For You [Completed]

Chapter 12: For Those Wrapping Up

"Travel is rebellion in its purest form. We follow our heart. We free ourselves of labels. We lose control willingly. We trade a role for reality. We love the unfamiliar. We trust strangers. We own only what we can carry. We search for better questions, not answers. We truly graduate. We, sometimes, choose never to come back."

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Ping!

My phone displays the notification from my email application. I press on it while I'm laying on the bed and scan the email quickly.

Book a flight by next week for low travel prices. Based on your recent travel history, book a flight from Orlando, FL to New York, NY by the end of next week. $99 one way.

Talk about a splash of cold water. When I received the notification, it felt like my heart suddenly grew heavier. It felt like I broke out of this fantasy I've been living in for the past two months. I only have less than one month left at Wrap House and I will be on the next flight back to New York City for the Fall semester at college. I sigh and adjust the T-shirt threatening to rise up my waist. The memories of the past two months flow back like it was all within the span of a week. It feels like time passes by so quickly when you're having fun. I wished I could stay here where time never ends.

I press submit order and screenshot the confirmation page. Great, I'm scheduled to leave on Monday three weeks from now. Now, I'm stuck wondering how to tell Kenneth and the rest of the employees at Wrap House. I would really miss that place. I'd love to come back again and visit everyone.

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"Hey, Elena? I have a quick question!" Kenneth calls from his office just when I enter the back door after using the restroom.

"Yes?" I call back as I tie my apron back on and adjust my hat.

I walk over to his office door and patiently stand outside the door for Kenneth to come out.

"Don't let everyone else know, but I will be going on a week long vacation near the end of August. Your aunt told me that it would be best to ask you when you will work until because you have to head back for college?" Kenneth explains.

I nod and respond, "Yes, I have to leave at the end of August."

"Alright, well do you think you can at least work until the day before you leave? I'm going on vacation that weekend and by the time I come back, you'll already be gone."

"Sure thing, anything for you."

"Thank you. That really means a lot to me," Kenneth gratefully says.

"No problem. This is one of my best work experiences ever," I say, smiling back at him.

"Alright, now I can plan my vacation in peace," Kenneth laughs. "Now, go back out there and do your thing. The afternoon rush is about to start."

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"Hey, Elena. I don't mean to eavesdrop or anything, but I heard you telling Kenneth that you have to leave soon?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'm leaving in three weeks, Sean," I say.

"Why can't you stay here for a year?" Sean complains slightly. "You really are a big plus to working here."

"I'm not. Once I'm gone, someone else will take my place. Perhaps... another girl," I tease.

"Why are you leaving?"

"I have classes and it starts a week after I leave."

"Why don't you quit school and work here with me? I'm about to be the manager anyways, so I can boss you around," Sean suggests.

"Bossing me around is not an advantage of me working here," I tell him. "I've already paid for the classes. I'm not losing a few thousand dollars to stay here with you working minimum wage."

"Fine, but know that you could've fought with me being manager and gotten a pay raise," Sean states, jokingly.

"I know. I was afraid that if I stayed longer, you'll be worried about that manager position being yours," I tease.

"You do know you're always welcome to come back, right? Even if you don't work here, you should come and visit us all," Sean hints.

"Of course. I would come here even if the whole world is against it," I say.

Sean smiles and pulls me into a tight hug.

"Why are you hugging me?" I question, knowing why but desperate to hear his reply.

"Because I'm going to miss you.... A lot."

"A lot?"

"A lot."

"Enough to treat me on a meal when I come back next summer or sometime after?" I wonder aloud.

"Enough for a meal at Wrap House," Sean grins. "Employee discount."

"Of course. I should've known," I tease.

"Yeah, you should've," Sean says, releasing me from his hug.

I nudge him in his side before heading back out to the front line.

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Give yourself some time to travel. You never know what will happen one day, so I think it's best to see the world in front of your eyes. Go to South Korea and check up on the latest fashion and make-up trends. Go to South America and try some delicacies. Go to Europe and meet some hot guys with accents. Go anywhere and you'll find something to do. Explore the world because it's all in your hands. Just go online, type in a destination, book a flight, and travel. Explore. Witness new experiences and return home with new insight. Sometimes, it takes a little push for those who are less adventurous, but when you get there, it might just be worth it all.

Traveling isn't about where you go. It's about the process that takes place during the vacation. See what happened to me? I got to experience what it's like to have a serious crush on someone, to witness what it feels like to work at the food court, to experience friendship with guys, to be able to initiate conversations with strangers, to feel how it's like to experience heartbreak... The bad and the good... I don't regret traveling to Orlando. Not one bit. Promise.

For those wrapping things up, it'll definitely be hard. When it's time for you to leave, there will be heartbreaks, tears, hugs, and kisses. But remember, what's important isn't the word 'goodbye'. It's the 'We'll meet again' and 'See you soon' that makes it worth the tears. You won't want to leave, but when you do, take the memories with you. The good and the bad. Lock them inside your heart and recall the memories that made you laugh endlessly until your stomach hurts when you're missing him. Remember the times you had inside jokes. Remember the times you smiled until your face was about to split into two. Remember the times you accidentally brushed hands and your heartbeat quickened. Remember the times you cried because of him. Because all of it was worth it. When you wrap things up, don't forget about his feelings too. Make it a good lasting memory so that when and if you ever meet again, you'll start off on a good note. Never leave someone with a heavy heart and tears.

Remember you may be miles apart, or even continents apart, but he'll always be a phone call away, a Facebook message away, a flight away. That's all your need to remember to heal your aching heart from thinking about leaving.