This is Your Future

　　Around the end of the year, I was facing a very difficult dilemma. Should I or shouldn't I continue on in art class?

　　With all the conflicts in my schedule, if I took art, I couldn't take a computer class that I thought I might need for my maybe future career in computers. So it was one or the other.

　　This couldn't be blamed on the school. American Schools offer many electives. Students can follow their needs and desires as far as classes go. Art and the computer class are both on the electives list.

　　Moeller's Art class is hard to get into. Most students who enter art have decided their future even before the entrance test. Most of them know that art is an important part of whatever career they will have in the future. For example, architectural designers, commercial design, graphic design, cartooning, and painters alike all rely on art as an important part of their job.

　　Also, the reputation of Moeller's Art Program is very good. Every one of the graduates should be able to earn scholarships from numerous schools and organizations. The expectations for the class of 2003 are much higher than normal. They predicted much more than a million dollars in scholarship money for our class. So those who enter art have been expected to finish the four years and get a lot of scholarships.

　　Probably except me, none of the other kids made art just a hobby. I love to draw and draw well.

　　Honestly, I believe I was the best freshman artist that year. In fact, I knew I was better than most of the sophomores. But then, I have this passion for computers. I believe there is a bigger chance that computers will have an indirect or direct relation to my future career. To take the computer class, I have to drop art. This was a rock and a hard place to the 10th power for me.

　　The hardest part was probably telling Brother that I had to quit art next year.

　　Of course, he never saw this coming. The school year was almost over and all the other students were busy making their schedules.

　　My Dad said to me that I had to make my own path and once I made my decision; I have to work hard to achieve it.

　　My artistic inspiration came from my Mom. She felt that it was really sad for me to lose such an excellent art teacher.

　　Actually, those last days in art class became an emotional chore for me as Brother unknowingly brought guilt, sadness, and uneasiness all over me.

　　How should I tell him?

　　One day, Brother was extremely happy. I couldn't wait any longer and took the opportunity to tell him my decision. Starting next year, I wouldn't be taking art class anymore.

　　What killed me was, Brother thought I was joking. He stood up and walked away while giggling at me. I followed him and grabbed his arm and said it again.

　　He listened to me and once again started to laugh, interrupting me in a humorous tone, "Kuan, get to work or no fortune cookie for you."(In all American Chinese restaurants, they give out fortune cookies, which contain little pieces of paper with lucky sayings on them.)

　　Brother really didn't believe me. He genuinely thought that I was still kidding around with him.

　　I took about a full 15 minutes convincing him over and over that I wasn't playing around. And even then he still didn't believe me.

　　Then he showed a side of himself I rarely saw, he said very seriously with a blanketed expression of shock, "Kuan, you're serious?"

　　It seems that I had unintentionally hurt Brother's feelings.

　　The following couple of days, I painstakingly explained to him how and why I had to make this decision. I had never wanted to be an artist or draw for my career. But after finding that I had some talent and potential in this field, it was hard for me to let it go.

　　I told him with an expression of worry, "I still don't know what to do, but I have to make a decision soon."

　　Brother looked me in the eyes and said very plainly to me, "Kuan, you have the potential to be very good. Do you know that? I mean your work ethic in here is sort of funny and you mess around a little, but you have the raw talent."

　　This was definitely not an easy conversation. It was made even harder when Brother pulled an entrance test out of a stack of papers. At that point, I almost gave up my decision.

　　He handed me the entrance test and said, "This is one of the most successful artists we've had here at Moeller."

　　Afterwards, he gave me another test. It was my entrance test.

　　He didn't look me in the eyes from then on. He only said quietly, "Take a look, compare them."

　　Brother let me compare the two tests. I noticed that mine was obviously much better.

　　Of course, I knew the real meaning behind what Brother was trying to tell me. He was once Brother Wanda's best student. Now this student had earned himself a plot of land within the circle of American art. If my starting point was that much better than his, thenswhereswould I be if I continued in art?

　　Brother was trying to persuade me to stay, but my decision had already been made.

　　At that moment, I felt that Brother Wanda had suddenly become much older. That "Lao Wan Tong" type of humor and cleverness had instantly vanished.

　　Brother slowly mumbled, "I don't know what to say…This is your future."

　　In fact, I felt quite bad at that moment.

　　I had never seen this type of sad emotion from Brother, something that will stay with me for decades to come.

　　I pretended to smile and tried to kid with him. I swore to him that I would come here every day for the next three years to play and make fun of him.

　　At the time I wrote this, sophomore year had already started. My friends in art this year told me that Brother always mentioned me.

　　He threatens those kids who don't work, "Be careful, if you don't work, I'm going to kick you out and keep this spot open for Kuan!"

　　Good Old Brother Wanda, Lao Wan Tong, I can never make this up to you.

　　In this life, I'm afraid I'll never get another opportunity to take your class again. But the things I learned from you will accompany me to the ends of the earth.