My Life: Owen Young

The Miracle

Then, a miracle happened. A miracle by the name of McKenzie Cain. McKenzie Cain. I had known this girl I speak of since 2011. She had brown, shoulder length hair, and unmistakably blue eyes. She was about two years older than me. In 2011, I was cast in what would be my first experience in theater, and the first time I would ever perform on stage. The play was titled "Mother Earth Wants Out." It was a friendly play about promoting recycling, cutting down on pollution, and things of that nature. I was cast as a Cosmic Guard and McKenzie was cast as Mother Earth. It was not at all a surprise to me that this girl had landed the main part. Through my eleven year old eyes, she was the most pretty, outgoing, sweet, and just amazing girl I had ever come across. We soon became good friends and gave friendly hugs to each other quite often.
After that play was over and done with, I never saw McKenzie, as she was a few grades above me, and yes, I did miss her. After a few months I never really thought about her because I never saw her and had no way of communication with her. Years pass, and in 2014, I had forgotten about her. If someone mentioned her name I would recognize it and remember the play, but strong feelings were nonexistent.
It is now March 21st 2015. A day after my fifteenth birthday. I was feeling a little down again as Aaliyah was staying at a house with Zach Schilling and others that she flirted with, so I decided to call up Lane Sheppard. Lane is a person who I have considered a friend or brother since kindergarten at Morgan elementary school, and he has goals to join the military after college. I decided to go stay the night at his house. At the time, Lane was in a play for his drama class. He was having a performance of this play the following day, and wanted me to come see it. As he described the play, he said her name. McKenzie Cain. I instantly recognized her name and thought it would be good to catch up with an old friend, as she was also in the play.
The next day, we headed to Morgan High School, where Lane would be putting on the play. When we got there, I found myself looking around for her. I was ready to see her, and remember her. We walked into the room where the drama students had gathered to do their makeup for the performance to come. As I walked in, I saw her. She looked at me, and instantly ran up to me and wrapped me in her arms. I felt many emotions at that moment. I had not felt a hug since Aaliyah Riddle. In this moment, everything that had happened in the previous months seemed to fade away. It all disappeared. She had let her hair grow out further, but her eyes remained the same.
I decided to hang out with her and Lane backstage during the play. We caught up and talked for hours, only interrupted when someone came to talk to one of us, or she had to go perform on stage. I didn't have to see the play to know she took the stage by storm. It was the best time I had had in months, and ended far too soon. That day I can safely say that there were about twenty hugs given and received by McKenzie, each one meaning the same as the first. All it took was her being herself to make that black cloud fade, and rid me of sadness.
The day was and still is very significant to me, because it showed me that I didn't need Aaliyah Riddle in my life. It showed me that I could gain the strength to move on. McKenzie represented the star I had to reach. The goal I was to achieve, The life I wanted to live. The inspiration I would carry to rise against what I once believed in.