Aunt Cindy was my favorite. I grew up with her. Even though she was 12 years older, we did everything together. Once grown, however, I moved to Washington from Pittsburgh and left my family behind. I had developed a drinking problem in Pittsburgh. In D.C., the drinking became worse. I was in school, but I had stopped studying. Consequently, my grades dropped. I had to leave because of my addiction to alcohol. Then I remembered Cindy saying that if anything were to happen to her, she wanted me to go back to school so I could take care of myself. Only after having to leave school did I realize what a terrible mistake I had made. So, I fell into my books and started studying. Soon I had to meet with the dean to see whether I could re-enter. I took all my documents and presented them to her. She said she would readmit me but I would have to take out a personal loan. Unfortunately, I never found a co-signer. So, I couldn’t return to school. But then I took out a different loan that didn’t require a co-signer. That money enabled me to attend Career Tech in Northwest D.C. Going to school helped me cut back on my drinking. It took a while, but I stopped. Years later, the taste for drinking is all in the past. Like a distant memory, it’s all gone.