Short+Story

Anyone in her school could tell you her first and last name, the road she lived on, and about her parent’s divorce. Eva Palazzo was a beautiful girl, with soft blonde curls that cascaded over her delicate frame and piercing ivy green eyes. She could have easily been a model at a staggering 5’9” tall, had she had the opportunity, or the time. Eva could have easily been the picture perfect Prom Queen for that matter, had she had any friends. Nonetheless she was not only beautiful, Eva was smart, really smart. She had taken the most rigorous courses offered in her small high school, excelling in each of her classes. Eva was admired by her teachers for overwhelming compassion to learn coupled with her seemingly effortless success at nearly any educational task. But what stood out the most about her was her life outside of the classroom, a life no teenager should be forced to live. After school Eva had no time to waste. After the bell rang at 2:15, she must immediately catch the 2:18 city bus to her part time job as a cashier at the local grocery store. Eva could only work until 6, in a poor town like hers competition for hours was tough, she was very fortunate to even have a job at 17. The store paid her minimum wage to work for 3 and half-hours 7 days a week, Eva was making half of her mother’s weekly income. Ms. Palazzo was a single divorcee of an abusive ex-husband, who fathered each of their 5 children. Mr. Palazzo had taken off shortly after their last child was born, which was only a year and a half ago. After his departure Eva’s mother had to discontinue her title as a stay at home mom, and search for employment. Even with her job as a manager of a fast food restaurant, she could only work after Eva got home on weekdays and on weekends. This meant a shift for Eva’s childhood duties as well, rather than protecting her mother from her father’s violence, Eva now had to babysit her 4 brothers and sisters everyday. Eva did not know what it was like to hang out with friends on the weekends and see the new movie in theaters. Not only could Eva never afford to pay such an exuberant amount to see a movie, but again she also did not have the time. This could only remain a dream of her since she didn’t even have friends or money. Sure she had a job, and every cent of her income was placed in her sibling’s mouths. Luxury expenses such as movies were just not an option. Friends were another fantasy of hers, but no matter how hard she tried to make friends the other students just dismissed her every attempt to befriend them. But what Eva longed for the most was the most impossible task of them all; Eva longed to go to college to become a doctor. But everyone should pursue their dreams, is what all of the students are told. How was Eva any different? Her mother desperately needed her to stay home and babysit or better yet be working to help feed her loved ones. Eva’s intellect and educational success had done her no good; they could not mend her broken family. No scholarship or grant could give Eva the opportunity to study after high school; her mom needed a cheap full time babysitter. While this may have been unfair to ask of her knowing she had great potential, her mother had to do what was best for the family. However, Eva could not put //all// of her hopes and dreams to rest. It was a foggy Tuesday April evening as Eva rode the bus home from work. She began thinking of how her life “should be.” What if she had two happy, rich parents who had stayed together and bared only one child? Eva was normally an optimistic girl but whenever her mind fell upon this subject Eva let the frustration get to her. It is not fair. I am smart, she thought, so why can’t I go to college like everyone else? My family is important but so is my future, she told herself. Eva had reached her stop; she had easily forgotten she had been on her way home. She supposed daydreaming is what happens when someone has free time to think of dreams. Eva did not have such time, and existed the crowded bus is a hurry. Eva continued somberly down the narrow suburb streets, 2 blocks north, then one block west to Hampton Drive. She always laughed when she thought of this, Hampton Drive, a road for rich, lavish mansions situated 20 acres apart from each other. Who ever had thought to put a mobile home park on Hampton Drive was insane, since the most of the families that lived there were also merely struggling to feed their families in comparison to huge Hampton dinner parties every Friday where the Senator was invited the leftovers were thrown out. Eva reached the mailboxes and picked up her mail as she always did and began thumbing through it on her way up to her home. She did not know what to do. A letter had been sent and was now sitting right in her hands. Eva stood on the side of the road for a full 15 minutes, indecisive of weather to open it or not. Gathering all of her courage, Eva slowly tore the sealed envelope. She read the letter. Disappointed, Eva finally finished walking home and shoved the letter in her left back pocket. After being chastised for her tardiness, Ms. Palazzo stormed out for work, annoyed at her daughter’s dawdling home. Eva’s Golden Retriever, Graham, was not as harsh, and greeted her with his warm sloppy kisses. Eva threw the letter in the garbage. It was of no use to her. She babysat until nearly 11 o’clock, and then she put each of her siblings to sleep. Eva could never just worry about what she wanted; her needs must always be met last. What teenager has this much responsibly? She wondered silently. Eva felt a few small tears fall down her soft cheeks. She barely cried, but she could not help it this time. Soon her thoughts were racing faster than she could think. How could this happen to me? Why did I even apply? God Eva you are such an idiot, what did you expect? You knew the outcome of this would not be good, yet you applied anyways. And you wasted all that money on the application fee, ha what a waste, she thought. It was 2 in the morning when Ms. Palazzo came home, worn out and hungry, as she would any typical day. Ms. Palazzo went to the kitchen to see if her children had left her any scraps of dinner, they had not. Ms. Palazzo stayed up to clean the dishes they had to gracefully left her piled in a stack the size of Mt. Everest in the dirty sink. She heard a bang on the other side of the kitchen. That damn dog she shouted absentmindedly. She heard her children stir in their beds. Goddamit Graham! She whispered angrily. His golden fluffy tail had knocked the garbage can over once again. Ms. Palazzo was putting all of the scraps back to where they belong when she saw it. The letter. Ms. Palazzo read the letter sitting on her cold kitchen floor. Ms. Palazzo never smiled but she felt a joyous grin creep up on her without consent. She ran to her room and opened her safe with a key she always kept with her. Ms. Palazzo took out the envelope labeled “ Eva- College Fund.”  She sighed, but brought the envelope back to the table. She read the letter aloud this time; reality had not sunk in yet. “Johns Hopkins University proudly accepts you to our pretigious School of Medicine. . .”