Hart Felt Goodbye

Pink With Compassion

It'sbeen quite a headache the past several weeks. Every other day or so, I would be alerted of trouble lurking in our city. Nine times out of ten it turns out to be a creature sent out by Lord Zedd and Rita. That would be my cue to use my power morpher to transform into a Power Ranger. For the past two years, I've helped my teammates guard Angel Grove with all of our might. All of that came ahead the moment I discovered my power coin had fallen into the wrong hands. After witnessing my life energy being depleted before my eyes, it became clear my duty as a Power Ranger had come to a screeching halt.

I reflected on that fateful afternoon. Just to witness myself as vulnerable as I've ever been in my life was very traumatizing. Since I recovered, I had a rough time going into detail about that experience. Whenever my friends brought it up, I ended up walking out of the discussion right then and there. It wasn't anything personal. I didn't mean to alienate them the way I reacted. It pained me so much to reflect what those fiends did to me. Whenever I'm out of the house, I'd be at school studying or taking a stroll around the neighborhood.

Being a Power Ranger has its pros and cons. For one thing, I'm flattered to be contributing to the team in a way that allows us to do what's right - Defending the Earth while helping out the folks on the brink of danger. But being a ranger is a major commitment; No matter if it's a teacher workday, the weekend, considering a vacation would've been out of the question. The instant I hear a ringtone from my communicator, duty calls. Whether I'm out in the battle field squaring off against any of Rita and Zedd's creations or some group of burglars robbing money from a bank, the Power Rangers would be there to put them in their place. Due to the circumstances surrounding the fate of my powers, Zordon would temporarily relieve me of my role as a Power Ranger.

I went over to Katherine's house checking up to see how she was doing. We hadn't spoken to each other since we were at the lake. My friends told me they had rescued her at the time I was recovering. As I rang the door bell, Kat's father stood by in an aqua plain t-shirt and khaki pants holding a coffee mug in hand. I told him I came by to ask if Kat was there in the house. Her father shook his head. He went on for the record he hadn't spoken to her in quite some time. The thought of hearing that response had my eyebrow rose with curiosity. As I intended to leave the residence, he insisted on having some company.

As we sat along the furniture sofa in their living room, he and I took a moment to discuss about how our days went. Like many folks I visited, he went along to offer me a beverage of some kind. In my response, I politely declined. Getting myself situated, I had my hands on my lap with my eyes focused towards him.

"So what exactly made you decide to move to Angel Grove?" I asked of him. Kat's father informed he had accepted a job offer as a Chief Reporter at the Angel Grove Times. He said that majoring a bachelor's degree in mass communications played a factor in qualifying for that position. I nodded my head even as I smile to give him the impression I was listening.

"How have you been at school? Kat told me you've been doing gymnastics since you were little," he said.

"That's true," I confessed. "For me lately, it's been a bit rough. My grades have been slipping and I have been absent more times I can remember. I've flunked in Algebra so hard I had one of my friends tutor me. Add to that with all the stuff going on in my personal life, I feel like I'm on a bit of a downward spiral."

"I know how that feels," he reached out to me with empathy. "Being a divorced father hasn't been so easy for us. She's been the light in my life I need to keep moving forward even when times can be rough. When I was offered the job, I wasn't sure if I really would go for it not if it meant leaving Katherine behind. But she agreed and before you know it, here we are in America."

As I continued to listen, I became enthralled by hearing their family upbringings and what brought them up here in the first place. Though I had traveled to Australia not too long ago, I found it fascinating just to learn about the lifestyle over there and the amazing attractions that made that continent so unique. I could make a whole essay discussing about my time over there. But to hear that from a lifelong Aussie native just makes me grow to respect them.