What If I Didn't Take the Train?

WHAT IF I DIDN'T TAKE THE TRAIN?

LIAM DUNAGAN FIRST PLACE PROSE

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To understand who I am, beyond just “Liam from school,” I think you should know why I don’t attend many parties, football games, or almost any other afternoon or school events-I live between two homes, each ninety-three miles apart, and have to travel by train between Miami and Jupiter, FL every weekend. My transient lifestyle often gets in the way of spending time with my friends outside of school. Three weeks before the end of my junior year, four of my friends and I planned a weekend at my “north” house. The plan was to have them accompany me on the train. Once in Jupiter, we would hang out, fish, and do some of the things I do to pass the time during my weekends there. We left for the train station on time, but because of unpredictably brutal Miami traffic, we nearly missed the train. Sadly typical. When we boarded the train, I sat near the window I usually gravitate toward to do my homework. Once the train departed, we began discussing our plans for the next day-wake up early and go fishing. That weekend was an excursion for them that ushered in the conclusion of a long, arduous school year. They were so happy; I could see it in their eyes and hear it in their childish jokes-and I had the same giddy look and was telling those same moronic jokes too. But between the commotion of catching the train, the potential for rain during the weekend, and my sense of feeling trapped in that tedious train car, I couldn’t help but feel the burden of travel-even while I was having fun with them.

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The next morning, we woke up early to put our gear on the boat. My friends talked about how great living in Jupiter seemed. I could not believe what I was hearing; as I lugged my equipment across the dock, I asked myself how could traveling here and having to split my life between two parents-away from my friends and parties-be joyful? Once I was done carrying the equipment and the boat was finally ready, my father ferried us from the marina to my favorite fishing spot about a mile offshore. We spent nearly the entire day catching fish. It was insane. I had never seen that kind of joy on their faces-not on my friends’ nor my father’s! And, it was really nice to see my father connect with them while they each enjoyed every moment of that experience. While I watched that scene unfold, something strange happened: I began to feel closer to my friends and my father-and really, everything and everyone else in the universe. It was a bit of a shock because the irritating sense of disconnect, the one that remained present with me for all those years, instantly vanished. Once I saw my reality through the unfettered eyes of my friends, I realized that the boat, Jupiter, and Miami, and every place else in the entire realm of reality were just places to be. We could have been anywhere, and it wouldn’t have mattered. The setting for any life event is just a place-and it is only part of the reality that we experience: the people, the love, the joy, the sharing, the moments are what matter. In the most beautiful way, once that clarity became part of my lens on that boat, I felt a kind of happiness I had not known. Being able to see my “daunting” lifestyle as a privilege and a gift was a power I never expected to feel. And, more importantly, being able to see that the same dynamic can exist for the entirety of my life is a gift I will celebrate and share with everyone I know.

FIRST PLACE PROSE LIAM DUNAGAN ‘20 WHAT IF I DIDN’T TAKE THE TRAIN? SECOND PLACE PROSE PATRICIA VOLPATTI ‘20 GROWING UP SEPARATED

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