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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022
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DailyAstorian
Nenad Stojkovic
Off to college
Preparing for a season of change
By DIANE LUND
For The Astorian
I
knew it was inevitable, but that didn’t stop me from feel-
ing panicked. My daughter was going to college. “Mom,
hurry up, what’s taking you so long?” Elissa said, stand-
ing by the front door, her suitcase in hand.
She hadn’t had any breakfast. “Mom, I’m not hungry.
Let’s go,” she said. “Tinker” the dog kept licking her face
as if he knew she was leaving. On her 10th birthday, Elissa
had woken up to fi nd this brown, fl uff y-haired dog lying on
her bed. They became constant companions.
The dog would get so excited when she came home from
school, he’d jump up and down begging for a treat. A neigh-
bor promised to take care of “Tinker” until I came back.
Dousing my coff ee in the sink, I reluctantly grabbed the
car keys. Two heavy boxes, containing nearly everything
Elissa owned, were stored in the backseat. I took the wheel.
Neither of us spoke for the longest time. Finally, I broke the
silence.
“I’m going to miss you terribly,” I said. “Mom, you’ll be
fi ne. You have so many friends. Maybe you’ll meet someone
special.” I shrugged. Those weren’t the words I wanted to hear.
When we reached a viewpoint at Mount Shasta, Elissa
climbed into the driver’s seat. “Don’t take those curves too
fast,” I warned her. She sped off . Tightening my seat belt,
I knew it was useless to say anything. Elissa had a mind of
her own, an eloquent mind like her father.
Elissa had been the center of my life since the day she
was born. I adored her. Every time she did something new,
like learning to tie her tennis shoes, I’d buy something spe-
cial, a book or a doll.
I was astounded to see her overalls covered with paint
after I picked her from preschool at the Jewish Community
Center. I asked her teacher what happened. Elissa had got-
ten so excited drawing me a picture, she hadn’t noticed the
smudges on her clothes.
See College, Page B4
Nenad Stojkovic