Mid 1998, I was about 11. I grew up in a small town called Port Pirie, about 2 hours north of Adelaide. I had my first computer, a very suave Windows 98 SE Haha. I was chatting online, involved with a few RPG groups in what was then Yahoo Clubs. Met David, a very funny geeky 17 year old who really stood out with his writing. I lied and said I was 13 or 14 LOL whistling.gif
But we became great friends, my compy was in my bedroom, and this was before the days that kids having internet access was really understood or monitored. We chatted every night, always kept in contact.
A lot of time passed, I had decided at 12 that I would get the hell out of my town as soon as I could and become a foreign exchange student. By 14, the fares had all been paid for and all the paperwork completed.
A few weeks after my 15th birthday, I flew to Eminence, Indiana where I began 11th grade at the local high school. I had a lot of fun that year, made so many friends and felt spiritually connected, that I finally had a place where I really fit in and was accepted.
By 17, I was in SACE at High school back in Australia. My main subject was art, and Dav has always been my muse for my work. I went through a lot of family problems at this stage, namely my father's drinking and gambling problems. Dav was comforting and supported me through this and many other mishaps I had during my teenage years. In the same respect, I cheered him up while he was at college. He was studying chemistry (He's now a postgraduate, Research Scientist) so he was up late nights, always working. In many ways, he was a brother and a best friend to me while I was so young.
I left High school midway through year 12 and left home, to pursue my idea of working to earn enough money for a plane ticket back to the USA. I lost my job promptly, so without school or a home I couch surfed for a long time. I traveled, trying to find work everywhere... eventually I ended up in Adelaide. It's been a real upwards battle trying to hold a life down, let alone money for a plane ticket. I fell into depression, just trying to stay on top of things.
On the week of my 20th birthday, Dav came to visit me in Adelaide for a week wub.gif It was the most magical, spontaneous week of my life. He really brightened up my life. He was sweet, romantic, thoughtful and intellectual. He also knew all the words to Moulin Rouge and didn't care that I was drunk and singing as dramatically out of tune as I could.
On my 20th Birthday, we took a 3am walk through a cemetery near my house. We sat on the grass on a hill, and he fished a small white box out of his pocket. No, it wasn't a ring but a small golden pendant of the world. It was sweet. He gave it to me and told me that it was an IOU, that someday he would give me the world. My heart melted.
It's been two years since I left school now, I've got steady job now and I've returned to high school part time to finish my SACE. Hoping to get some bar and gaming training so I can earn a little more than my current $12 an hour.
So, here I am. I'm still dreaming of that plane ticket back to the states. Wishing I could get a work visa, so I could be with Dav at least for a little while.
