"There are some boys you love and then there are some boys who love you."
"So, which is he?"
"Muttonchop? He's a boy who loves me,"
"Oh, he'd probably hate to hear that,"
"Probably. But I think he knows already. I wish I could tell you that romances are simple. That people always love each other the same amount. But that is rare, and even when it happens, you aren't sure of the other person,"
"Maybe that keeps you being nice to them, even when you don't want to be," said the little girl, wiser than her years.
"You are catching on to the complexities quickly, my little one" The Woman gave her a sly look as if this kid were reading her mind.
"How come gyros at a diner are $11.95, but when I was in New York, they sold them on the streets for $4?"
"In New York, you pay rent. There are only so many spaces people can be in the big city. Here in the country, we have plenty of room. Enough for Henry David Thoreau to build his cabin by a pond and live there for two years, way before Emerson even needs his land back,"
"What? Is that a history lesson?"
"What would you say if I told you I was going to be a mermaid?" The Woman suddenly changed the topic. She looked at her, again, never knowing what was true and what was an exaggeration. She had seen amputees who replaced the bottom parts of their legs with steel cheetah calves. So anything was possible.
"WHAT? Um, okay . . . how?"
"I'm just sick of walking around. I want to live in a pond. Maybe I'd have my kitchen in one cove and my living room in another."
"Your bathroom will be everywhere. You can pee whenever you want!" she giggled.
"Exactly!! Did you know I can hold my breath underwater for two minutes? I learned when I was a girl,"
"We should go swimming as soon as the weather gets warmer"
"Yeah," The Woman said, "I can hardly wait,"
==
Back at the Woman's room next to the garage.
The Girl looked around at what had changed. She visited every week, and had a great eye for detail and was always looking to see what new things she had bought. Or new art project she was working on. She loved to paint nature scenes.
She had the tv on, muted. Some beautiful old movie star, slightly past his prime was swimming in a pool. Later, he and a young blonde girl were jumping over hurdles, like they were both young stallions. There were a pile of DVDs by her tv. Hamlet, The Swimmer, Ghost Story, etc
She saw a framed letter.
It was on Notebook paper,
"Hi" was all it said. And then at the bottom, "Love, Frodis"
She'd have to ask her about that. Just a page, just a word. Why did she frame it and put it right by her door so she could see it?
==
"You are the only person I can tell this stuff to. Your mom is sweet, but she's an egotist. And I mean that nicely. And honestly. She gets bored when the topic of a conversation turns to anyone else. Don't let that ever upset you. That's just the way she is. I used to argue with her, to try to get her to SEE ME. But she'd only turn it back on herself. She'd feel attacked. "You think I'm not a good friend!" she'd say. Classic defensiveness, that's what happens. When you are always afraid of being attacked, you'll start attacking anyone else who begins to look like an enemy.
"I also can't talk to anyone at work. They are all nice people, but the boys want to kiss me or kill me. And there aren't many women in the office at all,"
"So my secret is . . . my brother is ALIVE"
"So, which is he?"
"Muttonchop? He's a boy who loves me,"
"Oh, he'd probably hate to hear that,"
"Probably. But I think he knows already. I wish I could tell you that romances are simple. That people always love each other the same amount. But that is rare, and even when it happens, you aren't sure of the other person,"
"Maybe that keeps you being nice to them, even when you don't want to be," said the little girl, wiser than her years.
"You are catching on to the complexities quickly, my little one" The Woman gave her a sly look as if this kid were reading her mind.
"How come gyros at a diner are $11.95, but when I was in New York, they sold them on the streets for $4?"
"In New York, you pay rent. There are only so many spaces people can be in the big city. Here in the country, we have plenty of room. Enough for Henry David Thoreau to build his cabin by a pond and live there for two years, way before Emerson even needs his land back,"
"What? Is that a history lesson?"
"What would you say if I told you I was going to be a mermaid?" The Woman suddenly changed the topic. She looked at her, again, never knowing what was true and what was an exaggeration. She had seen amputees who replaced the bottom parts of their legs with steel cheetah calves. So anything was possible.
Was she making a joke?
That cruel thing adults do when they talk to kids, as if everything is a fairy tale?
She'll answer with a riddle of her own.
"Are you going to be a real mermaid or a fake one??"
"Good question, kid!!! I think I'm going to start out fake, and then become real. If I can. Practice at it. Fake it til I make it."
"WHAT? Um, okay . . . how?"
"I'm just sick of walking around. I want to live in a pond. Maybe I'd have my kitchen in one cove and my living room in another."
"Your bathroom will be everywhere. You can pee whenever you want!" she giggled.
"Exactly!! Did you know I can hold my breath underwater for two minutes? I learned when I was a girl,"
"We should go swimming as soon as the weather gets warmer"
"Yeah," The Woman said, "I can hardly wait,"
==
Back at the Woman's room next to the garage.
The Girl looked around at what had changed. She visited every week, and had a great eye for detail and was always looking to see what new things she had bought. Or new art project she was working on. She loved to paint nature scenes.
She had the tv on, muted. Some beautiful old movie star, slightly past his prime was swimming in a pool. Later, he and a young blonde girl were jumping over hurdles, like they were both young stallions. There were a pile of DVDs by her tv. Hamlet, The Swimmer, Ghost Story, etc
She saw a framed letter.
It was on Notebook paper,
"Hi" was all it said. And then at the bottom, "Love, Frodis"
She'd have to ask her about that. Just a page, just a word. Why did she frame it and put it right by her door so she could see it?
==
"You are the only person I can tell this stuff to. Your mom is sweet, but she's an egotist. And I mean that nicely. And honestly. She gets bored when the topic of a conversation turns to anyone else. Don't let that ever upset you. That's just the way she is. I used to argue with her, to try to get her to SEE ME. But she'd only turn it back on herself. She'd feel attacked. "You think I'm not a good friend!" she'd say. Classic defensiveness, that's what happens. When you are always afraid of being attacked, you'll start attacking anyone else who begins to look like an enemy.
"I also can't talk to anyone at work. They are all nice people, but the boys want to kiss me or kill me. And there aren't many women in the office at all,"
"So my secret is . . . my brother is ALIVE"
No comments:
Post a Comment