The Day My Life Changed
Susan Cotton
Eng 121 English Composition 1
Kristin DeMarr
August 25, 2015

The Day My Life Changed
This story is about a quiet choirgirl, Susan Cotton and a loud bad boy, Travis Cotton. The day these two met was a warm summer day in August 1994. This was my sophomore year in high school and the day I finally came out of my shell. I remember this day as if it was yesterday. I had just got back from a summer trip to Florida and was at the school for orientation. After I took care of my schedule, I decided to see who was hanging around. Outside was my friend Reannan and her friend Travis who invited me over to visit for a few. I went over to visit for a few minutes before I had to be home to finish getting ready for school. That is when Travis asked, “Do you want to sit down?” He then pushed Reannan to his other leg, offering me the lap she was sitting on. It was during our visit I realized this was going to be a memorable day. It was at that moment I was introduced to who would eventually become the love of my life! It took us nearly a year to become a couple even after being told we would not make it a year, we have been each other’s saviors for the last twenty- one years.
In order to understand how my life changed, I am going to take you on a trip down memory lane. I was the quiet choirgirl who did no wrong. Travis was the loud bad boy who did everything wrong. I was raised by a Southern Baptist family and was sheltered from most worldly happenings. This religion is a very God fearing one. I went to church every Wednesday night and twice on Sundays. I was not allowed to curse and if I did, it was an immediate trip to the bathroom and a bar of soap in my mouth. I also was not allowed to date until the ripe age of 16 and if my parents found out I did, I was grounded for at least a week. I was a straight A student who went to class every day. My free time was filled with choir practices for church and school. Travis, on the other hand, was raised by his father who was an atheist. He was allowed to do whatever he pleased, and he did to the fullest. His father worked graveyards and slept during the day, which is in part the reason Travis became a worldly young man. He was an F student and only attended school when he wanted to be social. He used and sold drugs, was able to hang out at all hours of the night, and what I would call a man whore. It was his bad boy personality that attracted me the most. He was able to take me from my sheltered life and open my eyes to a life I never knew existed. I played a part in Travis cleaning his act up as well. Once we got together, he decided to give up all his girls, and drugs and decided to tone down a bit. In the end, we changed each other lives. Travis helped me realize life was not all sugar coated and I was able to help him see life was not always dark.
Considering Travis and I were complete opposites back then, it was amazing we ever got together at all. I guess that is the main reason it took us almost a year to realize we were soulmates. During this year we became close friends. We passed several notes back and forth when Travis was actually at school of course! Travis and I would go to dances and talk on the phone every night about nothing. This allowed us to get to know each other and build a wonderful friendship. Once we became best friends, we realized that both of our personalities were changing for the better. We did attempt to date each other a few times during this time, however, Travis was not yet ready to give up his bad boy tendencies quite yet so we broke up. It was not until my seventeenth birthday party that we realized we were destined to be together and started dating exclusively. After that night, our relationship just got stronger and we grew together over the next year. Then at my junior prom, Travis got up on stage and took the D.J.’s microphone. He called me up to the stage and in front of the entire class asked me to marry him! I was both embarrassed and happy. Not sure what to do, I looked out at the class, who was staring up at us. I then looked back at Travis with a big smile and quietly whispered “yes.” The class screamed “WHAT DID YOU SAY.” So Travis handed me the microphone and I said “YES” into it so everyone else could hear. This was just the beginning of our new journey together. It also started some talk around the school; some good and some bad.
When I returned to school that following Monday the rumors and bets started as they always did in high school. Travis and I were deemed the couple that would not last a year. Right after high school Travis and I moved in to our very own place. We lived together unmarried for over a year, which was of course something that almost gave my mother a heart attack. Once I explained to her that we both wanted to make sure this was the real deal, she was fine. No worries there was no heart attack. Within that years’ time, I got pregnant with our first son oops. He, by the way, is now starting his new chapter in life as an adult. That June, after Harlyn was born, Travis and I decided it was time to tie the knot and finally took the marriage plunge. We continued to grow in love and numbers over the next few years. Then, oops, pregnancy number two. We had another boy who is now a sophomore and in the JROTC at Mitchell High school.
Now I will be honest this last twenty-one years has not been all sugarplums or a piece of cake. One important thing that has helped us through the years is something my parents and grandparents always told me and that is that if something is perfect then it is not real. Everything in life is better if we work hard for it. We have looked at every struggle this way and have always been willing to work through any issue. My husband is also a firm believer in the saying “If mommas not happy then no one is.” It also helps that we are truly soulmates. I guess we lost the prize for not lasting a year, but we did get the last laugh.
That quiet choirgirl at the beginning of the story is now an outspoken, strong, wonderful wife and awesome mother. That loud bad boy is now a soft spoken, wonderful husband and father. Neither of us thought that sunny day in August would forever change our lives. Who knew a simple conversation and an invitation to have a seat would turn into a long lasting love affair. Well it has. That day will always and forever be one of the best days of our lives. That day in August was the day we found out opposite personalities and beliefs can be soulmates. Through our journey together, we have found that if you continue to work at love, it can make it through anything and not end up in the garbage. If one is truly committed to a relationship, one can become a role model for the children and not a statistic. With my story, I hope I am able to show that true love really does exist. I am fortunate enough to have found my one and true love at a very young age.