Broken Connection
Scared, Yet Excited
Naira: I’m checking the place one last time, and I’m off!
Maya: omfg I’m so excited!!
Naira’s POV
I ran around the once full apartment once again. Over time all my belonging had disappeared into old, scruffy, cardboard boxes. This wasn’t the first time I had moved, but it was the first time I had actually moved outside of Ashland. I grew up here, went to school here, got my own place here, and all my family was here. Part of me was terrified of leaving this place, but another part of me was so excited.
I was going to leave my entire family; my dad and my grandma. They were the only two family members I ever knew. My mom didn’t want me and gave me to my dad as soon as she could leave the hospital. This also meant I never met my mum’s side of the family. My dad didn’t have any brothers or sisters, just like me, and my grandad died before I was even born. My whole life it was basically just me and my dad, my grandma coming over occasionally.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my dad was really great and fun, but I practically raised myself. He was more like a best friend, rather than a dad. No matter what I did, he just couldn’t get mad. My grandmother, on the other hand, knew exactly how to scold me and she was probably the only reason why I actually have some manners. Let’s just say my family was pretty small and very, very confusing.
But, Naira, why are you moving? Well, it was a pretty stupid idea. I didn’t have a place to live in, nor did I have a job yet, but I was determined to move to San Diego. After I got a job offer for an elementary school in a neighbourhood that wasn’t too shabby, I immediately wanted it. Now, no, I didn’t exactly have the job yet. But my best friend lived there! We had met on the internet years ago, but we had never actually seen each other in real life. This was my chance! Thinking back, this idea was really stupid. I should have first gone for the job interview, met Maya, come back home, see if I got the job, and then moved. But I was not doing this in chronological order.
Now, I was checking to see if I had forgotten anything, and it looked like everything has been packed and had already been sent out to either Maya’s house or some storage space my grandma was paying for.
“Ok, do you think you’re ready?” My dad walked up behind me.
“I’m so excited,” I gushed, before frowning, “but I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, baby girl,” he hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head.
“It’s always been us two,” I mumbled into his shoulder, “but now I’m leaving you…”
“But you’ll be starting your own future, and we’ll be able to see each other a lot,” he tried cheering me up.
“I know, but what if everything goes wrong?”
“It will not go wrong!” he let go of me and instead gripped my shoulders, “you can do this, and you’re always welcome back home.”
“Ok,” I nodded sadly, “we better get going then, I don’t want to miss the flight.”
My dad took my last suitcase and called the elevator. I was going to miss this place. It was the apartment I had lived in all by myself for ages. Before I settled down here, I had moved dorm rooms and apartments so often. Things just always seemed to change and then I finally found a constant. But now I was switching it all up again! Oh god. What the actual fuck was I doing!
We both stepped into my dad’s truck and he started driving towards the airport. The closer we got, the more nervous and excited I got. I could only think of things that could go wrong. The plane could crash, Maya could not be who she said she was, I could fuck up and be arrested, I could get lost. But I knew I was going to have another attack if I kept thinking like that, so instead I thought about how awesome it was to finally meet Maya, how it was pretty likely that I was going to work with kids, but mostly that I was going to meet my best friend! It was like I already trusted her with everything, even though we never actually saw each other without a screen being in between us. Wait, no, scrap that. That was exactly what it was like!
“So, Maya’s going to be waiting for you on the other side, right?” My dad double checked.
“Yes,” I nodded happily, “I just hope I will recognize her. People always look different when you see them through pixels.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” my dad pulled over at the drop off section of the airport, “but if anything goes wrong, you call me, ok?”
“I promise, daddy,” I got out of the car, “I’ll also make sure to call you when I get there.”
He also got out of the car and got my two suitcase, “Ok, if you realise you have forgotten anything, also call me.”
“Yes,” I rolled my eyes and hugged him.
“I will miss you,” his voice cracked and I knew he was trying his best to hold back his tears.
‘I will miss you too,” I kissed his cheek, but let go and picked up my suitcases, “but I really have to go now. I don’t want to miss my flight, and I know I will get lost at least once.”
“Ok,” a tear fell from his eye and he smiled, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I started my way to the entrance and looked at him one last time.
This was it; this was actually it. I was leaving this town and I was starting a new life. But there was no way I was going to leave my old one behind just like that. I was going to make sure to visit my dad whenever I could. Maybe it was going to take me a while to earn enough money to be able to afford it, but I was going to do it. And he could also always visit me, even though he also couldn’t just do it whenever he wanted. He also still worked and also couldn’t just leave whenever he wanted. My family never had much money, but we made things work. In high school, my dad and I would alternate between who would walk and who would drive, or I would drop him off at work and then pick him up when he finished. We looked out for each other.
I looked around the crowded hall. This was the check in to a new adventure.
Maya: omfg I’m so excited!!
Naira’s POV
I ran around the once full apartment once again. Over time all my belonging had disappeared into old, scruffy, cardboard boxes. This wasn’t the first time I had moved, but it was the first time I had actually moved outside of Ashland. I grew up here, went to school here, got my own place here, and all my family was here. Part of me was terrified of leaving this place, but another part of me was so excited.
I was going to leave my entire family; my dad and my grandma. They were the only two family members I ever knew. My mom didn’t want me and gave me to my dad as soon as she could leave the hospital. This also meant I never met my mum’s side of the family. My dad didn’t have any brothers or sisters, just like me, and my grandad died before I was even born. My whole life it was basically just me and my dad, my grandma coming over occasionally.
Now, don’t get me wrong, my dad was really great and fun, but I practically raised myself. He was more like a best friend, rather than a dad. No matter what I did, he just couldn’t get mad. My grandmother, on the other hand, knew exactly how to scold me and she was probably the only reason why I actually have some manners. Let’s just say my family was pretty small and very, very confusing.
But, Naira, why are you moving? Well, it was a pretty stupid idea. I didn’t have a place to live in, nor did I have a job yet, but I was determined to move to San Diego. After I got a job offer for an elementary school in a neighbourhood that wasn’t too shabby, I immediately wanted it. Now, no, I didn’t exactly have the job yet. But my best friend lived there! We had met on the internet years ago, but we had never actually seen each other in real life. This was my chance! Thinking back, this idea was really stupid. I should have first gone for the job interview, met Maya, come back home, see if I got the job, and then moved. But I was not doing this in chronological order.
Now, I was checking to see if I had forgotten anything, and it looked like everything has been packed and had already been sent out to either Maya’s house or some storage space my grandma was paying for.
“Ok, do you think you’re ready?” My dad walked up behind me.
“I’m so excited,” I gushed, before frowning, “but I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, baby girl,” he hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head.
“It’s always been us two,” I mumbled into his shoulder, “but now I’m leaving you…”
“But you’ll be starting your own future, and we’ll be able to see each other a lot,” he tried cheering me up.
“I know, but what if everything goes wrong?”
“It will not go wrong!” he let go of me and instead gripped my shoulders, “you can do this, and you’re always welcome back home.”
“Ok,” I nodded sadly, “we better get going then, I don’t want to miss the flight.”
My dad took my last suitcase and called the elevator. I was going to miss this place. It was the apartment I had lived in all by myself for ages. Before I settled down here, I had moved dorm rooms and apartments so often. Things just always seemed to change and then I finally found a constant. But now I was switching it all up again! Oh god. What the actual fuck was I doing!
We both stepped into my dad’s truck and he started driving towards the airport. The closer we got, the more nervous and excited I got. I could only think of things that could go wrong. The plane could crash, Maya could not be who she said she was, I could fuck up and be arrested, I could get lost. But I knew I was going to have another attack if I kept thinking like that, so instead I thought about how awesome it was to finally meet Maya, how it was pretty likely that I was going to work with kids, but mostly that I was going to meet my best friend! It was like I already trusted her with everything, even though we never actually saw each other without a screen being in between us. Wait, no, scrap that. That was exactly what it was like!
“So, Maya’s going to be waiting for you on the other side, right?” My dad double checked.
“Yes,” I nodded happily, “I just hope I will recognize her. People always look different when you see them through pixels.”
“I’m sure it will be fine,” my dad pulled over at the drop off section of the airport, “but if anything goes wrong, you call me, ok?”
“I promise, daddy,” I got out of the car, “I’ll also make sure to call you when I get there.”
He also got out of the car and got my two suitcase, “Ok, if you realise you have forgotten anything, also call me.”
“Yes,” I rolled my eyes and hugged him.
“I will miss you,” his voice cracked and I knew he was trying his best to hold back his tears.
‘I will miss you too,” I kissed his cheek, but let go and picked up my suitcases, “but I really have to go now. I don’t want to miss my flight, and I know I will get lost at least once.”
“Ok,” a tear fell from his eye and he smiled, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” I started my way to the entrance and looked at him one last time.
This was it; this was actually it. I was leaving this town and I was starting a new life. But there was no way I was going to leave my old one behind just like that. I was going to make sure to visit my dad whenever I could. Maybe it was going to take me a while to earn enough money to be able to afford it, but I was going to do it. And he could also always visit me, even though he also couldn’t just do it whenever he wanted. He also still worked and also couldn’t just leave whenever he wanted. My family never had much money, but we made things work. In high school, my dad and I would alternate between who would walk and who would drive, or I would drop him off at work and then pick him up when he finished. We looked out for each other.
I looked around the crowded hall. This was the check in to a new adventure.
Notes
First chapter from Naira's POV. Is very short, I know, but hopefully future chapters are going to be way longer... I can almost assure that future chapters will be a lot longer. This is very, very short; it's not even short essay length!
Oh well, this was just an introduction to her, once we get into the actual plot, things will start to go down. Shit will go down, I promise you.
I'm going to be honest, and say I'm very excited, and I hope there's at least one other person (other than the other fabulous author, Nicky) is just as excited as I am!
- aweirdkindofyellow
ps. I'm shitty at writing notes.
@aweirdkindofyellow
yeah, i understand. Plus- writing is a great way to keep your mind off of stress. ily <3 :)
3/13/17