Homegrown

Leaving behind

Authors Note: I hope this story won't be that controversial but if the backlash is too much, I'll take it down. Anyways, I wanted to ask, who should the USWNT coach be? Jill or Vlatko?

"Adamaya! We've got to go!" My uncle yells.

I stumble down the stairs, lugging the heavy suitcase behind me.

"You're leaving?" My youngest cousin, Younes, asks.

I give a sad shrug before engulfing him. I'm only going to be gone for two weeks, but the last time I didn't see my auntie and uncle for two weeks was when my family were still alive.

But I'm not going to talk about that now.

I give a small chuckle upon seeing Fayral, trip over a doormat, firmly engrossed in Twilight or whatever novel she's reading, the little bookworm.

Eventually she looks up, adjusts her glasses, before shyly coming over to hug me.

"I'm going to miss you." Fayral quietly whispers.

After letting go of my two youngest cousins, I go over to their two older siblings who are helping their mum make food.

"Promise me you'll text every day?" Sofia warns and I chuckle, the girl's only a couple of months older than me but she's always been so bossy.

In a good way that is.

After hugging her, I go to the oldest kid of the family, who's being told off because he turned the wrong hob on.

"I'd tell you good luck, but you don't need it!" Hamza tells me confidently.
I shake my head. "The USWNT are the best team in the world. I'm not at their standards."

Hamza doesn't agree. "Maybe not in confidence, but you've got everything else."

We then hear a familiar man shouting.
"Khalo's calling me now. See you soon Hamza, yeah?"

I'm now running down the hallway and outside, where I see my uncle shaking his head.
"The kids keeping you in huh?"
I shrug, although I can't keep the massive grin off my face. "I'm going to miss them."

My uncle holds the door for me, "Well let's get going then."
Just as he says that, we hear running down the hallway, and a voice that I know I'm going to miss.
"Adamaya, you nearly missed your dolma!"

For a minute, I thought my aunt was joking then I see the big dish in her hand.

"Oh...Khali, I'm sure they've got food, they're not going to starve me!" I say, trying to hold back a laugh.

My auntie looks down at her plate. "So you don't want it?"
Then I hear another voice, the high pitch ness, indicating it's my youngest cousin.
"Why can't we have it mama?"
My auntie turns her face from my view and I hear her hiss, "Younes, that's not fair, she's not going to see us in two weeks! I want to give her something to remind her of home!"

That makes me feel really bad and I regret my rejection.
My uncle however intervenes. "Habiba, we can just have it. Saves you from more cooking anyway."

My auntie relents and I decide to run up and hug her. "Take care ok?" She whispers into my ear, "Tell is if you need anything."

After wrestling from my auntie's strong embrace, I assure her that I will before I finally get in the car.

On the way to the airport, my uncle hits on the radio and a song I've not heard in such a long time comes on.

Sometimes I lay, under the moon, and thank God I'm breathing

Then I pray, "Don't take me soon, 'cause I am here for a reason."

Why am I here? Why did I survive? I wasn't supposed to, I'm sure of that.

Sometimes in my tears I drown,
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around

I have to move on don't I? I should be starting a new chapter, the USWNT the first step.

All my life I've been waiting for, I've been praying
for people to say,
That we don't wanna fight no more,
there'll be no more wars
And our children will play

I wish. My life got forever destroyed because of one.

Then my favourite bit of the song plays.

It's not about win or lose, we all lose when they feed on the souls of the innocent, blood drenched pavement,
Keep on moving though the water stays raging
In this maze you can lose your way
It might drive you crazy but don't let it phase you,
no way

I have to keep going. Of course I'm still annoyed, the corpses of those I love forever in my head.

I tune  out until towards the end when I hear the bridge.

One day this will all change, treat people the same,
Stop with the violence, down  with the hate
One day we'll be free and proud to be,
Under the same sun, singing songs of freedom

Fat chance. We always convince ourselves we're right, our judgements are accurate. So we'll do anything to prove that right. Even if it costs others.

"Addi?" I'm brought out my trance by the elbow of my uncle. "We're here."

I hug him goodbye, before we go our separate ways.

Now I'm standing outside Needham's airport and I take a deep breath.

It's time to start a new chapter.