College Fund

//Bria Has A Way of Doing The Impossible//

"All passengers please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for take off."

As the flight attendants began the safety procedures, I let my mind drift off to all of the fun, touristy things Bria and I would be up to in London for the next two weeks. Seeing Big Ben was definitely a must, along with riding one of those double decker buses and taking a tour of Buckingham Palace. Maybe we'd even meet the Queen!

The mental image of Bria and I taking a selfie with the Queen resulted in me barely being able to hold in my laughter. The stranger sitting in the aisle seat on my left gave me a weird look as I struggled to turn my laugh into a convincing cough.

"This is so exciting!" Bria whispered, her phone's camera pressed up against the glass of the window. Dozens of pamphlets were spread out on the fold-out tray in front of her, each one boasting a different 'must-see attraction'. We were your typical tourists.

"You know," The lady sitting next to me leaned over and got our attention. "England isn't all that special." Her voice was obnoxious, but she also had a British accent, so it was clear that she was returning home, not going on vacation.

Bria and I looked at her curiously. I was completely shocked at her words, mostly because I had barely spoken more than 'hello' to her, and she was talking trash about what was obviously a major tourist destination since our flight was full. After a brief pause, I spoke up.

"Why would you say that?"

The stranger shrugged. "I don't know, I mean, I live there and see it every day, so I guess it just seems a little over-rated to me."

Fair enough, I thought. I was going to end the conversation here, but I guess Bria saw it as a great opportunity to make a new friend.

"I'm Bria," She introduced herself and extended her hand in front of me so she could shake the stranger's hand.

"I'm Esther," Esther shook Bria's hand.

"And I'm Cassidy!" I piped up from the middle.

Esther smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you both. I'm sure you will enjoy England. Most tourists seem to, even though I still don't really understand the appeal."

"Were you on vacation here?" I questioned, curious about her reasoning for coming to Canada.

"Sort of," Esther replied. "My sister lives here, and I came over to see her and her family before I start at London's University of Arts in a few days."

"Wow, that's really cool!" Bria and I agreed.

Esther nodded. "So, I assume you girls are enjoying a last minute vacation before school?"

Bria and I exchanged glances. "Actually, we are taking a year off school to travel Europe," I explained. I couldn't explain why, but I felt a rush of shame admitting that I was taking a gap year. I didn't know why; there was nothing shameful in doing that. But I couldn't help the way I felt.

"That must be nice," Esther sighed. "My parents are really insistent that I need to put full effort into my schoolwork. They weren't too happy when I told them I wanted to focus on art, instead of going to law school like they intended."

"You have to do what makes you happy," Bria encouraged.

Esther smiled weakly. "Sometimes that's easier said than done."

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When we touched down in England, Esther invited us over to her apartment for some tea before we checked into our hotel. Bria and I graciously accepted her invitation, curious about what daily life in England was like.