Y'all Come Sit a Spell

Come sit a spell and enjoy a warm beverage while I tell you about two high school trips that still stay with me. I can’t name just one worst travel experience. One trip frightened me with something I witnessed; the other brought news and events that were hard to face while we were far from home.

On a beach trip, I saw a little boy get hit by a car. He was the same age as my little brother, John, and I was so shaken that all I wanted was to go back to the hotel and call home. I told my mom I just needed to talk to John and hear his voice. I know it scared my parents, but I needed that connection. I needed to know my brother was safe at home.

My high school graduation trip was difficult in a different way. While we were away, our classmate Sheri, who had been kidnapped, was found dead about a week later. I don’t think any of us had really believed she wouldn’t be found alive. We were stunned that she was gone. During the trip, while we were in port, a gentleman fell off the pier and drowned beside our ship. I can’t remember which news came first, and it doesn’t matter at this point.  That trip just felt wrong on many levels. 

We were away from home and our usual support system, trying to navigate situations that felt much too adult for us. Our chaperones weren’t our parents or the trusted adults we would usually turn to. I remember that we asked to use a closed bar or club area so we could meet and talk together. I don’t remember many other details, but I remember we were there for one another. Most of us are still in touch.

Maybe the hardest part of both trips was feeling far from the people I needed. On the beach trip, I called home to hear my brother’s voice. On the graduation trip, my classmates and I found a place to gather and face the news together. Those memories are still difficult, but I’m grateful we had each other and the bonds we forged during that trip.