Our College Takeaway

Episode 3 - This City Screams Its Name

After I prayed my morning prayer, I commanded myself to get up of the bed and face this day, I couldn’t bring but to be excited for today because I’m finally moving out of this household! Nothing compares to the happiness I felt right after I knew that my family is sending me to the city to live with my aunt!

I started to pack my things yesterday because of excitement, my parents did not even care so I showed no emotions. I’m just glad that they even thought of sending me to my aunt for college, and that she already pulled me out a slot to get to a prominent university in the city.

Why does my aunt care this much about me? I’m a total failure and she’s investing in someone like me, I’d love to say no to her offer but my guts made me take it—it’s a waste if I’ll throw it away. I would like to decline because of this ‘what ifs’ running inside my head the time I got notified.

Even so, I still pursued the offer. Aside from the thought that I would be free from all the burdens I’m currently strangled into, I would also like to be independent on living. I would like to get a part-time job if it suits the schedule, even though my parents would still send me my weekly allowance.

Life is full of endless possibilities, as I believe they say. I would like to take the risk and be free, other than trapping myself inside of this damp room. I would like to see a new scenery, away from all the experiences that led me to a vary of pain and trapped concealment.

I opened the curtains of my room, from the door, I reached to my balcony and I rested my arms on the cold steel railings. I watched the morning sun rising in the east, the orange skies turning into blue was a symbol of hope and new beginnings for someone who’s going to start a new life and has the chance to become someone else.

As I breathed the fresh scent of nature, I reminisced the memories I made here—the happy ones. From when I was a child, I dreamed of going beyond. I still do today, I aspire to become a teacher yet I also want to look beyond and explore places.

I wanted to go away.

As I was packing my things putting it inside my baggages, I noticed that someone entered my room. I lifted my gaze to see it, my eyes widened when I saw Pio. I gasped and it just crossed my mind that I did not tell him that I’m going away, he must be in total shock.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry, Pio, I forgot to tell you!” I stood but he just kept his silence, it made me nervous. He might be mad about it.

“Pio, I’m so sorry.” I apologized again.

“I understand, you’ve been on so many things these past few days and I can’t blame you for that.” He smiled, but I could still notice something beneath his stare.

“I’m just sad that my one and only bestfriend is going away and I would be left alone. Even so, I can’t force you to stay. You need to go there, and I knew you wanted to.” Pio shed a tear, he then wiped it using the palm of his right hand.

“You’ll never know how happy I am right now that you were going someplace for college, I envy you. I just wish that I could also go away and live on another place, I’m sick of this damn neighborhood.” He giggled, and so do I.

“We’re broke, and I now accept that this is the farthest I can go. I can’t always be with you, so take care of yourself out there.” Pio them advised me, I just nodded and I smiled.

“Hay, Pio... If you only know how much I yearn to get out of this place, of this household, and of this neighborhood, you would probably understand how joyful it is to leave.” I looked at him with assurance.