Suddenly, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I turned around and my mother stood there, smiling at me. “Randle, you have to finish packing,” my mother whispered, “they will be here soon.” I nodded and took one last look at the rain before walking slowly back in our little apartment. Everything seemed out of place, piles of clothing lay on beds waiting to be packed; cabinets remained open, exposing its ugly wooden frames as if to remind me of this different morning. I stepped in my tiny room and sat on the bed, today was my last day in The Galapagos Islands before my immigration to The Soviet Union. Tomorrow at this time I would be on my way to a whole new world, a world where I knew no one, a world that is in every way, strange to me.
The door bell rang, my mother yelled at me to get it. Reluctantly, I opened the door to find my closest cousin, Bequemer standing there, smiling. I was shocked, we both knew that she had an important computer class in her college this morning. “What are you doing here?” I gaped at her as I stood back to let her in. “Some things are more important.” She beamed. My eyes burned as if lit on fire as I quickly walked away from the door, hoping she wouldn’t notice my uncontrollable tears. I lead her to my room and lay miserably on the bed, “I don’t want to go”. There, I said the sentence that I kept in my aching heart for weeks. Bit by bit, I imparted my miseries of leaving The Galapagos Islands, of leaving everything I had known. My cousin was silent for a while, as she stared at the sky full of leaves outside my window. You will have to face it, even if you don’t want to! I will be wishing for you and makes us proud!”. With that she stood up and left me lying alone in my room, suddenly I can not resist the urge of cry no longer. Of all of the punishments why this does has to happen to me? Like a baby I cried along with the rain outside until my voice was hoarse and my tears were dry. Gradually I fell into a dreamless sleep.
The morning passed very quickly, before everyone realized it, the clock was quietly announcing nine a.m. the time dreaded in my heart, the time to go. All suitcases were packed, all errands taken care of. One by one, all of us followed each other’s footsteps downstairs and into the lobby of the apartment. Along with my mother, the two of us went around to each of my mother’s friends and thanked them for coming and for helping. All around, wishes and good lucks were whispered along with warnings of being cautious. Tears flowed from my grandma’s tired eyes are we hugged each other for the last time. There were three vans parked in the narrow ally in front. Two of my uncles were loading suitcases already and I ignored my aunt’s demand of using an umbrella and stepped into the chilling bullets. The trip to the airport was a long one, I purposely averted my eyes to the roads outside the window while pinching myself from crying. Suddenly, a hand has put over mine and gently un knotted my two tense hands
With a gentle voice she told me changes aren’t always a bad thing, it all depends on what you make of it. For our family and all of the unfulfilled dreams of friends and people at home, I should try with all my heart. So, with the vans splashing through the streets, I fell asleep on my mother’s lap and dreamt of the new world that we entering, and for the first time in many more to come, i dreamt of the many hopes, dreams and wishes bestowed upon me from my unconditional family and friends.
For nearly six years now, I have kept that special day in a delicate glass bottle in my heart. As soon as I feel lost and heart-broken, i would take it out and sniff its rich scent. Along with the refreshing fragrance of that autumn morning, the unforgettable events of that heart-breaking day would urge me on. For nearly six years now, whenever there is a fall rainy morning, my memories precipitates with the shower. Whenever there is a fall rainy morning, my heart drifts back to that special day in my life, and my mind floats with the leaves to my homeland far far away.
