To Be Wild and Precious
6
The next week was filled with lots of packing things into boxes and stuffing clothes into suitcases and even more boxes. That first Friday, all of her furniture was packed away save for her bed. Her clothes were all gone except for the few things that she knows she’ll where in the next week that she has left here.
Beth stopped caring about her AP English homework. It wasn’t like she was going to still be in that class anyway, and if she gets into AP English in whatever school in New Jersey, the assignment would probably be different anyways. So she books all her books in boxes.
Boxes, boxes everywhere. Boxes, boxes here and there. Boxes packed with memories that would never be the same again. Boxes that will probably never be open again. Just boxes, boxes, and more boxes.
The day before they had to leave, she sat on her bed and began to cry. The tears were rivers flooding from her eyes, a great deluge unleashed and uncontainable. She was leaving her home, the house that she grew up in, the room that was hers ever since she could remember. She was leaving her friends, those that she would miss and the people that made her feel special even though she didn’t deserve it. She just wanted to drown herself in her sorrow. But she couldn’t do that to her parents. They’d be devastated if they found her on her bed like that, dead in a pool of her salty tears.
She called Val and Rose, asking them to hang out with her one last time before she left. So together they went out for ice cream. They reminisced of the great times they had together as best friends. They talked about all their plans for this year and the years to come and home, maybe, just maybe, things will still s=turn out alright. While they conversed, they ate huge sundaes that they would definitely regret eating in the morning. But they did it all with smiles. They didn’t think about it at that moment because they knew that this was the final time they could do something like this, all three of them, in a very long time, if ever.
That night, Beth packed away the final remnants of her closet and when she awoke the next morning, she stuffed her bed comforter and pillows along with them, too. As she made her way out the door with the final box in her arms, she turned to look at what had become of her room. What had once been vibrant and full of life, the one canvas of her true identity, was now stripped and bare, nothing but bare walls and an empty closet. She turned off the lights and shut the door on her past.
Beth carried the last box through the house out into the front yard where the U-Haul was waiting for them. Her dad rented one of the largest trucks that the company provided and stuffed the truck with all of our possessions. It was strange for Bethany to think that all of her life’s possessions could be packed into one truck. Everything. Everything that she’s ever known is right in there. There’s her bed, her pillows, her stuffed animal named Pillby, her academic trophies, all of her books. Everything. All of it right in there. And they were about to take it away with them, move it all to a new place.
“Come on, Beth. Put that in the back of the truck. Give me a hand over here.” Beth’s mom was in the front yard trying to move some of the heavy boxes into the U-Haul, but to no avail.
Beth put down the box that she was carrying and went to assist her mother.
While they worked, her mother asked, “How are you holding up?”
Beth had not expected that sort of question. She simply blinked in response.
“I understand that this is difficult for you and I’m sorry. I just want you to know that we’re not doing this to punish you in any way. We’re doing this because we have to. We wouldn’t be moving otherwise.” Her mother was looking at her with genuine concern.
“Don’t worry, mom. I understand. I get that you only mean for the best. I just –“She sighed. “It’s difficult for me to leave here. But I understand.” And she really did. She just wished that she could understand her parents’ decision while remaining in their home at Ohio. Unfortunately, that’s not usually how moving works.
Beth’s mother smiled. “Wonderful. I’m glad. I was so worried about you, sweetie.”
“You don’t have to be, mom. I’m fine.”
“That’s great to hear.” They settled the box down in the truck and her mother brushed the hair out of Beth’s face for her. “I hope that this is a good thing for you, sweetie. I hope that you treat it like a clean slate.”
“Um…I’ll try, mom.”
She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Good. Now, help me take the rest to the truck so we could leave already. It’s a ten hour drive. The sooner we get on the road the sooner we get in the comfort of our own new home.”
“Ten hours?!”
“Yes, my dear. Ten hours. So I say we leave now so that we get there while it’s still light out.” She turned to the house. “Jeff, hurry up so we could get a move on already.” To Beth she said, “Your father moves so slowly. Gosh it’s a wonder you’re ever here today.”
just pretty much anything else.
Beth went on with helping her mother until her father emerged from the house with seven different maps and printouts from three different direction websites. These are all for “just in case” we get a little lost. Beth assumed this was just because her father didn’t want to ever have to stop and ask for directions.
After loading everything up and making sure that nothing was left behind, they got in the truck and left everything behind.
Beth stopped caring about her AP English homework. It wasn’t like she was going to still be in that class anyway, and if she gets into AP English in whatever school in New Jersey, the assignment would probably be different anyways. So she books all her books in boxes.
Boxes, boxes everywhere. Boxes, boxes here and there. Boxes packed with memories that would never be the same again. Boxes that will probably never be open again. Just boxes, boxes, and more boxes.
The day before they had to leave, she sat on her bed and began to cry. The tears were rivers flooding from her eyes, a great deluge unleashed and uncontainable. She was leaving her home, the house that she grew up in, the room that was hers ever since she could remember. She was leaving her friends, those that she would miss and the people that made her feel special even though she didn’t deserve it. She just wanted to drown herself in her sorrow. But she couldn’t do that to her parents. They’d be devastated if they found her on her bed like that, dead in a pool of her salty tears.
She called Val and Rose, asking them to hang out with her one last time before she left. So together they went out for ice cream. They reminisced of the great times they had together as best friends. They talked about all their plans for this year and the years to come and home, maybe, just maybe, things will still s=turn out alright. While they conversed, they ate huge sundaes that they would definitely regret eating in the morning. But they did it all with smiles. They didn’t think about it at that moment because they knew that this was the final time they could do something like this, all three of them, in a very long time, if ever.
That night, Beth packed away the final remnants of her closet and when she awoke the next morning, she stuffed her bed comforter and pillows along with them, too. As she made her way out the door with the final box in her arms, she turned to look at what had become of her room. What had once been vibrant and full of life, the one canvas of her true identity, was now stripped and bare, nothing but bare walls and an empty closet. She turned off the lights and shut the door on her past.
Beth carried the last box through the house out into the front yard where the U-Haul was waiting for them. Her dad rented one of the largest trucks that the company provided and stuffed the truck with all of our possessions. It was strange for Bethany to think that all of her life’s possessions could be packed into one truck. Everything. Everything that she’s ever known is right in there. There’s her bed, her pillows, her stuffed animal named Pillby, her academic trophies, all of her books. Everything. All of it right in there. And they were about to take it away with them, move it all to a new place.
“Come on, Beth. Put that in the back of the truck. Give me a hand over here.” Beth’s mom was in the front yard trying to move some of the heavy boxes into the U-Haul, but to no avail.
Beth put down the box that she was carrying and went to assist her mother.
While they worked, her mother asked, “How are you holding up?”
Beth had not expected that sort of question. She simply blinked in response.
“I understand that this is difficult for you and I’m sorry. I just want you to know that we’re not doing this to punish you in any way. We’re doing this because we have to. We wouldn’t be moving otherwise.” Her mother was looking at her with genuine concern.
“Don’t worry, mom. I understand. I get that you only mean for the best. I just –“She sighed. “It’s difficult for me to leave here. But I understand.” And she really did. She just wished that she could understand her parents’ decision while remaining in their home at Ohio. Unfortunately, that’s not usually how moving works.
Beth’s mother smiled. “Wonderful. I’m glad. I was so worried about you, sweetie.”
“You don’t have to be, mom. I’m fine.”
“That’s great to hear.” They settled the box down in the truck and her mother brushed the hair out of Beth’s face for her. “I hope that this is a good thing for you, sweetie. I hope that you treat it like a clean slate.”
“Um…I’ll try, mom.”
She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Good. Now, help me take the rest to the truck so we could leave already. It’s a ten hour drive. The sooner we get on the road the sooner we get in the comfort of our own new home.”
“Ten hours?!”
“Yes, my dear. Ten hours. So I say we leave now so that we get there while it’s still light out.” She turned to the house. “Jeff, hurry up so we could get a move on already.” To Beth she said, “Your father moves so slowly. Gosh it’s a wonder you’re ever here today.”
just pretty much anything else.
Beth went on with helping her mother until her father emerged from the house with seven different maps and printouts from three different direction websites. These are all for “just in case” we get a little lost. Beth assumed this was just because her father didn’t want to ever have to stop and ask for directions.
After loading everything up and making sure that nothing was left behind, they got in the truck and left everything behind.