First Memory

One cold night, my father told me that I would be moving to Tennessee with my grandmother. My Aunt Pam and Grandmother came from Tennessee to Nebraska so they could take my sister and me back home with them. My five-year-old soul stayed up all night thinking about my future and what was going to happen to my family. I remember waking up at 5:30 in the morning and freezing, so I stole my brother's sweat shirt. My brother pitched a fit and wanted his sweater back, but my father told him to let me keep it. The sweat shirt was a striped purple and gray sweater with a Tennessee logo. Once I think about it now, it is ironic because that was the day my life changed, and I really started to become somebody.

After saying good-bye to my father, my sister and I went into the back seat of my Aunt Pam's red car and I began to cry a little bit. I did not want to be separated from my father because he was my role model and friend. There was silence as my sister and I sat in the car in the freezing wet weather. My sister looked at me and said, "Are you crying?" and I replied, "No," and turned my head catching my breath. I just could not believe that my childhood would ever be the same, and I had to prepare myself to start all over again.

On the trip to Tennessee from Nebraska, we brought back our dog Pippy. My aunt had to pull over three times so the dog could use the restroom. I could feel the tension between my grandmother and the dog. My grandmother refuses to have any kind of pet live in her house; however, my grandmother is a smart and caring person considering she took in two children and helped us grow up to be successful. During the ride, I remained quiet just wondering what to expect on my next journey.

When I entered the state of Tennessee, I noticed that there were a lot of trees on the side of the road. Nebraska was more a completely surface, because farmers took advantage of the perfect soil and no trees. Not only were the trees different, but the roads felt like you were on a carnival ride. I remember riding over the hills and the hills made my stomach jump. Finally, we got to my grandmother's and I had to tie Pippy to a little tree. My last memory of that day was entering my grandmother's house.