making a goofy face at me. I laughed at his silliness and continued walking to the car.

"He's right mom. Taylor went off to school just two years ago and you didn't even cry." I said while shoving the millions of balloons and flowers that I received in the trunk and slamming it closed. We all got in the car and started on our way to my graduation cookout.

"That's because Taylor goes to school only forty minutes away. I mean Howard Melonie? All the way in Washington, D.C.? Couldn't you have went to a closer school like your sister?" My mom said turning around to look at me from the front seat.

"Mom you know how I feel about Howard. Grandma went there. Uncle Tim. You and dad! I just feel like it's the right thing to do."

"Well I'll tell you about Howard. It wasn't easy. Me and your father met and we ended up having Taylor. We also lived thousands of miles away from home and you see what happens when you don't have parents close to you. You end up having children in the middle of your junior year. Taking care of a child and going to school isn't easy. I remem......" I started to day dream as my mom continued to rant about her experience. I imagined me sitting on the lawn in front of my dorm and doing things like homework and writing papers. I'm a bit of a nerd as you can see. School was my passion. I mean I did just graduate valedictorian, and a 4.0 GPA was my way of  saying "I love school."

"Melonie are you listening to me?" My mom asked looking at me with a worried expression on her face. "Day dreaming is going to kill you in class." I rolled my eyes and huffed.

"Leave her alone Lina. My baby girl is going to do just fine at Howard." My dad said winking at me through the rearview mirror. I unbuckled my seatbelt and launched towards my dad with my arms spread.

"Thank you daddy." I said hugging him and sticking my tongue out at my mom. Me and my dad laughed as my mom shook her head chuckling.

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*2 Months Later*

"Is that everything baby girl?" My dad asked while dropping the last box of my stuff in my dorm.

"That's everything daddy." I said smiling and looking around my side of the room. I had already put everything on my bed and hung up pictures of me and my family and friends from home on the wall. I had everything on my desk from my desk lamp to pencils and post it notes. My clothes were hanging up in my closet, well majority anyways, and the rest were put up in my drawers. My dad had carried the last box which was full of my shoes. My roommate wasn't here yet, but after texting all summer she seemed cool. I never seen her before though.