The leaves on the trees warmed into deep bursts of crimson and apricot, and as they drifted apart their branch, the sounds of bicycle tires tumbling over the crunch of the leaves filled the air. The sun would shine then escape, and the kids would ride their bikes for countless hours till the chill in the air produced an effect like no other. Oliver ran with his friends along the sidewalk and threw himself into any pile of leaves that he could form. After a full day of playing and laughing his heart out with his friends and partaking in whatever he chose, he walked back to his house. And the dawn of evening arose and the chilly air blew through his hair, a smile across his face. The warm and crackling fireplace welcomed him home along with embracing hands and a warm blanket to wrap him up. Goodnight kisses brought an end to yet another perfect and blissful day. Eventually, the goodnight kisses turned into simple goodnights and then an expectation that he was asleep. While the wind once blew across his face, only expectations blow across him now. What once seemed real, was now unrecognizable. 

People had become distant and cold and clashes would ensue frequently. The new normal was not what anyone would have expected, and Oliver had a hard time adjusting to this new version of life where he carried a heaviness like a pile of bricks dropped on him. Expectations had molded and shaped what he was meant to be and how he was supposed to get there. He had soon outgrown the box that was cut out for him, and no longer was it possible to stay cramped and enclosed inside the visions that others had for him. He had a strong desire to push against the limits that had long defined him and wanted to do something different; he wanted to break free from the shackles of restraint and explore the unknown. Along with the force of resiliency brewing, there was a different force that was ready to add fuel to the fire...destiny. Both of them continued to pave the road towards imminent failure. And finally, the thin string that was holding everything together had collapsed. The era of youth had ended.

The death of Oliver’s granddad was the catalyst for a much larger plan destiny had in mind. An unstable set of emotions left unchecked can only lead to a massive issue. And as the saying goes, one thing leads to another and as Oliver’s grandad had passed away one thing had led to another and it ended with Oliver’s parents divorcing. As his parents went their own separate ways, he had gone his way and ended up at the gates of adulthood, and within adulthood no longer were mistakes of any nature tolerated. He was forced to step up and accept a plethora of responsibilities at an age when he himself was in the process of figuring out who he was in the world. The era of adulthood had begun. 

Waves of uncertainty and doubt had crashed upon Oliver consistently throughout this phase of his life. Nothing was permanent and every aspect of his life was vulnerable to damage. The biggest wave of all was one that he never considered could bring change in a positive manner, it crashed upon him and changed his life forever. A girl named Elizabeth entered his life at a time when he was expecting it least. She was a bright girl who had a positive point of view on life. She was not naive, but rather experienced and had seen the high and lows of life just as  Oliver did. Most people underestimated her and saw her in a much different way than he did. She was a sweet girl who had a bright flair in her hazelnut colored eyes and a certain determination in her words to prove her doubters wrong. Her smile and laugh were enough to make anyone happy regardless of how they were doing that day. She was much different than any girl that Oliver had ever seen and he had fallen in love with her. They had gotten to know each other and spent time with one another and understood each other at their core. They connected at a level neither of them had ever been to before. With Elizabeth, Oliver could once more see the deep bursts of crimson and apricot in the autumn leaves. The era of everlasting happiness had begun.