My whole life, this is what I waited for. When I got angry at Mom, when I wanted a lottery ticket, when I wanted to be a grown up, all I would think was “I can’t wait until I’m eighteen.” It was unfair, in a sense, to put that much pressure on one little span of 24 hours. How could one day live up to the expectations I had dreamed up in my head? That day was doomed from the start; I just had no idea until it had passed and it was too late.
I woke up, my brain reminded me that it was the day, and my heart raced. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to my usual birthday breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes and fresh strawberries. “Happy birthday, Sweetie,” my dad said as he kissed my forehead. I looked at his eyes and noticed there were bags beneath them, but I deemed it the usual stress from work and paid it no mind.
Breakfast included the casual conversation. I told my dad about my plans for my day but he just looked down and nodded. The more time I spent around him that day, the more I noticed that he was not acting anything like his usual goofy personality.
I asked him if he was okay and he responded with a smile and a quick nod. He should know that I am not stupid; after all, today marks the beginning of my adulthood; that practically makes me a grown up. I told myself all throughout breakfast that I would find out what was going on. Little did I know that I would regret my thirst for knowledge then.
Finally, he laid down his fork and said, “I really need to talk to you, Camden.” His attitude went from light to stern and my face went from confused to concerned. My anxiety kicked in; heart pounding, mind racing, hands sweating, he drops the bomb. My world spins, my vision blurs, how could my whole life be a lie?
“We did our best raising you. We thought, in the beginning, that hiding it was the best thing to do. The more time that passed, the more we regretted it.” My whole life, I looked at my parents as honest, good people. Now that I know that they kept this from me, my opinion has completely changed.
I grew up acting like a normal, everyday child. Today I have learned that I am a wizard. I could have spent my whole childhood at Hogwarts, learning with some of the best wizards known to man.
As I looked back, I remembered my dad looking queasy every time I watched Harry Potter, but I never knew why. I packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and flew to London. I stepped onto Platform 9 & 3/4 and I thought to myself, “Better late than never.”