She wasn’t like the rest of us. Her name was Bella. She was quiet like a shadow, all of us would be screaming across the classroom, worrying about our grades and how many hours of sleep we got. Bella listened, she never spoke until that December. The sound of her voice wasn’t new, it sounded like the rest of us. She looked at us and she said, “If you forgot it all, if you got to work on your own terms and had nothing lose, you could learn and grow without the weight of your parents, money, and safety, what would you do?” We all dodged her question, knowing that was never obtainable. As the teachers hustled in, and the rest of sat down, she whispered, “The only person stopping you is you, so seriously what would you do?” I stared at her, she didn’t blink once. Bella looked away, and I never answered her question.
My parents looked so proud, they saw me in a cap and gown, ready to enter the phase in my life where I would hate every inch of it. I looked happy too, I was happy about the money I would get, the stability, and the safety. I had lied to myself so much, that I had created a false sense of happiness that even I, could not convince myself did not exist. That is until, I saw my class, the people sitting next me. How many of them have opened their last book, how many have them have stopped learning? How many of them have stopped growing?
Everyone was taking photos, my family felt safe, I would fine. Those three words were banging in my head, I would be fine. It almost sounded like Bella’s voice. Her soft voice didn’t leave my head until it was interrupted by my own voice. “I’m leaving.” I said looking at the sky. Everyone’s eyes were turned to me.
“Leaving?  Yes the car is parked near that coffee place” My dad spoke.
“No, I mean I’m leaving, I’m going.” I said with the widest smile on my face.
My dad looked at me nervously laughing, “Leaving where?”
“Everywhere.”
My mom chimed in, “What do you plan to do everywhere?” She muttered sarcastically.
“Everything.”
It’s been four years since that conversation, I’ve been to Brazil, Peru, and China. I’ve learned more about the universe, the people of this world than I ever learned at any school, or that I could have learned at any job. So to answer your question Bella, if I were to forget, if I were to let go, I would do, everything.