Second Chance

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

When Mallorie, Annette, and Vivien got to the airport and went through checkouts, they all decided to make good use of their Japanese yen (money). At the local Japanese airport called Narita airport, there were hundreds of stores eager to sell their expensive souvenirs. So all they went to a perfume, clothing, makeup, and jewelry store before they boarded the airplane. When they boarded the airplane, they made sure to get extremely comfortable for the long ride ahead. The plane ride back to America was 16 hours, luckily the plane ride consisted of good food and entertainment. During the plan ride, Mallorie decided to watch Avatar and Transformers while her mother and grandmother watched different movies. Then, a few hours later, Mallorie, her mom, and grandmother all fell asleep only to be awakened when the plan finally landed in the BWI international airport.

When Mallorie opened her eyes, she couldn't believe that she was in America after being away for three years. It was difficult for Mallorie to wrap her mind around the fact that America was her home now. She had gotten so used to living in Japan and its culture that she suddenly felt like an outsider to her place of birth. After they arrived and retrieved their luggage, they called a cab and then drove to Andrews Air Force base where they would be staying for three weeks until they reached Brooklyn, New York City. Then, following in August, Mallorie would be attending her freshmen year at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College where she got accepted.

Once Mallorie and her family arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, it took them almost two in a half hours to unload and get everything inside their hotel room. Once they got settled, they relaxed and ordered food. For the next three weeks, Mallorie and her family went to the mall, visited D.C., and visited the Martin Luther King's Memorial. When their time came, they packed all their belongings again and went home to Brooklyn, New York to live as citizens. Transitioning from living on a military base to fast paced New York City was a bit difficult at first, but they soon got into the flow of things. However, as Mallorie was enjoying her summer days she couldn't help but think about James. Now that she was away from him, she thought about him even more everyday and every night. Even though Mallorie had a lot of activities to distract her mind, James completely took dominance over her thoughts. Over the summer, Mallorie and her family enjoyed just being with each other at home with family and friends; these were the moments that Mallorie would cherish for a long time.

Before Mallorie knew it, her time was up and it was time for her to go to school. Mallorie was going to live on campus and attend the Penn State Erie, the Behrend College in Erie, Pennsylvania. Her campus was 9 hours away from Brooklyn, New York City; needless to say it was going to be a long and butt numbing ride. But, when the day came, Mallorie was more anxious and nervous then ever. Unfortunately, Viven couldn't make the trip because she wasn't feeling well, so it was just Mallorie and Annette. When they arrived at the campus, Annette decided to stay over night at a local hotel next to Mallorie's campus then Annette would leave the next day. Just before Annette left, Mallorie and her mom stood in the parking lot to say goodbye to each other; it was a tearful moment.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss you so much"

"I know cherie, I'll miss you too baby." Annette said as she embraced her daughter in a tight hug.

"Please tell meme that I love her and miss her too."

"I will cherie, I love you."

"Je'taime mom, I love you so much" and with that, Mallorie and Annette kissed and hugged each other for the last time and went their separate ways.

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During the first week of school, Mallorie, met some new people and soon became friends with them plus her roommate were really cool. Thankfully, Mallorie's roommate didn't party, do drugs, or get drunk which was what she prayed for.

During the first week of school started things seemed pretty easy as everything settled down, but as the second week rolled in, her professors were already assigning her a huge amount of work. It took some time for Mallorie to adjust from being in high school to college and she had to change her work ethic while increasing her self discipline. Needless to say it wasn't easy and when Mallorie took her first exam during she got a D. After that disaster, she buckled down and started studying a lot harder and in the end, it all paid off. Mallorie finished her first semester of college with a 3.42 GPA, which was pretty good for a freshmen. When she went home for winter break, Vivien and Annette were so proud of her. Following the next semester, Mallorie achieved a 3.53 GPA and made Dean's list. She couldn't be more proud of herself. During her sophomore year, Mallorie worked even harder as the work load became tougher; her major was pre-medicine and she wanted to work in the medical field. But, in the midst of all of her work, her mind would always wander back to the man she fell in love with so long ago. Every night while Mallorie would sleep, James would occupy her dreams. Not the mention, Mallorie would have nightmares about the memories of their almost first kiss.

To be honest, Mallorie wondered how James was doing and if he had been attracted to another women. However, in the midst of all her worrying all she did was prayed that James would find his happiness whether it be with Mallorie or somebody else. But there were times when Mallorie felt so lonely and empty, she longed to see James or hear his voice again. Since Mallorie left Japan, she hadn't talked to James since. And so working hard every day kind took her mind off of her heart troubles and after the first semester ended, Mallorie went home for winter break to spend some quality time with her family. Being with her family was the therapy that soothe her troubles.