Life is a journey, long and hard for most. But you can’t call it a journey without a cause. The cause for living is more diverse than those who experience it. No two personalities are completely alike, maybe similar but not the same. People may try to live the lives of others, but those who pretend become blinded by their own faults, and forget who they really are. Nothing is wrong with experimenting with other lifestyles, in fact it's natural. It is in our nature to try and fit in with modern society at least once in a lifetime. Some succeed enough to live it, some do not. But if no two people are the same in every way, then why try to fit in? Well, most people can share at least one common bond, it's just a matter of finding the person who has the common bond, and sometimes, life is just too short to search. It’s a shame really, people go day in and day out, alone, and in my honest opinion that is not the way to live. You need to have some other being in your life to make it worthwhile. This story, like many others, will have a happy ending, but will come from two very different beginnings. They will both take a journey through a thing called, life.

We begin our story with, Jacky. A strong young man from Smithville, Georgia, who has come from ethnic backgrounds and believes in the power of family. His family means everything to him, and he would do anything he can to protect it. He grew up humble, with his family not accumulating much money, but Jackey didn’t care. His family loved him dearly, him and his four older brothers took care of him, because his mom and dad worked all the time to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, even though they were almost never in the house. As Jackey describes it, “my house is not that big, but has the most character east of the Mississippi”. His house was a shack, eight-hundred square feet with no basement or attic, with one landline telephone and the bathroom outside. The white paint on the walls have been peeling off since the Civil War ended, and there was one small leak over the kitchen roof. They do not put money into fixing it because it is their water source during the dry seasons, so they just have a bucket on a high chair underneath. Behind this house was a vast forest. The woods were an ancient burial ground of the Native Americans that used to live in town almost 300 years ago. The trees were as tall as sequoias and blew a sorrowful tune when rustled by the wind. It might as well have been a bog because when it rained, there was no place where you could not get soaked from the waist down.

Jacky is a very intelligent kid, in high school he made the honor roll all four years and was able to take all of the classes they provided, along with a big brain, he also had street smarts. He could tell what was a good idea, and what would be disastrous to his future. His brothers who were already out of High School would take a much different paths. Together they would go to the town bar and drink until there was no alcohol left. They have been to the county jail more often than they have been into the bar. Which left Jacky to take care of the household by himself, so he got used to coming home to an empty house with a small amount of money on the table for food. Jacky loved his family more than anything, but his desire to get away from it all was more potent. So he started saving up any money he could to go towards college in Atlanta. He had the brains and the will, all he needed was the money. All of his friends helped him the best they could to gain cash to live, and Jacky took the money that his mother gave him for food and put it in a small mason jar marked, “my future”. This is Jacky’s backstory.

We move up north to Boston, Massachusetts, where we meet Anne. She has been a year and a half out of high school, and is too lazy to find a job outside of burger flipping. She lives in a very wealthy neighborhood in one of the biggest houses on her block. Her mother was an accountant at The Boston Globe, the local newspaper. She went to Harvard to study business and was the top student in her class, but when she got out, she could not start her own business, so she took a relatively small job at the Globe. Her father is a very successful lawyer who only takes the major cases under his belt. Anne’s father and her mother are home a lot, so they are able to monitor her life, but even though they are home work still rules their lifestyles, which leaves Anne alone. Anne’s house is almost too big for her, and she doesn’t like the space she has, because with a big lifestyle comes a reputation to keep up. She cannot handle the pressure and wishes that she had a glimpse of small town life. Her parents hear her request and plan a summer trip down south, to Atlanta, Georgia. She just got out of High School and wishes to be like her father, she doesn’t know what yet, but something in law. But she is not the brightest student in the world, she struggles in every class not because she does not try, but she finds learning difficult. So she is hesitant to apply for a college, even though she knows that she needs to in order to follow her dream. Anne seeks a chance since she is going down to Atlanta this summer, that maybe she can tour the campus to find out how bad she wants to make her dream come true.

We continue the story back at Jacky’s house. It’s summertime and his high school career is almost over. Just two days away from graduation. He sees it as not the end of his life, but the beginning of a new one. He has saved up the money to make it on his own through college in Atlanta, he doesn’t know what he wants to major in yet, but he also knows that whatever he majors in he will find a way to succeed in it. Whatever it takes to get out of that waterhole Smithville. When he is thinking about this something breaks his train, a loud ring in his ears. It’s the school bell, and it’s time to go home. Jacky never takes the bus, his house is only two miles away, so he walks. He walks through the same vibrant trees he’s known his entire life, and goes down the gravel beaten path towards home, but today, something is different. He doesn’t think of what he is going to do in order to survive the next month, instead he dreams about life outside of his town. He is thinking about his future, finally. He has been saving up money for 5 years, a grand total of 20,000 dollars to go and visit the Atlanta, to see what he wants to do. The reason why he saved so much money is because he plans to rent out a home in Atlanta so that he can spend more time away from Smithville. He is already 18, and he remembers a grim future that once he is out of high school, his parents are giving the house back to his brothers, and he will need to find a home of his own. So these past few days have been nerve wracking. Something could go wrong and he knows that, especially now that his brothers are out of jail again, they always make life hard. All they do is take what’s Jacky’s and then leave whenever they are around. He tries to not think about what could happen, but is stressed on how he can prevent it, because right now he has no other place to go, there is no escape yet. Thinking of that at the house makes him tired, he realizes from the sundial outside that there is no shadow to read, because it’s dark. So in response to this discovery, he goes to bed. Tomorrow is the big day, graduation. Tomorrow is where his story branches off from the rest of his family, tomorrow he is on his own. So whatever is his in the house he starts to pack in his old bookbag, whatever doesn’t fit, he will carry. He falls asleep peacefully tonight, knowing this will be the last time he will sleep in this house, his pain and suffering of living in this house with his brothers will finally be over.

For Anne, her life in High School has been over for quite some time. The only thing that has been keeping her in the home is the words, “ i am still searching.” She has been saying that for almost two years now, and her parents have had enough. So when she wanted to go down south to experience small life, they were happy to plan the summer trip. Anne is also excited to go herself, not just to get away from it all, but it is something new. She has never been as far south as Richmond, Virginia, when her father had a case to settle in the city. The trip is in two days, and she has already packed her bags. The hotel they are staying in is what she has requested, small and simple. A hotel in Statesboro, Georgia, the sweetest little bed and breakfast that she has ever seen; it was perfect. Her parents, on the other hand, wanted something outside of Atlanta, because the reason why they wanted her there was to look at colleges, which is what they agreed on. They still gave her what they wanted, because they sensed that this trip would change her life. No matter the distance, they would drive her there. Anne wasn’t always a believer in superstition, but this time it was different. She felt that this was the beginning of her life and the end of life as she knew it. She couldn’t describe the feeling; it was a complex combination of a whole bunch of thoughts and fears. Hopes and dreams would soon collide with reality in the real world. Like a slow timer it crept closer and closer until it was at her front door. Anne has always felt this, but she could not shove them deep inside herself any longer. Now it’s all she thinks about; life outside her realm, a pilgrimage to new lands unheard by her. She would become a pioneer of adulthood, and living on her own.

An alarm, barely ringing but gaining vibrancy plays in the back of his mind. It’s time to wake up; the beginning of a brand new day. Today is a very special day, its Jacky’s graduation ceremony. Usually it takes Jacky some time to prepare for the day in the mornings, but now surprisingly he jumps out of bed and speeds through his routine. He is late getting up and is in jeopardy of missing the ceremony. The dreams of living on his own must have grappled him to his bedside and pleaded him not to leave. He frantically finds his gown, puts it on, and out the door he goes.

7:30 A.M., Smithville Senior High School, there is a joyful vibe in the air as the graduates line up for a tradition. They would walk through town up to the north side of town to a park where the ceremony would take place.The reason behind this tradition is to remind the students of where they came from, by blemishing their flawless gowns with the dirt and grass of the earth. This is to remind them through their future lives to always treat others as equals. The administrators take a final roll call of the seniors to make sure everyone who had planned to be there. This is it, Jacky’s last chance to walk up on the platform and formally receive his document in front of the whole town watching anxiously to welcome: daughters; sons; grandchildren; nephews; nieces; brothers and sisters, to the real world. A friend of Jacky’s spots him sprinting franticly towards the group and halts the teacher’s check. He made it; barely made it.

“Where you been?”, one asks in spirit.

“Don’t ask.”, Jacky says

“Your late, but not late enough.”, the teacher adds. The teacher was wondering why his gown was covered from head to toe with numerous colors of dirt and grime on himself already. Jacky tells him where he lives and it immediately stops the teacher’s curiosity. So Jacky gets in line with the others and begins the walk with his fellow classmates.

Jacky begins to walk through town to the ceremony; his childhood shadows in the windows of the square. He can see all phases that he went through; the square was his second home. All of the store owners knew who he was and where he came from and were proud to see him go down the roads and streets that they went down, so many years ago. They were heading down the unpaved road that he lived on, all of the poor and unpaid workers lived  here. The change in scenery was drastic as this was just outside of town. When they came to Jacky’s shack, Jacky spat on the grounds of his own home, to say a final goodbye to the home he only knew as a prison from success. The group approaches a small lake, the lake that they all came to swim in during the summer. It had that old country green tint to it along with all of the mosquitos and frogs that live here. It is truly a blessing to graduate just to see this beautiful scenery.

After the ceremony ended, Jacky went to find his brothers. He needed to fill out the papers to sign over the house to them. While doing so he runs into a couple of his friends that wanted to know if his plan was still in motion, Jacky said that his mindset has not changed and directed them to get everything ready for tonight. Eventually he finds his two brothers, they were waiting for him back at the house. Jacky had been looking for them all day, but that all didn’t matter, at least he found them. They let Jacky through to the door so that he could unlock the door, even though it looked like it could have easily been broken through. Jacky begins grabbing all of his things that he personally owned; such as family pictures, clothes, blankets, and even a very old coffee maker. Just before he left, he remembered about the folder full of money he had left in a secret crack in the floor underneath his bed. His brothers see him crawl under the bed to get to the crack. Curious, they walk behind Jacky to see what he was doing. Surprised they find Jacky getting back up with 20 grand in his right hand. Being older brothers, one goes to lock the door to the outside and the other asks him where he got the money from. Jacky told them he has been saving up from what his mother had been giving him for years.

“It be a darn shame if mother found out about this, she would be so upset.” Both the brothers become jealous and try to take the money away from him. Jacky struggles in between the two to get out of the house. He knew what they did and busts through the fragile door to see that his brothers had also locked his stuff outside to the left of the door. He quickly snatches his thins that were tied into a camper’s get-up, puts it on his back and sprints into the deep woods behind the house. His brothers follow him into the woods all three of them know too well. Jacky was terrified of getting lost in the forest because he did not bring a flashlight, and even if he did they would easily spot him. So guided by blind instinct, he falls in a hole. But he fell in a hole even he didn’t know was there; there was no way he would be found here.

“You can’t hide forever.”, one of the brothers shouted in the distance. He decided he would sleep in the hole and wait until morning. This was not the way he thought his new life would begin.

Anne woke up in the car, she must have not remembered getting up and getting in the car that morning. She was hungry and asked where they were eating breakfast. Her parents said that they would be eating breakfast on the plane. She hated flying, she could not describe the pain and anxiety that it brought to her conscience. They were nearly late to their flight this morning because of the traffic of both tourists and natives in the city; but that doesn’t matter now. She can rest on the flight for about 2 hours until they will need to get back off the plane in Atlanta.

The same day, Jacky wakes up from his hole in the forest. All of his things were untouched by his brothers; they did not find him. He walked into town with his clothes, covered in mud. His friends asked him what happened, Jacky just shook his head and asked them if their, “friend”, had left yet. His friends said that he decided to stay in town for just one more day; Jacky was lucky. His friends took him to a van that the man was staying in. The van was rusted, and smelled like a trash heap because it was one. The man driving it looked like someone who had been out of jail a few times, and could not be trusted in any way. Jacky didn’t care, the way he saw this was a blessing from god. So fearlessly, he jumped into the wagon and he sped off with him towards his promised land, Atlanta.

. . .

We jump ahead in the story to Anne and Jacky being in Atlanta at the same time. Both of these people would meet at a small cafe near the south side of town. As soon as they spotted each other, they're eyes locked. Anne was not interested in Jacky, even though she secretly did like him. She was too afraid of a relationship on her own. Jacky asked her out to a dinner date next week. Just them and Atlanta, he explains that they could see Atlanta together and decide where they want to eat then. Not thinking, Anne agrees to the generous offer.

Jacky, sitting in his crummy apartment, thinks about how this night will go down. His deadline is fastly approaching and he has only 15,000 left in his savings to pay for dinner, vehicle, and gift. The nice suit he will wear is one from his brothers that he stole. He thought that he wouldn’t be needing it any time soon. His car will need to be at least a city car, something modern. He found a 2016 Chevy Silverado for rent. The down payment is 5,000 and the rate is 200 a month. He does the math in his head and he is now down to about 8,000 for rent. The problem is, he has to walk about 11 miles to the dealership; anything for her, he really wants to make her happy He has just enough money for dinner and a gift for Anne, otherwise he would have paid for a bus; the topic has been worrying him. He knows anything could go wrong, something always does.

Anne, back in her hotel room, decides on what she is going to wear to dinner; something formal, or rural perhaps. She can’t decide, so she texts Jacky that she will decide when he gets here to pick her up. Jacky says that’s fine. Her parents wonder why she thinks this is so important, why this man is someone that she wants to spend time with. She answers with content that she loves him. Her parents say that they want the best for her and warn her of things to come. The father walks out of the room to get more towels for the room while the mother helps her pick out the dresses that she has and the dresses that Anne brought as well. Her mother is also excited for her to finally be getting with a man and supports Anne.

Jack is on time, for once. He has brought the cash envelope and is almost at the dealership. He had spent the last week planning out how to get there the fastest way possible, and dodging the bad roads and streets; this is baffling him. He has never had something go right for him in his life, and the one thing that has is just getting a vehicle. He is almost scared things will go too well, all he wants is a car. He ordered it waxed on site and is ready to go. A brand new car, this is the first thing that he has received that was new in his entire life; he loved every bit of it. From the mirrors to the back bumper, everything was perfect. He also thought that it was perfect for her too.

Jacky is on his way to her hotel, even though it’s miles away nothing can get in his way. He has decided on a black satin suit, with black leather cowboy boots and hat. He looked stunning, with the poor boy, rough- and- tough body in a modern style. He could be on the front cover of Vogue Magazine. The truck was freshly polished and looked like the upscale personality that Jacky has desired for so long. The gift was a bouquet of flowers and a bracelet that glistened with diamonds, all over the perfect tour of Atlanta at the end of the night. Her hotel was about two hours away, which gave time for him to think about his past life. All the pain and suffering of a small town life was worth it to experience this night.

He was here, Anne’s hotel room. Anne had saw what he was wearing and said she would be out in a minute or two. Her father took this chance to give him, the talk. Jacky respected everything he said, because he had the same thought process. Anne had come out of the hotel room, she was also perfect. A beautiful strapless red dress with sparkles to give it extra flare. She wore earrings of red rubies dangling from her ear with diamond borders. Her shoes were glossy high heels with open toes that were painted red as well. Jacky could not believe his eyes. She was more perfect than he could ever imagine. A goddess is what he would commonly say. As they were walking out, her parents waved from the front entrance as her father looked in awe of Jacky’s vehicle. He gave him the thumbs up of approval that Jacky had been looking for all night.

They would tour Atlanta at it’s finest, there was plenty to do. It was harder to decide what to do than find something to do. To save time Anne decided to eat dinner at a barbeque. Still being a tourist, that was all that she could think about. So Jacky said that was ok, a little overdressed, but ok. They were seated in the back booth closest to the restrooms and the kitchen. They talked the night away it seemed like. Talking about where they both came from and where they wanted to go. They both found that each other wanted to visit Europe at some point. How the food was didn’t matter at this point, and they didn’t care. The night ended with a two hour drive back to her hotel room, they both waved goodbye to each other and the rest was history.

They would go on to live with each other and Jacky got his family. His son Arnold grew up being proud of where he came from, and his daughter was just like her mother. He loved life, and so did Anne. Things went perfect from then on, but things could have been different. Jacky could have stayed in that little town and became noeone. Anne could have been a single lady near Boston, or end up on the street. These two chose the commands and believed in a better life. Others in this world have not had the privilege to choose. Life is beautiful, diverse and short term. They chose to live it.