Enjoyment That Would End up Fading

Alan Li

Ms. Pahomov

English 3

20 December 2017

Enjoyment That Would End up Fading

“Hello,” my mother said from a distance as I came home from school. Even after a stressful experience being in the fifth grade for an entire school year, there was some sense of enjoyment within me when I stepped into the kitchen only to realize that my mother was talking with her friend on the phone about something I was not aware of at the time. As she hung up the phone, I asked my mother what she was talking about on the call. She went down and grinned jubilantly at me while I was still baffled by what she was planning. Without any hesitations, she told me that she was planning a trip where she could bring me and my brothers to a bus trip to Boston along with her friend’s family.

Even if it would be my first time going to Boston, I did not want to go to a bus trip due to how much money it would have been for my family to pay for everyone traveling north to Boston. When my mother got up and walked away from the kitchen, my body was motionless with the worrisome thought of having to spend a lot of money just on a bus trip. At the time, I would have screamed or whined about not going on the trip, but I was not able to. That would have just deterred my mother of happiness and enjoyment. As I think of the moment of me standing still in a temporary trance, I was able to recall the bafflement my eleven-year-old mind had and how difficult it was for me to make a decision on whether to complain to my mother about the trip or not. It was as though the consequences of the choices I would have to decide were like barriers to what I truly wanted at the time.

   As my family and I headed towards the gray bus that would take us to Boston, we encountered a lady spotting us from the bus stop with her husband and daughter. While delighted to see my mother, the lady embraced my mother as they both smiled. She turned out to be the person my mother was planning a trip to Boston with. When the girl looked behind to see what was happening between our mothers, my eyes dilated in horror as I realized that she was Susie, who was one of my closest friends from elementary school. She was not a horrible person but having her witness me with the rest of my family made me want to reconsider complaining to my mother about taking me to Boston.

At first, before the entire trip was arranged, I did not think of Susie much besides a person who was one of the people I socialized with within the school building. Since it was my first time having a friend from school witnessing me with my family and what I am like outside of school, my mind felt as though it wanted me to forget everything that ever occurred and go back home. While everyone was getting on the bus, for a moment, I stood still as though it was that time when my mother announced to me that we were having this trip. “Alannnnnnnnn!” Susie called out from the window as I regained my awareness of what life would be like in a place I had never been to.

Like the first night, while it was my last night staying in Boston, I would glance the window showing me the night sky. However, unlike my first night in Boston, the reason why it was hard for me to sleep was not due to how foreign it was. The reason why it became hard for me to sleep was that of how a foreign place like Boston ended up being a place that became familiar to me for the first time. Throughout the trip, since Susie has been to Boston before, her and her family were able to help guide my family time and time again through a big city like Boston. Even with the enjoyment I had getting to this place not only with my family but with a close friend of mine and her family as well, there was still some uncertainty within me on what life can be like leaving Boston and having to get used to life in Philadelphia. Hours went by as I lose consciousness bit by bit and the fears I kept throughout the trip slowly disappearing into the night.  

As the sun was preparing to leave the trip, my family and Susie’s family gathered together near an airport. Her mother wanted to say farewell to my mother. In return, tears poured down my mother’s eyes. I was not aware that I would not be able to see Susie after the trip was over. My mother knew all along that Susie and her family were going to move back to China after the trip was over; however, despite her awareness, tears came out of her eyes as she embraces Susie and her family. I stood still scared of not knowing what to do next. I did not want to say anything so it would not have been as sad as it was. Knowing too well that it was my last time seeing Susie, I decided to give my farewells to her and her family and they head towards the airport.

When I went back home and tried to sleep, I looked up at the ceiling while I was awake without the ability to sleep. Even though I was in Boston for like two months, it felt as though I was used to having a new life different from the life I always have had. However, since I knew that I would never see Susie again, it felt as though the life I had before the trip would not be same anymore. It was almost the first day of school by a few days and the feelings of joy I had during most of the summer quickly faded as the days gone by. I knew I would only end up at the same school—the place that gave me a lot of stress such as the high amount of homework and tests—again but without Susie—a close friend of mine that had been in the same school as me until now.

Looking back at the trip and the life I had after the trip, I realized how enjoyable life can be and that the reason why people can be disappointed is due to how those moments of enjoyment can end. By accepting my mother’s decision to go to Boston over the summer, I ended up learning what it was like being with someone from my school who I did not know would have a lot of significance in my life outside of it. I only realized how much that means to me when I got to see Susie and her family for last time as they were leaving for the airport, which reminded me of how much turmoil could come from losing someone who had a significant part of one’s life. Even though my trip to Boston was not the only moment of my life where I had enjoyment, I think it is significant to my life because I was stressed out before the trip only to end up stressing out again after the trip was over. Despite the enjoyable moments in my life only being temporary, it makes me feel better when I think of those moments of my life and how experiencing new things can even be enjoyable for me. To that, I want to thank my mother for planning that bus trip I would otherwise miss out on if I complained.

Script

After my fifth-grade year ended, my mother was planning a trip to Boston with a friend of hers. After she placed back the phone, I wanted to whine because of how expensive it was for my parents to pay off. However, I could not. I knew I would have only disappointed my mother if I did. Instead of whining, I just stood there, wondering if the trip would be worth it.

By the time we went to the bus stop, I ended up meeting Susie, whose mother happened to be friends with my mother. Since Susie was a close friend of mine from school, I did not want her to think weirdly of me. As I got on the bus, Susie noted that she and her family had been to Boston before. Although I felt awkward at that moment, I decided to ask her questions when it came to Boston. We ended up getting carried away as we talked about random things throughout the first day.

When it was my last time in Boston, I was not able to sleep. I enjoyed being in Boston, which was a place I got to learn more about because of the help from Susie and her family. I did not know she would end up becoming one of my best friends outside of school and how much enjoyment I would have with someone from my school. As we left Boston and headed to the airport, Susie’s family gave their farewells since they were moving back to China. My mother was filled with tears and before they left, I gave them my farewells in return. Without Susie being in my middle school class, my life felt stressful again as sixth grade started. Even though moments of enjoyment can be temporary, the reason why opening up to new moments can still be cherishable is due to the values they can have towards a person when moments like these are gone.