That one question

Chloe has always wanted to be a member of Congress when she is older. Her whole life has been lived in her sister Hannah's shadow. Afterall her sister had always had the best grades and could never do anything wrong. She was the sister that was guaranteed to succeed in life. Chloe had solid B's in her classes it seemed like everything she did was wrong. Her parents have never believed in her dreams to be in Congress. Her parents even told her straight to her face that she would never get anywhere in life and that they did not have near enough money to get her into a fancy college. It seemed like they had all of the money in the world when it came to Hannah. This crushed Chloe's spirit. After hearing her parents tell her that she wasn’t good enough she had started to believe it. She thought she wasn’t good enough and should abandon all of her dreams right there. Something deep inside her had always told her to keep pushing and not let anyone tell her what she can and can’t do. She knew that the only way she could get into her dream college would be to get a full-ride scholarship and that means she is going to have to try harder than ever before to fulfill her lifelong dream.

    It’s her senior year of high school and she is going to mail in her application to her dream school. As she's walking through the cold air of January everything her parents have told her comes rushing into her head. She asked herself “Am I even good enough?. It’s a simple question that holds one right answer. She is two inches away from the mailbox. In just a few weeks she will know. She will know if she is enough.

    2 weeks later she got the letter back from her college.“How can one letter decide if you even have a future in the world?” She had thought. She opens her letter ever so carefully as though if she ripped the envelope it would affect her worthiness of going to college. She slips her hand inside of the envelope. As she is unraveling the paper she holds her breath.  Could this be it? Did I get in?” She slowly starts reading the paper. “Dear Chloe Davis, We are proud to inform you that you have received a full-ride scholarship to Sam Houston State University Congratulations, you’ve earned it.” She read the paper just about a million times just to make sure her eyes were working. She couldn't believe it. How would her parents react to the news, would they even care? That night she called a family meeting, this included her parents and her sister. She stood in front of them and explained that she had gotten her letter back from her college. Her dad said “Which college did you apply to again?” and her mom answered her dad saying “some college that’s too good for her.” Chloe had blurted out “I got in.” She had expected at least a hug or a “Congrats” but no. All her mom had said was.” good job.” These two words were like a knife in her side. “They weren’t even proud of me,” Chloe had thought.

     It was her first day of college Chloe was so excited. Everyone her whole life had told her that she was never good enough if only she could show them now. Her first few days were easy, but as more time passed the classes had become hard and her grades started slipping. This is when she started hearing her parent's voices in her head again. “Some college that’s too good for her” her mom's words playback in her head one thousand times before she decides no. No, she is not going to fail. She will succeed and show everyone that she is special and can do anything. She decides that she is going to go visit her college counselor to see how she could get her grades up. Her counselor had told her what everyone had told her before. That she “ wasn’t good enough.” And “ Do you think you should take some easier classes?” 

      Chloe had known that if she didn't get her grades up she would lose her scholarship. She also knew that if she lost her scholarship that her parents wouldn't even think about paying for her college. Chloe looked at herself in the mirror and said “You are good enough, you are special and you are going to get through this.” Chloe spent the rest of her college years trying her absolute hardest to keep her grades up. Chloe had always had one quote above her bed from her favorite Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that said “You don't have to be perfect, but you do have to be 100% committed” this quote had stayed with Chloe for all of her four years of college being committed to passing all of her classes and to show her parents that she is enough and will be a member of Congress.

   It was Chloe's College Graduation. She had finished first in her class. As she spoke her speech she saw her mom shed a tear. She was finally proud of her child. She even ran up to her after and hugged her. Chloe hugged her mom like never before, so tight she never wanted to let go. Chloe could finally answer her question from that cold day when she was sending in her application. “Am I enough?” Chloe finally knew. She knew the answer to the question that always had her up at night wondering and worrying about. That simple answer was, yes. She had always been enough; she was just blinded by what everyone had always told her. It was finally clear now. She was enough, she was more than enough and she didn’t need anyone telling her differently. When she got home she looked at that quote above her bed Chloe had never had this feeling before she was happy.