Exercise # 4

Nicola sat quietly on her bed, staring at the picture before her. The young girl in the photo stared back at her with one arm clinging tightly to her mother’s leg, the other clutching a white stuffed bear. Tears filled Nicola’s eyes as she watched the little girl, whose eyes were so full of joy. For a brief moment, Nicola smiled to herself as she felt the same warmth and happiness that her younger self had felt at that moment.

Folding the picture up, Nicola tucked it into her back pocket as she stood from her bed. She had been waiting for this moment for most of her life. Her entire academic career had been molded around the day when she would pack her bags and leave for college. Picking up her duffle bag, she slung it over her shoulder and left the room, “Mom, let’s go! I’m going to be late.” Nicola nagged at her mother as she headed for the door, passing her mother on the way. Not waiting for a reply, Nicola opened the front door and walked out. Throwing her bag into the open trunk with several suitcases, she saw her mother finally leave the house.

The two climbed into the car, her mother’s eyes dripped with tears, and bags hung from them, telling the world of her lack of sleep. “Now dear, be sure to call after orientation, and if you have problems with your registration, go to the Administration and tell them that I called before hand.” She lectured her daughter, “If your room mate is horrible, be sure to apply for a switch right away and—“

“MOM!” Nicola cried exasperated. “I’ll be fine.” She said quickly, “God, I’m not your little girl anymore! STOP treating me like a baby!” Nicola yelled as she crossed her arms over her chest and sunk into her seat. She knew she was acting childish, especially since she didn’t want her mother to treat her as one, but after eighteen years, she’d had enough. The mother and daughter pair rode the rest of the way in silence. Five hours later, when they finally reached Nicola’s school, Nicola took her bags out of the car, slammed the trunk shut and watched her mother drive off without a goodbye. She felt slightly guilty for what she had said, but she meant every word of it, and wasn’t about to go back on it. Standing before her dorm building, she looked up to the top floor. Taking the picture she had in her back pocket out, she gave it one final glance before she tore it up slowly and threw the pieces to the ground, “Baby Nickie’s all grown up.” She said with a large grin as she grabbed her luggage and entered the building, leaving the torn remains of her childhood photo to be scattered and lost in the wind.