The Treaty of I: The Genesis

“I have to see what could happen for me. I may not get another chance like this,” Terry tells Carla, as he continues to pack up his clothes. “I’m not really happy teaching here and I still need some certifications, before I could get a pay raise. I want to take a chance and see what happens. I want to meet new people, have new adventures, drink at different local bars,” he claims. “Oh boy,” she gasps. “I’m just tired of the mundane type of life. Get up, get dressed, go to work, come home and watch Netflix. And things are spendy here in Portland. I love teaching and I love being in the classroom, but I want something more. I want an adventure that will make me a better man. I want to find my truest self. Should I feel guilty about that?” he says “You shouldn’t feel guilty, and I think you should feel proud that you have the guts and opportunity to do something like this,” she says. “I got that: guts and opportunity,” he says as they both share a laugh. Terry continues to pack and fold up the clothes that he wants to take. The clothes he doesn’t want to take, he puts into a box marked, “TERRY’S CLOTHES.” “I just want a new adventure and new friendships,” he says. “I understand and who knows, maybe you’ll find your wife out there,” she says smiling. “I don’t think so,” he responds. “Why not?” she quickly asks. Terry stuffs his last blue t-shirt into his black suitcase, puts his foot on the top of it, and zips it up. He takes a quick moment to catch his breath and then says, “I’m not really going out there to date anyone, and besides I doubt those girls will be thinking about me.” “Do you not like interracial dating?” she asks. “I don’t have a problem with it. I mean, you know how it is here, usually blacks stay with blacks, whites stay with whites and so on. That's all I’ve ever known,” he states. “I know, but just keep an open heart, Terry. We can’t want to grow if we don’t put ourselves under a certain amount of pressure. Anyhow, I’ll be up at 8 am so that I can take you to PDX. Make sure your butt is up. I love you Gravy,” she says, as she hugs her brother tightly. “Terry, I just want you to be happy, and if you have to go halfway across the world then I’m with you,” she says, taking a drink of water from her eco-friendly water bottle. “Thanks C, I really appreciate it. I just feel that at 32-years-old, I should have traveled more and seen more of the world. I’ve never left the country and I think ma and pops would have supported me. I mean a relationship would be nice, but I also want to focus on myself,” he says. “You know I’m here for you and I always will be. You will be the first person in the family to do something like this and I think now is a good time to make a move to China. I want you to do what’s best for you on your journey,” she says as she walks out of the room and closes the wooden door. The night before his flight, Terry is in the bedroom at his sister's apartment staring at the ceiling. “Am I making the right decision? Do I need to stay home? What if my life will be better here? What will happen to me? What will happen to my family?” He thinks to himself. This is a long-awaited journey for Terry, he has been wanting to travel and live overseas ever since he was little and had an opportunity when he was in college. He couldn’t afford to pay for all of his visa costs and made a promise to himself that he would one day live and work in China. Always fascinated by the culture and the country, Terry knew where he wanted to go when he had the chance. Life has a way of doing things in its own time and not the time when we want it. This always helps us to grow and develop further, so when the moment comes, it is the right time for us to supersede expectations. Knowing that he has to be up early; Terry sets his alarm, turns off the bedroom light, and goes to sleep. The next morning, Terry wakes up before his alarm clock. When life, purpose, and opportunity are aligned, you won’t need to wait for an alarm. Terry and his sister are riding to the airport and he is thinking, “Maybe I should really turn around and go home!” “No, there’s no turning back at this point. I have to go. Don’t give yourself a way out,” he thinks to himself. It’s important to stick with formidable obstacles and not look for a quick way out; there is something greater coming. Want the reward, be willing to suffer and sacrifice for as long as it takes to get there. Terry and his sister arrive at the airport and he gets his one huge piece of luggage out of Carla’s red 2016 Hyundai Sonata trunk. They give each other one final hug and Terry says, “I love you C! Take care of the family for me. I’ll be back in a year,” he says pulling his luggage onto the sidewalk. “Take care of the family for me, and I’ll message you once I get to Beijing. You already downloaded WeChat, right?” he asks. “Yes, I did,” she replies. He grabs his suitcase, takes out his passport, and checks his ticket. Waving goodbye to his sister, he walks into PDX. Carla gets into her car and drives off, Terry goes to check his luggage and heads towards his gate. “This is going to be the longest flight. What will I do for 20 hours?” he thinks, as he gets to Gate 1 and places his book bag beside him. The plane begins to board and Terry gets to his seat with no hesitation and he can’t wait for the complimentary breakfast; whatever that will be. He didn’t eat breakfast, the nerves in his body had tricked him into believing that he wasn’t hungry. The nerves began to subside as he sat in his seat, put on his seatbelt and took a couple of deep breaths. “Good morning everyone, this is your captain speaking; I would like to personally welcome you to Uni World AirLines. This is flight number 6892 heading to Beijing, China with a layover in Vancouver, Canada. Total airtime will be 20 hours. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your phones onto airplane mode. Clear skies today and should be clear skies all the way through. So sit back and relax. We will serve breakfast once we are at cruising altitudes. Thank you again for choosing Uni World Airlines flight 6892 to Beijing by way of Vancouver,” the pilot says, as he hangs up the speaker. This made Terry feel much more comfortable, as he laid his head back and he fell asleep. A 4-hour layover in Vancouver and a total of 20-hours flight time later, Terry arrives in Beijing and is picked up by a company staff member. The Chinese characters on the wall at the airport, officially let Terry know that he is in China. “Wow, I’m really in Beijing!” Terry thought to himself. Now, this was Terry's first time out of America and he was excited. As Terry stepped outside of the airport to load the van, the warm China sun shone down on his skin. Terry never thought the day would come when he would be in China. He was dropped off at the hotel and was able to rest once he was in his room. The receptionist spoke English and Terry was happy, because he knew survival Chinese. He studied and taught himself some Mandarin before he came but he was far from fluent. He pays his deposit money for the and gets to his room. After a 20-hour flight, a Vancouver layover, and a heart-pumping van ride through Beijing traffic, Terry passes out on his hotel bed.