Runner Up: Ellen Murphy
Fort Myers, Florida
Congratulations, Ellen!
Ellen's Bio:
Ellen Murphy,16, has been an "A" student all her life, along with swimming competitively, year-round, for eight years. Running away from the pool (literally), she now participates in various 5K and 10K races, and is back on her high school track team. She is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and French club as well. Within the past year, she has begun working as a hostess in an upscale Chinese restaurant, with hopes of pursuing a culinary career. Whenever she has a free moment, she loves to shop and relax with her friends, and eat as much peanut butter as she can!
Time Together
By Ellen Murphy
At some point in every girl’s life, she reaches that stage when her dad is no longer her “hero.” She no longer runs into his arms when he gets home from work, or curls up on his lap when she’s watching her favorite TV show. Now it’s more like he’s lucky to get even a “hello” when he walks through the door, and when she’s watching television, she’d rather he just leave the room. You know, she has reached that “awkward-teenage-girl- just-leave-me-alone-get-out-of-my-life” stage.
With the arrival of my sixteenth birthday, my dad and I have reached that stage. It’s nothing personal against him. I still love him with all my heart, but lately, he never ceases to annoy the heck out of me. I started to feel a little differently about three weeks ago, when I discovered mail not meant for me. When I got home from school that Friday, I checked the pile by the front door, just to give me reason for not doing my homework. I wasn’t looking for anything special, since the mail was never for me. As I sifted through a stack of bills, I came across a large brown envelope that had the return address of “Pier n’ Port Travel”. This past summer, my family and I had taken an incredible all-inclusive vacation to the Riviera Maya in Mexico, and this had been our travel agency. The envelope was thick, so I knew it had to contain more than just a bill of some sort, and seeing that it was addressed to the “Murphy Family,” I saw nothing wrong with opening it. As I pulled out the papers from inside, a booklet on Miami, Florida, appeared. Continuing to pull out the contents of the envelope, the first line read: “Destination: Miami, Florida, 12/27-12/31.” I was confused at this point, because we never traveled during the holidays, and since my mom and I are the only ones that enjoy the beach, I didn’t know why our family would go to Florida during the winter. Next, I pulled out only two plane tickets, one with my name on it, and the other with my dad’s. Behind that was a paper that read: “Itinerary prepared for Mike and Ellen.” I was shocked and surprised. Scanning down the rest of the page, I saw departure and arrival times, times to check in and out of our hotel, time to attend the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Miami Dolphins game on that Sunday, and finally a list of recommended restaurants. Realizing what I had just read, my eyes shot back up a line. “Attend the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Miami Dolphins game on Sunday 12/30.” My jaw literally dropped. I started squealing and jumping up and down in excitement and disbelief. Lately my dad and I didn’t have much to say to each other, but we still shared Sunday afternoon football games, rooting for our hometown team, the Bengals. Whether they won or lost, we bonded.
I was on “cloud nine” for several minutes. Oops! Floating back down to Earth, I realized this was intended to be a surprise. My sweet sixteenth birthday was only a few days away, and this was supposed to be my dad’s gift to me. He always tries to carry on a conversation, and be nice to me, trying to break the awkward barrier, but often, nothing works. I can’t help that I’m a teenage girl, and I don’t want to talk to my dad about what I’m thinking--boys, school, (my period), and life in general. I began to think. I realized my dad was trying to give me something special for my birthday, since the sixteenth is the pinnacle of the teenage years for most girls. (We’ve all seen the show on MTV where daddy’s little “angels” get thrown the extravagant parties that cost more than enough to feed an entire country in Africa for a year. But their three hours of fun is totally worth the starving and suffrage in the world- RIGHT???)
I immediately began folding the papers neatly, stuffing them back in the envelope, and suddenly wishing I hadn’t gotten so excited, acting like a crazed maniac while opening this piece of mail, clearly not meant for my eyes. After a pathetic attempt to reseal it, I threw it back into the pile, burying it under the Victoria’s Secret ad, and walked away mumbling, “It wasn’t me” under my breath. I could only imagine how much effort and planning must have gone into this trip, and I didn’t want to ruin it for my dad. I had to suppress my excitement for the next four days whenever I talked to my parents, so they wouldn’t know that I knew. On the day of my birthday, after opening all the gifts that I already knew I was getting (I have to pick them out ahead of time, or risk receiving a sweater that my mom considers “cool”), I watched my dad pull out one final envelope from inside his jacket pocket. I could see the anticipation in his face as I broke the seal. Pulling out the contents I had opened days prior, I acted as surprised as ever. Squealing, I ran and gave my dad the biggest hug we’d shared in awhile, and thanked him a hundred times over. After “playing it cool” for four days, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer. I was bouncing up and down on the couch, looking as thrilled as a three-year-old the first time she’s taken to a McDonald’s playground for a Happy Meal and a romp in the plastic balls. It truly was one of the greatest gifts I’d ever been given, and I could see the relief and happiness in my dad’s face. Since football was one of the only common interests we shared these days, the gift he was really giving me was some time to spend together.
I genuinely appreciate everything my dad does for me, and I know this awkward stage will pass. When I was young, I was always a “daddy’s girl” which I guess is what makes it so hard on him to see me drifting away, and why he tries so hard to stay connected to me now. By accidentally discovering my gift early, I had time to think about the true meaning of it. The game tickets weren’t just another expense. They were his way of telling me he still loves me no matter how I act towards him, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to be with me. For this reason, and many, many more, I love my dad more than he will ever know.
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