English Comp. 1 Personal Essay

Letting Go When I was younger, I hated my brother. I hated him so much that I would begin to sob when he simply walked into my room. He was such a bully to me. I remember complaining, and people always telling me that one day we would be best friends. Of course I never believed that for a second… until we started growing up. By my eighth grade year I considered him my best friend. My brother, Jacob, is eighteen months older than me and always seemed to know everything about everything. He was in all the top classes with all the best grades. Not only was he extremely book smart, but he always had the best life advice, whether it had to do with friends, boys, or even parent struggles. I approached him with everything I needed to know about life. He was my confidant. He was the only one I knew who would always be there for me, and always love me no matter what. So when it came time to take him to college, I was devastated. What was I going to do without my big brother? The three of us (me, Jacob, and my mother) had made a road trip out of the event. The final destination was St. Louis, Missouri, where he was to attend Webster University for the conservatory of musical theater for the next four years of his life. When we finally arrived, we checked into our hotel and headed over to the campus to help Jacob settle into his dorm. My mother was a wreck the whole time, sobbing whenever Jacob would do something as little as smile at her. For the most part, I kept it together pretty well. I had not cried once so far, although I knew the tears were soon to come. Once we finished setting up Jacob's dorm room, we headed over to the freshman fair and orientation where he received all the essentials he would need to live on his own. It all happened so quickly. I could already feel my brother slipping through my hands. I couldn’t let go. Not yet. When the day finally finished, my mother and I went back to our hotel for the night while Jacob stayed at the dorms to familiarize