Slamming closed the back of the U-Haul truck forced
me to come to terms with what’s to come: I’m leaving
everything I’ve known behind me.
My parent’s house with the peeling paint on the side
and the old dirt road that I spent years playing on would
become only memories as I left for Durham.
As I drive through my hometown, with the old traffic light
on Main, I saw the library where I spent years reading books
at and where I repaid them by doing my Eagle Scout project
there. And the American Legion building too, where us scouts
would meet. Both now are landmarks of youth, and I drive past
them one final time.
As I passed through more towns, I began to get nervous. Sure,
most of it was from excitement for the future, but there also was
the fears which were hiding. The what-ifs. “What if you struggle
with class?”, “What if you get homesick?”, “What if you fail?”.
The questions tried to grow into a massive mountain, which
I for sure thought the U-Haul wouldn’t be able to make it up.
And suddenly, I was there.
I was in Durham.
I was alone.
I was free.