A Million Heartbeats

The Unfamiliar

It was his third time flying, but the weird stomach sensation you get as the plane starts losing altitude, was always the same for Robert. He clung to the edge of his seat with all his strength. Closing his eyes, he could almost hear the beats of his heart racing inside him. He could feel his blood budging from his head all the way down to his cold feet. Every second seemed to turn into an eternity to him, he just wanted it to be over. 

Suddenly he feels a warm hand touching his, and a sense of calm overruns him. Opening his eyes, he looks to his side and see those beautiful blue eyes looking back at him and which remind him of the clear sky, he see that warm smile he has seen for the past nineteen years of his life assuring him that everything is going to be fine. After all what better person to comfort us on our time of need than our mother?. He sure loves her with all his heart. But at his age he is not very affectionate with his family as he was when he was little. That cute little boy who once spent hours playing and getting dirty at his backyard, had been left behind with the years. He was now a boy struggling with the physical and emotional changes on his body and mind. Not to mention he was about to give his life a 360 degree turn.

His father, Sargent James Graham, served  in the military and had been reassigned to move to the Spokane, WA. base in the United States. Which was very different and very far from their hometown back in Brentwood in England. His contract stated a 2 year period serving in the USA. 

To him, his wife Caroline and their nine year old daughter Claudine, this was like a Vacation and an opportunity to enjoy other cultures,places and people. But for Robert, this was an act of selfishness from them. Having to left his friends and School behind hadn't been easy, in fact, it was now on his Top ten list of "The hardest things to face in Life". His personality was very peculiar. Disheveled black hair, dark clothing and a thin silver earring on his left ear. His parents knew well all those were signs of his rebelliousness. He never wanted to be like the rest of the boys his age, he liked to be different. Even when that meant being judge by people and classified as a troublesome boy.

After almost an hour of car traveling through the streets of Spokane, his father finally stopped the car in the driveway of a beautiful two-story brick house. You could see the sky's reflection perfectly through those spotless big clear windows. The front garden was covered in green grass, and it had such a stunning tree, which could almost told the story of all the people who had lived there for the past ten years.

None of these things seemed to caught Robert's attention, not even for a second. He was submerged on the music being played in his Music player. After all how could anyone compare this to his beautiful house back in Brentwood?. There was nothing to compare. The street there seemed deserted as If they were the only people there, all the noise you could hear was Claudine's laughter traveling through the wind as she was happily riding on her daddy's back.

It was like a complete different world, no, like a complete different planet to Robert, everything was so strange and...unfamiliar.