I entered into the strange, cold world. I screamed to get back into the amniotic sac. My face dripped with fluids. The nurse grabbed me and put me under a huge bright light. I screamed and cried. The light was hurting my eyes. Suddenly I was picked up by a huge hand. I instinctively peed on it. Suddenly a loud noise erupted through my ears. Someone shouting “EW.” I began to squirm. Eventually I was clean and had a towel wrapped around me.

I was then carried by two hands back to my mom. I nuzzled up close to her as I began to feel her warm breath against my cold face. A loud voice whispered, “Luke” to me and I instantly recognized that my name was Luke. I had just been brought into this world.

I was born cross eyed. I had to have four surgeries to correct it. Today was the day. 9/11/01 was my third eye surgery day. My stomach grumbled as I walked into the hospital and rode up the elevator. My throat was parched due to the lack of water. I couldn’t drink or eat because then I wouldn’t be able to have my surgery due to the fact that I would be throwing up. I tried to look innocent as I made my way over to the water fountain. My mom smiled and told me, “No your surgery is only in three hours.”

“But, Mom! I am really thirsty and my throat feels like sandpaper,” I replied.

“Well you should be grateful that you even have water. Now you know what the kids in Africa feel like,” my mom replied.

I sat back down. Soon my name was called and I stood up and was taken back to an examination room. My doctor Dr. G, as I called him, told my parents one last time what he was planning on doing. My parents agreed. About five minutes later after I was dressed, a big nurse came in and gave me a shot to put in anesthesia. The nurse told me to hop up on the stretcher and lay down. After I did this, he said, “I bet $5 dollars that you can’t count backwards from 10 to zero.”

I laughed and started to count “10, 9, 8, 7…... 6…….” Then I passed out.
When I woke up my eyes stung and I was thirstier than a horse that walked 30 miles. My voice was raspy. My mom and dad turned to look at me with slightly brimmed eyes. They quietly called the nurse and asked for a glass of Sierra Mist. Suddenly my throat burned and the nurse quickly shoved a tub underneath me. I puked in it. The puke was a bright yellow color. The nurse asked, “Bet that feels better doesn’t it?”
I nodded. I then asked my parents why they were so sad. They told me that America had been attacked by terrorists. Plus gas prices had been raised by 25 cents. I took it all in slowly. I asked where it happened and my mom told me New York City. I just took it all in. My mom said that many were dead. Two planes had hit the Twin Towers which were the two tallest buildings in the world. They had come crashing down on people that were still inside of it. I was struck with horror. But, life moved on.
When I turned five, I entered kindergarten. The school was brand new. I went to Mary Paxton Keeley elementary. My teacher, Mrs. Potter was awesome. She made learning fun. She let us show off our knowledge too. Today was my day. Finally I would get to be the leader and show off my knowledge. I would proudly strut to the board and write down all the words I knew in five minutes. I was hoping to break the record which currently stood at 32 words. “Luke, I believe it’s your turn to show your knowledge,” Mrs. Potter called.

I trotted over to the board. I was the very last one because my last name started with a “T”. I uncapped the scented marker. I could smell the green apple. The red hand of the clock hit 12 and I was off. Writing words that I thought I knew even if they were misspelled. “one minute left,” called Mrs. Potter.

I pressed my brain for more and more words. I could not think of any more. “Time”.

I let out a huge exhale of breath. As they counted my words I hoped that I would have enough. The class counted 34. I was the new record holder. I pumped my fist up and down for joy. All day my friends congratulated me on my achievement with praise such as, “Luke, you were awesome.”

Life moved on and so did my grade. I moved from Kindergarten to first grade. For my first grade teacher I got Mrs. McNeil. She had a stuffed bear called Rocky Rainbow. Everyone got to take home Rocky for a week. I was 2nd to last to get him because my last name started with a “T”. I held Rocky close to me like he was the only thing in the world that mattered to me. That day was cold and I as I held Rocky on the bus; he kept me warm with his soft fur. I ran in screaming, “I got him, it’s finally my week.”

My mom smiled at me and told me to take good care of him. I smiled and held him close as I watched TV later that night. Before I went to bed, I tucked him in next to me. “Goodnight Rocky.”

I turned over and fell asleep.
In the second grade, I began to start to write and I liked it. One of my very first essays was about my second grade teacher, Mr. Welty. I was listening to the radio when an announcement came on that they would be announcing the winners of the KPLA Teacher Appreciation Essay Contest.

My mom turned the radio up. My mom laughed and told me that I was going to win. Then suddenly my essay began to get read over the radio. I looked at my mom and asked her if this was a ruse. She looked just as surprised as I did. My mom immediately drove home. I rushed inside the house. I immediately turned on the computer. I waited for the Net-Zero dial-up internet to connect. I then typed in the KPLA’s website. I clicked on the link to the essay contest. I then saw my name. I had won and advanced to the next round. I was so happy.

I immediately called my grandma and granddad and told them. They said they were very proud. In about three weeks, I learned that my essay was not the actual winning one. Another competitor had won. I was sad, but my mom told me to keep my head high because there were kids out there who didn’t even make it as far as I did.

I always go to Florida every year because I visit family members there. This was the first year though my dad wasn’t going. He had to work and my grandma wanted to take me to Florida for spring break. We only planned this trip two weeks before. My grandma called and asked my mom how she would feel about going. My mom, speechless but at the same time happy, told her yes.

Spring break flew by except for the last day. We were getting ready in our Bay View Suite. My mom was in the shower. I was flipping through the channels when I heard, “We are now issuing a tornado warning for Pinellas County.”

I stopped and then asked my uncle who lives in Florida what county we were in. He told me Pinellas County. I suddenly got a cold chill and goose bumps crawled up my back. I instantly took him to the television where he gasped. He sprinted down to his room. I looked around and knocked on the door to the bathroom. My mom shouted, “What do you want?”

“There’s a tornado warning for Pinellas County, which is the one we are in.”

“Oh my gosh! I’ll be out in one second.”

My mom then came flying out in her robe to stare at the television. She got a horrified look on her face. She immediately told my sister to get all her clothes packed. We raced around the suite to find our clothes and other belongings.
Suddenly the door flew open and my uncle raced in. He told me to come with him. My mom followed me out to grab my grandma and took her back from her room to my family’s room. My uncle and I raced to his room where we grabbed his and my grandma’s suitcases. We hopped onto the elevator. We raced downstairs and outside to the little parking garage underneath the hotel. My uncle hit the automatic trunk button. The back end slowly started to go up. A huge gust of wind slammed the back end down. My uncle threw open the car door. The wind was wrapping around the car which made the door seem as heavy as a whale. He tossed the suitcases in.
We turned to race towards the door when a gust lifted my uncle's hat off his head. He ran frantically after it. He managed to grab it then we ran inside the main lobby when we heard a huge crash. We looked outside to see the cigarette tray go tumbling into the ground. The white puff of ashes flew in the air. My uncle grabbed me and pulled me towards the stairs. We bounded up them and ran into the suite. The weathercaster then said there was a tornado just two miles down the road. My mom slowly took deep breaths. About 30 minutes later the all clear was sounded. I had made it through in my uncle’s words, “the worst storm in all 15 years I have been here.”

This experience was perhaps the most dangerous of my life.