The Penski truck is being loaded by my dad when my friend Skyler came over to ask what was happening.

I told him we were getting ready to move to Texas and from the expression on his face, I knew I should’ve told him sooner.

It was the afternoon and I was living in Arkansas at the time. Skyler was a friend to my family, not just me. My dad told me and my siblings that we could go play at his house for a little bit.

We gladly went to his house to hangout for the last time. We played fighting games involving toy guns and watched movies. I was 9 at the time, and so was Skyler, so our communication was limited.

I have moved a lot throughout my life but Arkansas was a special place.

When we were at his house, I remember hearing my dad saying that we could only stay until 7:00 PM. So we were all heading back and saying our final goodbyes. I also remember saying in my head “It would’ve been so much easier to just leave without saying a word.”

I began to walk back and I thought about the beginning of the day, where he asked us what was happening, and the fact that everything could’ve gone much differently. Even today, this though crosses my mind; this could be seen as over-thinking but moving was always some-what of a life changing experience. I told my dad that I was thinking about this and he said “striving for the future is what’s important but understanding the past is just as important.”