In the summer of 2002, I had a lot going for me. I had worked my way up and become the top person in my company. I got a new car, I had big paychecks, some nice trophies, and I even had some pussy. In my own little world, I felt like a superstar. The finer in things in life were mine. But see, it was the summer of 2002, and no matter what I had, I couldn't help but look back and remember how good the summers used to be. Life's a little different in the summer when you're older. When I was a kid, summer meant late nights, parties, video games, blockbuster movies, and playing outside underneath the sun. I don't get much sun anymore. There are some windows in the building that I work in, and there are moments when beams of

Surreal it was. Raccoons making noise up in the trees, schizophrenic neighbors, and here she was. This undeniable person, standing in front of me with a beautiful black dress hugging me goodnight, tighter than I remember anyone else hugging me. I don't know if we were making up for emptiness in other places, trying to mend broken hearts, or if this was for real, but we became a part of each other's lives. Her hands matched mine, my lips matched hers, and all that's left to do is to just fall down because it's too overwhelming to stand. We let each other in, and ignored all the warning signs. It wasn't long until those warning signs came back to haunt us.

Living in the fast lane means you go morning till night with no time for anything but Hi and Bye. What do you say to someone who's not really there besides Hi? Nothing. You say Hi and hope that Bye comes quickly before you wind up making a fool of yourself. The trouble with Hi and Bye is the fact that between the two, you get a lot more than you thought you would. I was finding out who this stranger was, where she came from, where she was going, and what it all meant. I realized something about this stranger, she had no idea that she was carrying everything that was good and bright, and beautiful in the world on her shoulders wherever she went. In her eyes she was behind the same walls with few windows that I was in. Now I had the chance to be her ambassador to the sun.

light come through. Whenever that happens, I'm left wondering, like, what's going on outside? Who's out there, and what kind of adventures are the getting into? One day in the middle of July, I didn't have to ask anymore. Someone from the outside, still with the light of the sun on her shoulders, walked in to tell me all about it.

Broken hearts are only mended by the ones that broke them. That's what we think, anyway. Her heart was broken and there was nothing I could do about it, but watch as he tried to mend it. On Monday, I would be the one who she wanted

Some common words found in the essay are:
SPELL PROSE, Surreal Raccoons, Hi Bye, Hi Hi, wrong step, warning signs, that's left, that's mirage, couldn't help, broken hearts, outside world, hi bye, beams sunlight, summer 2002,
Approximate Word count = 1360
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)