From that point on, everything went as expected. Meaningless conversations with my cousins and a song or two sung by my drunk uncles; A long and ominous prayer before eating that ensured each and every member of the family was mentioned and even included a snarky remark about the absence of my mother; Even the announcement of my cousin’s third pregnancy. Everything was okay, yet, slowly but surely, things started to turn for the worse. I saw it coming. One of my younger cousins was talking about how he was about to graduate from college with honors and I instinctively turned to my dad as if asking for it. Sure enough, he started yapping about me quitting college and pursuing my dream of becoming a writer.

The storm passed but almost as if God had not had his fill with my suffering, my oldest cousin started talking about his promotion and how much he was earning. “I wish my useless son would do something with his life. All he does is scratch his ass in front of the computer.” My dad yelled, as if the stage had just lit the brightest lime light on him. Some uncomfortable laughs followed. I could have explained that I was working my ass off to make a somewhat decent figure with my writing but, as always, it would have been futile. I poured one last cup of soda and started walking away from the “festivities”.

If the searing natural park had any redeeming point, it definitely was the farthermost section of the woods. It would eventually get so thick that no light would pass through the assortment of leaves that garnished the trunks of the trees. Here and there some rustic stairs and bridges had been made with logs boards and some very sturdy rope. The temperature was much better there and the fact that most of what I could hear was the sound of a river raging somewhere near and the chirping of the birds was probably my favorite part. I walked there, completely entranced, for forty minutes or so before I had completely covered the extent of the trail made by the park owners and in a moment of clarity the temperature and a patch of the sky with no leaves covering it made me realize that the sun was starting to set. At best I had two more hours before we left so I decided to start walking back.

I suddenly felt a pull on my shirt and instinctively jerked my arm to release it from whatever was holding it. I immediately regretted doing so. I felt a burning sensation searing a line in the underside of my forearm. It was a rusty old wire protruding from the ragtag fence encircling the path I was walking on. The cut was not deep but it bled, nonetheless. I paid no mind to it because my attention had been drawn to the fence itself. It had been cut. A whole section of it had been completely removed.

I repeatedly asked myself if I had the time to explore this “adventurous” path that seemed to appear fortuitously in front of me. I figured I had enough time to, at least, see how long it stretched. I was surprised to find a path clearly visible and amidst the excitement I forgot to actually discern the length of it. With the sun still completely in the horizon I decided to follow the trail that lead to it and a clear that teased me from the edge of the slope I was traversing. I was determined to reach the slope and be done. After a good ten minutes of walking uphill more than just literally, I found myself no longer surrounded by trees. I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text from my sister. “We leave at 7. Don’t get lost.” Clear and concise.

My sister and I barely even spent time together but when it came to dealing with my dad we were soldiers in the same army.

It was 5:24. Time was on my side. I looked up and I saw the orange sky tinted by the slow but steady descent of the setting sun. It was closing on the edge of the horizon now. Another hill on the other side of the ravine made the scene a spectacle of nature. As awful as life could be, it was things like this that gave me a spec of peace. And then, I heard it and I saw it and I almost felt it. It was the river. Furiously gushing along the bottom of the ravine. The fall was tremendous but it somehow compelled me to jump.

My half philosophical half suicidal thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the a voice. A female voice. “Hey stranger.” The voice said as I jerked myself back and turned to her, not even a bit composed. “Are you trying to kill me?” I yelled. Angrier than scared now. “Quite the opposite.” She said, accompanying her words with a playful giggle.