Page 4 of Imperfection is Beauty

So, I ran to my room, grabbed the stack, and then ran back down the stairs.

And then I let out a muffled hiss.

At that sound, I could hear my dad chuckling.

Yes, I have lived in this house for eighteen years, and yes, I stubbed my toe coming down the last step. Don’t ask how that happened.

Retaking my seat, I laid them out, then I rubbed my sore toe.

And while I did that, I knew he saw it. His eyes lit up. He should really know me better than that.

But, apparently, he didn’t, not when he tapped the top of that blasted envelope.

Go Dawgs. Not.

I narrowed my eyes, then looked at all of them, and I knew the one I wanted to go to. The one that had one of the best Bachelor of Nursing programs in the country.

It was also the one that had the best master's program for what I wanted to do with my life.

Just the thought of being the first line of defense had my heart racing.

And since they didn’t allow women on the front lines in active duty,so they say, this was my next step.

I wanted to be a neonatal nurse. I wanted to help them and be their strong back when they fought for every breath.

They were the true warriors.

My dad saw my look as I stared at that envelope, and then he sighed, “Okay, run it down for me again.”

I looked up at him and smiled. “First, they have the best program in the country for what I want to do. Second, you know my work ethic, it’s not going to be a waste of money. Third, you can be to me in under five hours, four without traffic. And finally, you always say,as long as you’re happy and not in trouble, I don’t care what you do. As long as you do it safely.”

He sighed then, looked up at the ceiling, and muttered, “How the hell did I raise a daughter that hates theDawgs?”

I giggled, “Dad, come on.”

He looked back at me, tried something else, and said, “Well, they do have the third-best program.”

I growled, “But it’s not the number one rated program. And ninety-eight percent of students who graduate with that degree from their program are offered jobs at the top neonatal departments in the country.”

“You would be closer,” he tried.

I shook my head. “You hate traveling for short distances on your bike. The longer the ride, the better.”

He sighed, stared into my icy blue eyes that were identical to his, and muttered, “Go on, made you wait this long, let’s see what they say.”

With nervousness, I slowly opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, unfolded it, took in a deep breath, and stared for long moments at the header on the page.

Charlotte University.

Home of the Lions.

“Dear Ms. Scarlett McKinney, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the…”

I froze. I really did it.

I freaking did it!

And yep, I almost knocked the table over as I stood up so fast. Thankyou, Dad, for your quick reflexes.

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