Leaving home is never easy. I love my mother and my father and my baby brother dearly, and they love me. Leaving love is never easy.
However, there comes a time for every one, when we must go away from those we treasure, to broaden our horizons. As comfortable as a loving home may be, we must never allow ourselves to stagnate. So, on a warm day in early fall, I stood on the doorstep of my childhood home, saying goodbye to my mother at thirteen years of age. She cried but didn't try to stop me; she would never do me such harm as to try to keep me to herself.
"Don't cry, Mom," I said, and she wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
"Don't worry, Gaius," she said. "I'm crying with joy. You've grown so much… There's so much ahead of you. I'm happy for you, baby. Maybe you'll follow in your father's footsteps and become a great Pokemon Ranger."
I nodded. "Maybe," I said. She hugged me tightly.
"Do your best, Gaius," she said. "Always do your best."
"I will."
"And don't you ever, ever get discouraged," she said, kissing me on the forehead.
"Never, Mom," I said.
"It's going to be hard, baby," she told me. "Never let it get you down. I love you, baby."
"I love you, too," I said. "Bye, Mom."
She pulled me close and kissed me again on the forehead before letting go of me. I turned, but hadn't taken a step before she called out, "Wait! Gaius, I want you to take this with you."
I looked toward her to see her holding out a pokeball. "What is this?" I asked, taking it and rolling it in my hand.
"Be safe," she told me with tears in her eyes. Gently, she pressed my hand and the pokeball in it against my chest. "I'll see you soon."
I nodded and started away, down the little street of packed bricks. From the doorway, she waved to me and baby brother came out and waved to me as well. I was going to try hard and do my best for his sake—so that he'd have someone to protect him and look up to, since Dad was always away. Someone to guard him… For his sake, I had to be the best I could possibly be. Anything short of that would be failing him.
So I started down the road, pokeball clenched to my chest, vowing to never fail my baby brother. The streets stretched out before me full of promise and sorrow in equal measure.
It's hard to separate from the person you love the most. It's hard to turn away from the comfort of knowing and face mystery. How would I fare? Who would I meet along the way? When would I see the people I love again?
Leaving home is difficult. But it is the refuge of the weak to huddle close to the things that they know and never step outside and try to better themselves.
In this way, in this mind, I took my first honest steps into the world.