“Growing Up to Fast”




It was only my first couple of weeks at my new school. Brand new to the sixth grade I was,

along with a scar for life. It came from the left side of my hip all the way to my navel.

“Only twelve years old” is all my mom seemed to utter my entire birthday week. My birthday is

September it fell on a Wednesday that year. I woke up that morning determined to get my first tattoo.

Along for the journey came a friend of mine she was already tatted up only thing was, was that she

was of age to get a tattoo. The strange gloomy feeling I got once the needle punctured my skin was

quite awful. There's no other feeling like it, I couldn't bail out once I got that first set of ink drawn onto

my stomach my hands were nothing but sweaty.




Sitting on my bed on a late night I often had thoughts on how my life would be had I not grew up

so fast. Sometimes I would say to myself “ I wish I could go back in time to give myself more time to

mature. Then again I didn't have a choice my father lived all the way in Upstate New york and my mom

seemed almost invisible. Living in New york had to be the best part of my childhood, playing with the

neighbor-hood kids never got old to me. Grandad was the best he always had a treat for me when I got

in the house from playing chips and chocolate my favorite. Mom used to get my brother and I up for

school. To be honest that’s all I remember of my mom during my childhood.




Turning 14 put a bomb in my head by this time I had more tattoos than I had shoes. Getting a

tattoo was now like getting up out of bed and walking to the store. I liked to think that this was all a

faze and one day I'd wake up and catch myself. Thank god for my best friend she's like my favorite bag

of chips they never get old and give me the best feeling every time.



Living in Guyana turned my whole life around, it was September 17, 2007 when I walked into

computer class and saw my best friend sitting on the stool with out a partner. Although I could tell she

didn't really like me I liked her. After a year of living in Guyana one day I got the phone call, it was my

mother ! She said “ Trina I'm sending for you to come home now are you ready” ? I had to be in total

shock because I couldn't even fix my lips to make a sound. Later on that day my best friend called me

“Guess what best friend” What ! “My mom said she sending for me to come home too how great is

that” ! As if life couldn't get any better I was going home and my best friend was coming too.








Distance was the only thing standing between our friendship, she lives in New york and

I live Live in Philadelphia. That didn't stop me because every chance I got I was in my best friend room

touching all of her cool stuff. We are both seventeen now but she's older than me by exactly a month.

Her mom doesn't like me she thinks i'm too grown, that's okay because at least I’m still in school

preparing for my future. My best friend brings back so much of my childhood memories every time we

talk and I love her for that.