Narrated by Summer Gilmore
It definitely feels good to be back home. I had really missed Bristol Bay, although I had also enjoyed my time in college. But the truth is, this is where I belong.
At first I thought it would be a little weird to return back home after being away for such a long time. I was only 18 the last time I lived here. But now, moving back here has turned out to be one of the smartest things I've ever done.
If I had done the same thing as many of my age-fellows, I'd be currently living in a tiny shoebox apartment, and possibly with roommates. Now I don't have anything against the idea of living with other people, but at times I just need my own privacy. Besides, I couldn't even bare the idea of not being able to bring my cat Pancakes with me. It was hard enough to be away from him for four years.
This summer, my mom decided to do something she'd been wanting to do for a really long time – she started her own business.
My mom might not know too much about marketing, but she knows a whole lot about gardening. That's why she decided to focus on selling plants and furniture for people's gardens. The store is called Gilmore's Garden.
She even planted a few lovely apple trees outside the store to bring in even more customers. My mom has always had a green thumb.
I wish I were able to help out in the store a little more often, but lately med school has been taking up almost all my time. But then again, I might not be the world's best cashier.
Ever since I was 12, I've known I'm supposed to become a doctor. I went trough college maintaining a GPA of 4.0 just to be able to enter medical school. I'm a perfectionist, so I'm expecting to do just as well here.
So far, I've been enjoying spending all this time at the hospital. I've learned so much and wish to continue learning in the future, as well.
Since I'm not rich, I had to take a huge loan to be able to pay just for the first semester. There are still seven left, so I've still got plenty of paying to do. I'm sure it'll be worth it, but becoming a doctor isn't inexpensive.
I really love it when my friends come and visit me at the hospital during my breaks. My friend Cody works at a small game design company but mostly works from home. He was very lucky to get this job only months after graduating from college, but then again, video games are his passion. Cody and I have next to nothing in common, but during our junior year in college we just started hanging out. I even introduced him to his current girlfriend, Lucy. She was my roommate back on campus.
I was kind of surprised to find out Cody and Lucy had already been thinking about getting engaged. They met each other 7 months ago, which to me seems like yesterday. After graduation they moved in together in this small two-room flat, so I knew they were serious about their relationship, but I definitely wasn't expecting this.
I'm still happy for them, since they are pretty much like the perfect couple.
Jeff and I have been together for two and a half years now. He always comes to pick me up from the hospital and takes me out to grab something to eat.
Since Jeff's studio apartment is relatively small, we usually meet somewhere in the city.
Things have been unbelievably perfect for the past couple of months. Jeff and I have been able to see each other more often and spend a lot of time together. While I was still in college, we could only meet during the weekends and the holidays. I don't think I've ever been any happier than I am right now.
One night after dinner, Jeff brought up the subject of moving in together. I've known for a long time that he's the guy I want to spend the rest of my life with, but right now I'm just financially not in the position to be able to take such a huge step ahead in this relationship.
Of course Jeff understands me. He graduated from college four years ago himself so he knows what it's like to be newly graduated. He also knows I'm going to say yes to him, someday.
Lately I've been a little worried about my mom. She's been pretty much alone ever since my dad left, which happened over twenty years ago. I know she dated a few guys when I was still a kid, but over the past few years, she's mostly just stayed home. She's only 42 years old and has dedicated her whole for taking care of me.
I brought the subject up the next morning over breakfast. At first, my mom was a little unwilling to talk about it, but I finally got her to open up.
She told me she'd been a little down for some time while I was in college, but now that she had opened up her business she'd been feeling like her life had a meaning again. She loved the fact that she was now able to meet so many new people again and had already made a few friends. She also assured me she was more than okay now.
I really wanted to believe her. She's been spending lots of time at the shop lately and I hope it's making a profit.
Both my mom and I have been extremely hardworking throughout this fall. When I'm not at the hospital, I'm usually at home doing all the assignments my med school teachers give me.
It's not easy, but I know it's going to pay off.
One night, as my mom came home from the shop, she told me she had some big news to share with me.
Her business had been granted an Owner's Association Award worth of §20.000. We just kept hugging each other until my mom told me she'd be more than willing to help me out with my med school expenses. At first I refused to allow her to do that, but my mom can be pretty stubborn if she wants to. So now I've got most of the costs of my medical education covered!
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