Because I Can Essay, Research Paper

Because I Can – 10th grade short story Initiation/quest

By

Brittany Autumn Bragg

Her mom named her BecauseICan when she was born ( to constantly remind her

she could have a better life) and she proudly lived up to her name, because she

could, because she wanted to.

BecauseICan?s journey began long before she could remember. Her mother

taught her about a better life. Her grandmother taught her mother about a better

life. Her Great Grandmother taught her grandmother the same.

BecauseICan knew there was a better life because that was all she had ever

known. She always had what she needed and she always got what she wanted. Her

mind was already made up that she already had a better life.

A better life was filled with happiness and joy. A place where sugar and

spice and everything nice really was what the women and girls she knew were made

of. Until the day everything changed.

For the first time she was faced with making a choice about a better life.

Her mom lost her job, they ran out of money and that made for a really crappy

life. Her mother told her they were going to have to move in order to have a

better life. ?I don?t want a better life!? BecauseICan shouted at her mom.

?I liked my life until you lost your job and screwed it up for me!? Her mom

tried to explain that sometimes things can?t stay the same but when bad things

happen there is always a better life.

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The only difference between BecauseICan and the women she came from was that

she was the only one to ever say she didn?t want a better life. She didn?t

feel like them anymore. They all had a better life why did hers have to be bad

because her mom said there was a better one.

Life didn?t get better for BecauseICan. It seemed to get worse and she had

no choice about it. It was the worst day of her life as she packed her stuff.

She told her mom, ?You get a better life, but my life will never be better

until I am old enough to move back here to Origination, California.?

The Initiation bus station was smaller than BecauseICan expected. ?The

Origination station was so much bigger and nicer where I used to live,? she

said to her mom. ?Not even the Transfer station from there to here was as bad

as this.?

Within minutes BecauseICan and MissMaker had their bags off the bus and were

met by her mom?s sister, (who BecauseICan REFUSED to acknowledge as her aunt)

to take them to their new house (which BecauseICan REFUSED to acknowledge as her

new home).

?Welcome to normalorNOT!? said her MOM?s sister, smiling lovingly at

her niece BecauseICan. ?The whole family is at the house waiting.?

BecauseICan did not return her MOM?s sister?s smile and she didn?t even

say hello.

As they drove to BecauseICan?s MOM?s sister?s house, BecauseICan

listened, annoyingly, to them talk excitedly about family this and family that!

?They are all here, grandma and grandpa, greatnan, and a bunch of our

cousins.? She said. ?Aunt Annoying and the freaks from normalorNOT is more

like it!? thought BecauseICan to herself. ?This will be the best family get

together in a long time. We are all so glad you finally came home to a better

life,? said her MOM?s sister. With

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that BecauseICan tried to block her out, but her MOM?s sister kept babbling

on and on.

BecauseICan struggled to keep from yelling at them. She wanted to tell them

to shut up about all that happy better life crap. She wanted to tell her MOM?s

sister she didn?t want a better life, she didn?t want to have a new home.

She wanted her old life, her old home, and all of this better life crap to be a

nightmare that she could wake herself up from. ?That would be a better life.?

She said out loud but not loud enough for them to hear. ?They wouldn?t have

heard me anyway,? she thought to herself, ?because they are too busy

babbling on and on and on??

BecauseICan knew she was being rude and didn?t give a damn. She was

exhausted from the 3-day bus ride from ?heaven to hell? and she didn?t

care if she hurt anyone?s feelings by going straight to bed. She didn?t need

a polite excuse to ignore her MOM?s normalorNOT family.

Well BecauseICan was doing all of that thinking her MOM?s sister was trying

to get her attention. ?BecauseICan,? said her MOM?s sister a little louder

than the time before. ?Golly jolly, I have been tryen to get your attention

for liken hour,? BecauseICan?s MOM?s sister said. ?What were you thicken

about?? ?Nothin, just tired,? BecauseICan said with a fake smile, well

thinking about telling her MOM?s sister to leave her alone. ?Anyway,? said

Aunt Annoyingly, ?I have a surprise for you!?

Before BecauseICan could get what? out, her MOM?s sister slammed the car

into park, jumped out, opened BecauseICan?s door, and jerked her out of the

car. Aunt Annoyingly led BecauseICan to a tree, by which an old lady was

sitting, all the time singing tauntingly to BecauseICan ?It?s a secret, it?s

a secret I ant tellen you.? BecauseICan was surprised all right. She saw an

old lady, not just old but ancient, like dinosaurs kind of old, sitting in front

of a stack of nasty looking tires, a piece of warped wood on top of them, with a

magenta green bowling boll in the middle of the table like creation.

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What the old women said was the last thing on earth that BecauseICan was

expecting to hear. ?I am psychic and in your future I see,? the old women

said, well hovering her hands over the chipped and worn out bowling ball, ?that

your life will soon be better!?

With that BecauseICan looked at all three women and shouted, ?I have had

enough of this better life crap! I am going to bed!?

She stomped into the house, then to a room, crawled into a bed, and went to

sleep.