“Life just doesn't care about our aspirations, or sadness. It's often random, and it's often stupid and it's often completely unexpected, and the closures and the epiphanies and revelations we end up receiving from life, begrudgingly, rarely turn out to be the ones we thought.”-Khaled Hosseini.

Grace has a sense of humor that is cruel and harsh, which is difficult to get used to. She would always make me feel that I’m inferior than she is. Everybody seems to love the way she seems confident and her ignorance about the amount of homework she gets everyday. How she somehow never stresses about her tests, and get the best grades without ever studying. Grace was the shortest in her class, she was one of the most intelligent students from her generation.  She has brown hair with light honey highlights which complements her high cheekbones and her hazel colored eyes. When the rays of light hits her at the right angle, it sharpens her features to look exotic and feline.
    

“We congratulate Grace Martinez for having an outstanding character and traveling with the NJHS to South Africa to help unfortunately kids for a better life. This school will remember you for all your hard work,” Grace got up from her seat in the auditorium and  accepted her award. After that she basically bragged about in my face. I never admitted it, but I was sometimes jealous of how smart and and that everybody wanted to be her friend. Even my friends liked being around with my sister and I feel left out. I remember those stupid times when Grace and I would compete for everything because everything was a competition to us. Like there would be a golden trophy waiting for one of us at the end of the line. There never seems to be a time where we can enjoy each other’s company or listen to the birds sing from our balcony high up in the mountain.

One morning, our parents made a family meeting in our lavishing living room which is only used for guests and parties. It seemed an odd place to be having a family meeting. I ponder on the idea that maybe somebody we knew had passed away or has been into a terrible accident. My parents once called my siblings and I to tell us about how our cousin who was no more than a year older than me got into a motorcycle accident. She then lost her memory for two weeks and my aunt and uncle tried to bring back her memory with photographs of the family and scrapbooks of her childhood. Those were a few dark weeks for the family.

As my brother and sister got the the stairs, I turned my head to peer at my brother and sister, waiting for one of them to say anything. After what felt for like years, my brother broke the silence,”What do you think Mom and Dad would tell us? Are we in trouble?”Rafael babbled too many questions that we were getting too nervous and anxious that Grace slapped Rafael on the shoulder and scolded him,”Stop asking questions, we will know when they tell us.” “Then what are we waiting for. We’ve been here for a long time.” I whined as I was dying to know what the news that was so important for my parents to call a family meeting early on the morning. 

“Grace, Sam, Rafa, come to the living room. Put on your slippers and brush your teeth before coming down!”My mom commanded us as she was making breakfast.”Do you smell that?”I whispered and the smell something delicious was coming from the kitchen downstairs. “It smells like hot chocolate and waffles.” Rafael cooed as he started to follow the sweet aroma down the stairs. ”Mom never makes waffles unless she wants something.” Grace scoffed as she couldn’t admit that she was as nervous as the rest of us.

Once my brother, Grace and I, cautiously walked down the stairs and giving each other questioning looks, we went into the kitchen but the sweet aroma of the waffles weren’t there. I then heard the scrape of a fork and knife on the living room and I went to open the antique grand door. They Were my parents eating breakfast with such delicacy and all Grace and I wanted to do was get as many waffles as we can and beat each other who ever devours the waffles first.

“Good morning kids. I hope you slept well.” My father greeted us gave us a kiss on the heasd. ”You’re probably wondering why we are having a lovely breakfast here in the living room.” my mother began. “Are we in trouble are you in trouble?” my brother questioned as he began to pour maple syrup on top of a stack of steamy waffles. “Huh,” Grace scoffed as she sat straight on her chair reminding everybody wither her posture that she has the best etiquette out of the three of us. 

“ Well,” my mother began,” we are having our last breakfast in this living room or should I say in this house, and we want it to be as special as it can be.” “What do you mean,” I asked after feeling butterflies in my stomach and my appetite had just left. “What your mother is trying to say is that we are moving back to our country and we wanted you guys to have a lovely breakfast before you guys start to pack your things and get ready to say goodbye to your friends,” my father replied as he knew that what my mother said would affect us.“What!” my sister spates as she stood up from her seat. ”That’s not fair! I don't want to leave my friends behind. What about the last few months of school? How am I suppose to tell them that we’re moving halfway across the world!” My parents and my sister were having a heavy discussion, but I did not pay attention. I was bewildered to the fact that I was going to live in a completely different country again. I got tired after my parents and Grace were discussing, so I got up and left the living room which felt like slow motion. I got on my bed and started to remember the memories I made here in Africa. This was my home and it felt like I wouldn’t feel at home if I leave here. After what my parents told us, it seemed as if the world was spinning.

“Have you finished packing all your stuff?” Grace remarked while entering my room and rolling her eyes after peering through my piles of clothes and knick knacks.

”I’m almost done,”I retorted back. “Well, hurry up!" She commanded me with squinty eyes. "Stop telling me what to do," I retorted back threw my pillow at my sister, but I obviously missed because she started teasing me for my bad aiming. After I finished packing my driver put my two huge suitcases from my room and took them downstairs to the trunk of the jeep.

“Finally!”Grace exasperated.”That took you long enough. Mom was really pissed when she found out that you took a million years to just pack your stuff.” “I can’t believe you ratted me out1”I hollered  back and started to stand tall in front of my sister looking down at her because I knew she hated that I was taller than her. I couldn’t blame her for why she is she is acting extra annoying. Our family is going to go through a huge change after we get on the airplane at 5:57 pm, I was still trying to cope with the fact that we were leaving my home. I grew up here and that will never change.

“Here, it won’t hurt if you sit in the window seat for the flight.” Grace explained as she got out of the line and let me pass through. I knew that it was difficult for her to let anybody sit at the window seat. “Ummm...Thanks,” I awkwardly answered perplexed of my sister’s unusual acts of kindness. Once the plane was ready to take flight, I looked to my left to know where my family was sitting. Nothing was out of the ordinary since my mom was praying for our safety, my father was shutting of his phone after doing some business calls, and my brother was whining about shutting off his PSP. The only thing that was different was that this time, my sister did not argue with me on the plane.

“Are you scared?”Grace asked me once the plane was in the air. “Yes I’m scared, but we will get through like we always do when we move.” I responded. Then Grace turned her head facing me and sighted,”It’s hard moving from country to country because you have to make friends and try to fit in all over again.” “Once we get off this plane, our life will change, people are still the same. Just make friends the way we always did.”I pointed out. After that,  there was dead silence in the plane for what felt like eternity.

“Attention everybody, please fasten your seatbelt. The plane is about to land in a few minutes. Thank you for flying with us,” the pretty flight attendant interrupted the peace and quiet with her french accent. “Well Sam, we’re here.”Grace sputtered with a shaky voice. Then she did something for the first time in my life. She held my and she gave me a kiss on my forehead. That’s when I knew that things were going to change once we get off this plane.

“The house is beautiful,” my mom admired. “It was a good choice that we got this house,”my dad boasted as he got our luggage out and the driver brought them into the house. My mother started blurting out ideas on where her antiques and precious furniture would look like. When Grace and I got out of the car, we did not raced inside the house and chose who get the big room with the best room. Instead we stayed outside looking at the beautiful strange house. It looked as if there was only one floor but it has other two floors going down instead up up. It had huge glass windows where you can see the brilliant colors of the rainbow through the grass. The house was leaning next to the side of a mountain. It had a very modern feel to it which I wasn't used to. All the other house I have lived in were more eclectic filled with rich style of the mediterranean.

“Hey, don’t be scared. You know I never thought I would say this but I always got your back. We will get through this.” Grace assured me as she noticed me shaking and not wanting to go into the house. “You copied my speech I gave to you on the plane,” I smiled back and looked at my sister. “I know, I was just reminding you that you should follow your own advice. For the first time, I didn’t talk back at her because I knew she was right. Grace and I did not have childish disagreements, but instead we held our hands as if our strength can lift the weight of the world off our shoulders.

I probably wouldn’t understand what Khaled Hosseny was trying to say through his quote, but now what his words is trying to say is crystal clear to me. People usually know what they will do in the future and what career they would pursue. That’s great but how will people know what they  really want when they don’t take risks? Nobody never knows what life is expected of them. Such as what happened in my life that happened suddenly out of the blue. The world thought that there wouldn’t be light in Europe again after what happened in Germany in the 1940’s, but now the west side is happy with their families and income. I thought that my best friend and I were inseparable since we were together  through first grade and all of Elementary. Nobody thought that she would become the rebellious jerk that everybody hates to be around with. I might have lost everything I knew that made my home. I’ll probably never see my friends again, but after what I have gone through, I am just glad that I made a new best friend.