Matthew

Definition Essay: Fortress Of Solitude

It was six in the afternoon and the 6:10 train that my mother takes home from work was about to pull into Laurelton station. At my house, the kitchen was a mess. The kitchen table was buried in junk mail. Mountains of bills from Brooklyn Union Gas, Time Warner Cable, and Con-Edison towered over the salt and pepper shakers. The sink was no better. Last night's pasta dish along with cups, plates, knives, forks, and spoons all sat in a stream of dirty, oily water. I had just come in from school when I saw the kitchen. It was truly a disgusting sight. I quickly ran up the stairs, dropping my bag at the foot of the stairs. I burst into my sister's room, alerting her of the tragedy that was about to occur.

"You forgot to wash the dishes and mom is on her way home!" I said out of breath.

"Are you sure...?" she said cluelessly while she was getting out of bed. Suddenly, without any warning, a boisterous voice filled the entire household.

"Matthew, Melissa come downstairs right this instant!" My sister and I slowly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Y-Yes mom?" we said simultaneously.

"Whose day is it to wash the dishes" she yelled while staring at us almost certain that she would find the answer from our facial expressions.

Then suddenly, without any warning, my mother said four crucial words that would cause me to loose my sanity for five minutes. Four words that left me in total aggravation and my sister in such glee.

"Matthew, wash the dishes."

She stomped out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. At this point, Melissa was in her room again and I was left all alone. I started washing the dishes, dipping my hand into the water to find the sponge and trying to hold back my anger. After about ten minutes of srubbing plates and pans, I headed up to my room.

My room, my fortress of solitude, the place that I can always depend on for peace and quiet. Spacious, blue, and filled with memories from my past, my room holds all things that are precious to me. It represents a place of endless dreams and painful realities. As I walked into my room, I shut the door behind me and leap into my bed. I kick of my sneakers, pulling the covers up to my shoulders and begin to wonder, "I should've went to the store before coming home."

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