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I decided on a topic finally. This is the beginning of the piece.

            I’m mostly done unpacking when I stumble on an old photo with a young kid I don’t recognize. He’s small and looks pretty happy. He’s laughing crazily with his dad who looks just as happy. They both make life look so simple. “Everything was simple back then” I reminisce on the times when I was little. Yeah, that little boy in the picture looks like me, but that kid and me are no longer the same. Time changes a lot of things. Oh well, can’t go back. I toss that old photo right back and focus on setting up the rest of my dorm. “I’ll deal with you later Dad”.

            “Whooo man it feels good to be back on campus” I say sighing away the tension. Here I have all the freedom I need. I don’t have Moms here tellin’ me to clean my room or when to wake up in the morning. I can still here her yelling “Wake yo’ ass up boy! Clean this damn room. Don’t think you gon’ be in here sleeping all day”. I’ll miss her cookin’, not all that yellin’. I wish I could bring her here to cook, that’s it. No matter how much she loves me, she won’t leave Raleigh and come to New York just to cook for me.

Unlike Moms, at least Pops cuts me some slack. I know it’s because I’m his only son out of five kids. Even though I’m his only son, he can still be pretty hard on me. He just wants me to grow up with a “good head on my shoulders” as he always says. Since, I was little he’s been teaching me to be a man. “Never cry. A man always holds his own and provides for those who depend on him. Always have a firm hand shake. A man is always a man of his word”. Of course my mom couldn’t let me grow up without being taught how to be a gentleman. “Always hold door open for women. Never be rude to woman. Always ask if a woman needs help. Always say ma’am and sir to people.” Most people up here say that it’s my Southern Hospitality. Moms always says its good parenting and respect.