In one car ride
Summer Reading Essay:
(The Bean Trees and The Kite Runner)
What if one day you went into a bar and by the time you got back in your car, your life had changed dramatically? Well that did happen to me. You see, I decided that I wanted to drive away from my mother, who was back in Kentucky. I never thought I could build up enough courage to actually leave and drive across the country all by myself, but I knew if I wanted a change of scenery I needed to go. I had so many things on my mind when I was driving, like what happens if all of a sudden the car completely loses a tire? What happens if the transmission goes on me while I'm driving and I get stuck on the side of a road? Well I did not get to experience all of that while driving but I did experience the time when my gas gage was on empty and I decided to not stop until my 1955 Volkswagen Bug decided to stop. Finally, the car stopped in Taylorville and that is where I decided to change my name to Taylor Greer, instead of Marietta, sometimes called Missy. After that, I continued west to see what else the world had in store for me.
I decided that I wanted to keep on driving and when I did do that, I came upon many new findings. The first finding was that I got a daughter when I was in Oklahoma. An anonymous lady came to my car door and put a baby in the front seat. I did not know what to do with it because at this point I really did not even know what to do with myself. I drove a long way with this little girl in the car who I finally decided to name Turtle because she had such a tight grip to me every time I held her. Turtle was not my child of course, but she did mean the world to me so I took her along for the ride. I continued on and came across some people I soon became friends with in Tucson, Arizona. When I was in Arizona for a few months, I became very close with Mattie, Lou-Ann, Esperanza, and Estevan. These people were sort of like “family” to me because they treated me as if I had always been a part of their lives. Esperanza and Estevan was a couple who had been living with Mattie because she was someone who would take care of illegal immigrants. When they were looking for a change of scenery, just as I was, I decided to be that someone who would risk it all and drive them to a new sanctuary.
Once I got in the car and drove to Oklahoma, it was not long until I finally came to the house where Esperanza and Estevan needed to go. I was heartbroken because I did not want to say goodbye to such a wonderful man who I had connected with so much. All I wanted to do now was to get something to eat. I went in to the same place that I had gotten the new responsibility in my life; she was in my arms so nice and close to me. There were not that many people inside this place for lunch. When I was looking around, a young boy caught my eye. This boy was in his early teens, and he was not smiling back at me. I shortly understood that he was trying to play a game of hide and seek with Turtle.
On their way out, the son’s father came over and said, “Hello mam, my name is Amir, and this is my son Sohrab, and who are you (speaking to Turtle).”
I replied, “Hi, I am Taylor and this is my daughter Turtle, Come sit down and join us for some dessert.”
Amir said, “Why thank you mam, we will.”
At this time, Sohrab was now seated next to Turtle and started to make her laugh by making funny faces and talking to her. Amir and I were talking and we soon started to ask questions about each other.
Amir asked, “How old is Turtle, and where was she born?”
I replied, “Honestly, I do not know how old she is or where she was born, she was a gift from the lord.”
Amir said, “Well that’s a coincidence, because so is Sohrab, he is such a wonderful boy, and if it wasn’t for me, he would not be in America.”
This caught my eye, and I wanted to attack the response and ask so many questions but I did not want to make Amir feel awkward. Instead of waiting for him to ask me, I decided to tell Amir the whole true story of how I got Turtle. I found out the real reason Sohrab was in the United States and how he is truly his nephew and not his son. In the end of our conversation, we both realized that we have truly saved these children from their abusive lives and that if it was not for us, they probably would not be as healthy or lively looking as they are right now. Amir and I had such a great connection, it was as if I had never lost Estevan in the first place, that was until Amir told us he had to go because he was going to miss his flight to California if he did not leave that second. In that last minute, it was the most I have ever felt connected to someone, therefore I had told Amir that it was wonderful meeting him and Sohrab. The last thing I heard Amir say was to always remember that what we are doing is right. In my head I knew all along I was doing the right thing by saving this poor innocent little girl but by those last words, it truly hit me that I really was creating a better life for Turtle and myself.
