I think one of the greatest things I’ve done is, you know the movie Up? How at the end Mr. Fredrickson gives the Grape Soda Badge to Russel at the end?
I have a good friend. I’ll call her Emily. She never had a loving family, in fact she’d been tempted to run away from home on numerous occasions and I spent hours of my life talking her out of this. Emily’s family abused her so bad that when she notified the school, they never even believed her.
For our senior year of high school, everybody had the chance to travel out to Disney World in Florida for several days. Emily, though, her family would first off never have been able to afford it, and second they already said they wouldn’t let her during her freshman year when everyone found out. Emily hadn’t ever been on a real vacation or anything, anyway, and her family never really traveled in general.
I did go to Disney, though, and it was truly the greatest trip of my life. So many amazing memories, and I loved every second there and whatnot.
On my last day, though, I figured I should get mementos for my family back home. So I walked over to a pin stand, since everybody in my house collects pins, and I bought one for every person living with me. For my little brother, I got him the Grape Soda Badge for reasons I won’t explain, but I really wanted one myself. So I made the choice and bought a second Grape Soda Badge pin for my backpack, and slipped all of them inside the side pouch for delivery when I got home.
Upon arriving back at my house, I handed everyone their pins. But my Grape Soda Badge sat in my backpack, and I still hadn’t put it on the strap where I collect my pins.
The next day I returned to school.
Emily took her seat while everybody, the teacher included since he’d been a chaperone, talked excitedly and loudly about the Disney trip, the rides, the attractions, etc. While she sat there, however, she simply went about her business doing whatever with her head down, obviously trying to ignore the classroom conversations about the dream trip she couldn’t attend.
I looked inside my backpack side pocket. There sat my Grape Soda Badge pin.
I thought of Russel and Mr. Fredrickson, and their adventure, and how, despite everything the Grape Soda Badge meant to him, Mr. Fredrickson rewarded Russel with it at the end because before it meant the love of his life and now it meant the memories with a new friend and how, both times it showed moments with others should be commemorated.
It was 2 months before graduation where everyone would soon go their separate ways forever. Emily, whom I’d known since I first began school and we’d grown up in the same town with the same people all our lives, I knew we wouldn’t have much of a chance to see each other again after graduation.
I reached into my backpack side pocket and took out the Grape Soda Badge pin, then turned to her. “Hey,” I said. “I got you something while I was in Disney.”
Emily’s eyes glowed. With a gasp she took the Grape Soda Badge and we hugged. And there I knew the badge meant the world to her and I, and just like it did for Mr. Fredrickson and Russel and Ellie, both of us would remember our love for one another through the same object, even if, like them, our lives split apart and we’d be where neither could find the other ever again.
Emily and I will always have the meaning of the Grape Soda Badge to remember each other by. Parting is such sweet sorrow. But grapes are sweeter than this sorrow.
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Yes, this is a true story of mine. I haven't heard from Emily since we graduated. I miss her a lot. I hope for the best, and I hope that goodbye isn't our last. But one thing I do know for sure: it was no coincidence that I bought the second Grape Soda Badge pin and didn't put it on my backpack.
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