I’m staying until New Years because Christmas is in about a week and I want to spend both of those with my family here. I am super excited because every year for Christmas, we go around the neighborhood to carol at each house and then we make a huge dinner and open presents. I decide to get ready, to get last-minute Christmas presents. This mall is pretty big, there’s every store imaginable. I go to about thirty different jewelry stores to find what I’m looking for. I want to buy my mom a unique necklace that NO ONE in the world has, and trust me, it’s really hard to find one, considering they’re in places like jewelry stores. I end up buying her one that has all her favorite things; dogs, flowers, and her name. My moms' name is Lyana, which means sunlight. I always praise my grandma for picking out that name, my mom is the literal definition of sunlight. She always lights up the room and when you talk to her it feels like she connects with you even if she doesn’t. I love my parents and I’m so glad to call them mom and dad. I finish up shopping and go grab a bite to eat. I scroll through my phone and decide to check my e-mail…that’s when I see it....

I GOT A REPLY BACK! I swear this is what I have been waiting for this whole week. I open and read the reply. My eyes drop and my smile fades. My writing sadly didn’t get accepted but I’m glad they considered it and gave it one chance before rejecting it, that means a lot. The drive back was depressing, I swear I didn’t care about getting rejected, only because I had a bunch of other companies whose responses were still pending but, I started to get nervous..what if no one accepts my work? What if I never have a successful future? What if I fail. I turn up the radio to erase those thoughts from my brain. I finally get home and run to the kitchen where the whole family is gathered around the long kitchen island. All eyes turn to me. I stand there stiffly looking at every familiar face. It’s definitely an awkward ten seconds before they all run to hug me. I didn’t know my parents were having a party. I was about to tell them about what happened at the mall, but I don’t want to do it in front of all my family members. I don’t want them to be disappointed in me so, I’ll just wait. They all let go of me and I go around to greet everyone. I swear I have too many family members, I barely know half of these people. Everyone is smiling and talking about different topics. The kitchen is full of laughter and fullness. I decide to go up to my room after I greet everyone, just to have alone time with myself, and process everything that just happened. I sit there laying on my bed facing the ceiling for a few seconds. I hear the door open slowly.

It’s mom. “Sweetie!” she screams. She quickly realizes I’m feeling a little down, so she lowers her voice to whispering mode. “What’s wrong?” she questions. “Nothing, I’m okay.” I say. “Look, I know when somethings wrong so, just tell me.” “Mom, I swear, I’m okay. Go have fun downstairs, you deserve it.” “Hey, you know you can talk about anything with me, okay?” “Yes. I know. Now go.” “Okay.” I don’t want to ruin her fun. Especially when she’s on vacation. She needs to relax. Just like I do. I try to forget everything happened by playing music and writing about my experience. I dance around my room until I get tired and my body drops to the floor. I gasp for air before I let out a laugh. A few days pass and I’m doing better than before. Christmas is just around the corner; we put up Christmas lights and set up the tree. I’ve always loved Christmas because I get to spend time with my family all at once and laugh the whole night. We always do a Christmas party and invite everyone in the neighborhood. I do all the cooking, my parents always insist of helping me but it’s almost like it’s my passion, right next to writing, of course. I set up the food on the tables and hang up all the final decorations. Guests start coming in and I greet them with a smile. The whole house gets full in minutes and I try to spark up a conversation with everyone I can. We had fun and partied all night. It was three in the morning and all of the guests started to leave. I was getting tired, so helped my parents clean up and by the time we finished cleaning the whole house, it was about four thirty. I ran to my room to get ready for bed. All of a sudden my phone buzzed. I was confused because I barely get notifications this late at night. I check the notification. Oh. My. God. “I GOT ANOTHER REPLY BACK!!!!!” I swear the whole house echoed. My parents ran up to see if I was okay. “Honey, are you okay?” “What’s wrong?” I think right now is the perfect time to tell them everything that happened. “Oh honey, we’re so proud of you,” “rejection can only lead to success.” My parents will support me no matter what. It’s time to see if I got rejected or not. I read slowly every word. “I GOT ACCEPTED!!!!!” My parents hug me tight and I release my tears. This was the company that I wanted my work to represent and I’m so glad that I get to represent it. It’s my last day in California and I try to make the most of it before I go back home. I spend time with my family, eat at my favorite fast food places, go relax by the pool, and write. I start to pack since my flight is early in the morning. I can’t believe that when I get to Canada, I’ll be working for the company I have always wanted to work for. My alarm buzzes in my ear before I roll over to turn it off. I check the clock and it’s three in the morning. I get ready and pack some final stuff. “I’ll miss you so much” I tell my parents. “Until next time sweetheart.” I hug them and say my goodbyes. After that last e-mail I got, I’m ready to start new and fresh and write pieces I want. I get home, go to meet my new boss, and start writing a new piece. I sit there, and I sign my book to everyone in the company. This is the book you are reading now about how one singular thing took a toll on my life.