Becoming a LACy

One of the great things about being an army brat is you get exposed to a lot of different things kids in the U.S. do not get exposed to. Before going to college I had lived in Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Italy. I am now fluent in four languages (besides English), I can prepare sushi, I know how to make wine, I can kick your ass using either Karate or Capoeira, and most importantly I have been taught how to please a woman romantically, sensually, and sexually. How does a 19 year old acquire those skills, let's just say that when your dad is the lead Military Police (MP) investigator you get exposed to the good and the bad of what a place has to offer.

Being who I was, people were constantly trying to get in good with my dad. One of the more popular ways to try to get in good with my dad was through me. I was shown every indulgence a young man could hope for. I stayed away from the alcohol and drugs - but like any teenage boy I couldn't resist the attention of a beautiful woman. I never put myself in a situation that would compromise my dad, but that doesn't mean I didn't have fun.

My time abroad sadly ended when my father was killed investigating a PFC who thought he could get away with selling grenade launchers to the local bad guys. My dad had him dead to rights, but in a crazed attempt to get away both he and my dad were killed.

There aren't many good things about your dad being killed in the line of duty, but one of them is the fact that my mom will never be wanting financially for the rest of her life. That is what led us here - to this nice little suburb in Silicon Valley. We have our little McMansion in this gated community of Esperanza Heights. Mom is doing better these days - she actually got a job at a tech firm doing HR recruiting. Being fluent in 4 languages, like she is, has it perks when trying to recruit the best talent in the world.

As for me... I helped my mom move in, and to get situated in the neighborhood - and all that fun stuff. Hell, I even got her hooked up with the rest of the mom's in the neighborhood's book club (mom can be a bit of an introvert sometimes). Once a month they get together, pretend to talk about a book, and get shit-faced drunk. But my summer in Esperanza Heights was coming to a close and I am now headed to Santa Carrillo University. My dad's GI Bill is paying for the whole thing - tuition, books, lodging and everything else you could want. Santa Carrillo is a private university in Northern California known as one of the top universities in the country. I guess the admissions department was impressed with my grades and my SAT score - and I am sure that little note in my file about my dad helped as well.

Life at Santa Carrillo was like nothing close to what I have experienced when I lived abroad. The campus was beautiful, the classes were challenging