I remember shaking the hands of numerous people, the different grips, some were strong and some light. I tried to remember the countless names but remained shaking and nodding as I answered the questions they would ask. The Hartford gala always had a huge turnout and many people attended.

I didn’t know what a gala was, my dad said he was planning for this for weeks. He described the performances that were going to take place: clowns, singers, musicians, all performing for people as they auction for expensive items. Despite this, I didn’t really want to go but it didn’t seem like I had a choice. The next day we drove to the nearest clothing store and picked out the best suit that fit me, I choose a striped, purple, clip-on-tie that seemed to go with it the best. As I was trying the suit on a pictured what the gala would be like. All the men and women dressed in fancy clothing bidding on items. How could that be any fun?

The next day, all the items were ready to be sold and everything was in place. The performers were ready and the auctioneer was chosen. It was the day of the gala and I had put my suit and tie on before getting into the shiny, red, Prius. Me, my mom, and my dad all went in the car. we were on our way to pick up my aunt and uncle. I searched through the crowd of people until we found them . The adults in the car were talking as I starting listening to music on my IPod. We drove a few miles before we finally came to Hartford. I looked out the window staring at the bright lights, tall buildings, and the busy people that roamed the city.

We drove into the dark parking lot filled with different cars, we picked the first open spot we could and memorized where it was. We walked in the building past the many hallways until I heard the sounds of people talking and music playing. I waved goodbye to my dad who had to leave because he needed to talk to people and thank them for attending the gala. This was his job. I started to walk around aimlessly, looking at the items and occasionally shaking the hands of people who knew my father. I was very bored until I found out that they were auctioning a dog! I’ve always wanted a dog but couldn’t get one because we used to live in a apartment building in the Bronx but now that I had moved to Easton It had become a possibility to have a dog. The owner of the dog asked if I could carry the mother around and raise awareness. I gladly accepted and picked the dog up. After I walked around for about 10 minutes I gave it back to the owner and everyone took their seats the begin the bidding. There were many items but the only one I was interested was the dog. Once my dad came back from schmoozing with the audience and giving a speech he sat with me and I told him I wanted to bid on the dog. He agreed and the bidding for the dog started. The auctioneer had a booming and fast voice when he talked. He searched the room for a white sign that had a number on it and raised the price. My dad tried his best to bid but as it went higher than 9000$ he decided to call it quits.

My dad’s friend won the dog, he was a very important Business man who traveled a lot so i wondered if he was able to take care of the dog. He smiled and whispered to the auctioneer who then walked to the podium. As he did this, thought he would move to the next item but he stayed on stage. He then announced that the person who won the dog decided to give it to me! Was so excited that i would get a dog that I felt like leaping out of my chair. I walked up to the man and thanked him, I felt as if I couldn’t thank him enough. A month after that day I would have my dog, I wondered what i would name him and which color I should choose for him. But one thing was clear, the gala became more exciting than I ever thought it would be and I would definitely come next year.