Now normally, someone would probably say something along the lines of "The divorce hit hard" or "it came as a shock" but honestly, I felt very little about it. I was a bit sad to see my dad go, but I was so used to change being the norm that change didn't bother me so much. I adapted quickly, so quickly in fact that my father was barely a second thought by the time we reached my grandmother's home half a day later.
My grandparents were not your typical grandparents for the most part. My grandfather was into fast cars and style. He bought pretty extravagant jewelry, rings and chains, expensive clothes and leather, he adored leather. Leather jackets, leather shoes, cool shades and Onyx jewelry. He was a hot blooded Sicilian with a temper, he was equally kind and harsh. My grandmother on the other hand was very reserved. Opinionated but only about certain things, and she'd usually fall back to whatever my grandfather had to say.
Back then they lived in a gorgeous house in a quaint neighborhood in suburban Virginia. during these times, kids still played outside and had little adventures. I quickly made friends with one of the neighborhood boys, named Thomas. Thomas was a year younger but a bit mature for his age, and he had a bit of love for games, which we used to forge a friendship. He was less like me in just how much he enjoyed them though, so I'd often find myself pulled away from his Sega Genesis, our favorite game to play being Nights, and out to the neighborhood.
We created forts, explored, and played pretend. Eventually we made more friends in the neighborhood and ended up playing tons of outdoor games and activities together. I was slowly being pulled from my comfort zone and into a much brighter world. I even formed a crush on Thomas' older sister at the time, but of course never admitted it to anyone. The months passed and I was becoming slowly happier.
Around this time, my mother began getting back into the dating world. Not entirely but she tested the waters. If she dated much she never told me. Her plan was to find my next father, not just a boyfriend, so my input was considered above all else. She eventually met a Sailor while out dancing, and they began to date.
These times are a bit of a blur, my life was a bit full at this time. Lots of family, friends, school, squeezing in games when I could, I was kept busy all the time. When she finally introduced me to him, I wasn't mature enough to really understand what was going on. I acted up a little, was a bit defiant, and wasn't sure if I really liked him or not. Eventually we found some common ground.
Because I was so heavy into gaming, and my father never took any interest in showing me anything about them, sports were foreign to me, and I had little interest in them. As luck would have it, however, he was also a bit of a comic book nerd, and an artist. He introduced me to comic books as well as drawing comics. I immediately took to one of my all time favorite heroes, to this day he still is, The Amazing Spiderman. We managed to find a spark to forge a bond through them as he introduced me to more and more of this world.
And then, the day came, which I figured it would, but this time, was especially hard. I had tons of new friends, I was enjoying school, and I loved being close to my grandparents and aunts uncles and cousins. But, my mother and this man wanted to try stating a life together, and that wasn't going to happen in my grandparents house. It was time again to move. This time, we were making the trip back to New York.
It was about this time when my world crumbled, but not in the way you'd probably expect. I didn't get sad, I didn't get angry, I simply switched off. As if emotion left me, or someone did a hard reboot to my system and started me fresh again. No friends, no feelings one way or the other. Just time to go. Time to start over again.
I don't remember much from this point in time, it was another blur, like my memory has been fragmented and parts lost. I remember saying goodbye to Thomas early in the morning, but not what happened after the goodbye was said. I remember it being time to go but not saying goodbye to my grandparents. In fact, a large portion of what happened next, is a complete blank.
I'll end it here and continue in another post. I hope you enjoy the story of my life so far, because honestly, I am enjoying telling you.