Where had the year gone?
It was already the end of the year, and in these last few weeks of school, lots of fun activities had been planned, but the one the girls were most curious about was their first school dance. The school didn't have dances for students under grade 4, so this was the first time the girls were going to attend a school dance, and they each approached it with varying levels of cautious curiosity. As Trisha and Mae were being sitting in the car, waiting for Juliet to finish talking to Alice on the front porch. "Don't worry, okay? They'll be fine. It's an elementary school for heavens sakes," Juliet said, "I know it's typical to worry, especially for you, but just try and go inside and relax for a change." "...I never thought these days would come," Alice said, her eyes wandering from the conversation up to the car where she could see the outlines of Trisha and Mae talking in the backseat; she continued, "I just always sort of assumed she'd be little forever and never have to attend things like this. Now she's at the end of fourth grade. Where does the time go?" "I don't know, Vermont maybe?" Alice smirked, appreciating Juliet's attempt at humor. "Well, thank you for driving them," she said, "I owe you a favor." Juliet departed, getting back into the drivers seat of the car before starting the car back up and pulling out of the driveway, heading down the street towards the school. It was only a few blocks away, but she relished the thought of seeing her daughter walk into her first school dance, so she'd opted to drive them. The only thing was...Mae hadn't seemed all that eager to attend. In fact, she'd outright protested once she was told she had to go, and Juliet rarely made her do things she didn't want to do like this, but this was a rare exception where she knew the experience was too important to miss out on and that so long as she'd had her friends around her, she'd be alright. "We've seen one another in too many dresses," Trisha said, "Dresses to your aunts wedding, church dresses, we've seen one another in way too much formal wear." "I try not to wear dresses a lot," Mae said, shrugging, "but you seem to wear a lot of them." "They make up the majority of my wardrobe, yeah," Trisha said, "not by choice, but I guess I don't really mind either." When they got to the school, Juliet told the girls that she'd come get them when the dance was over, and gave Mae some change for the payphone just in case she forgot what time it was over. As she watched Mae and Trisha walk inside the decorated cafeteria, she couldn't help but notice Mae look over her shoulder at her mother, almost glaring at her, and suddenly Juliet got the feeling she'd be paying for this for a long time to come. *** "This is just fruit punch," Chaz said, sipping from the paper cup she'd been given by the punch bowl, Allie standing with her, who also took a sip and, after a moment of contemplating, nodded in agreement. "You're right, it is. It's just normal fruit punch. My dad buys this for 2 dollars a bottle," Allie said. "2 dollars sounds about right for the school budget," Chaz said, the both of them laughing; Chaz took another sip and then, eyeing Allie up and down, said, "ya know, I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before." "I'm only wearing it cause it's mandatory," Allie remarked, "I hate dresses." "Hiya," Trisha said as she and Mae approached; Trisha got herself a cup and got some punch, taking a sip before looking back at Allie and saying, "I'm surprised you came. I didn't think you did social stuff like this for school." "I'm only here cause she is," Allie said, pointing at Mae, adding, "normally I'd stay at her house until my dad gets off work, but he has a date tonight after work and so I had nowhere to go, so I had to come here because she was coming. So really, this is all her fault." "Most things seem to be," Mae said. "Are there snacks here?" Chaz asked, looking around, "I want snacks. I need snacks." "I think there's a table over there," Trisha said, pointing across the room, "come on, let's go see what they have!" Trisha and Chaz linked arms and then headed across the cafeteria, leaving Allie and Mae alone. "I'm sorry I had to come. I tried to get out of it," Mae said. "Oh I believe you," Allie said, "I know this isn't something you like either." To say she didn't like it was an understatement of the highest grade. Mae had never been big on crowds, but she especially hated social outings such as this. Things where you were not only expected to show up, but also expected to be in a good mood as well. How could she be in a good mood when she was being forced to interact with people she didn't like at a place she hated and didn't want to be at? After a moment, Allie got herself some more punch and took a long drink. "If I'm gonna be here, I'm gonna drink as much sugar as possible," she said, making Mae laugh. Mae thought about dancing, but she hated dancing and didn't know how. But...she could see through the crowd a girl in her class that she liked talking to, and she thought maybe she would dance with her if she would want to. As she was looking, the girl looked at her and waved, smiling politely, which made Mae blush and wave back before quickly looking away. Finally, Chaz and Trisha reappeared, holding a plate full of snacks. "They have so many things!" Chaz said, "Look! Rice crispy squares!" "The best kind of square!" Allie remarked, making them all laugh. *** The truth, the secret truth that nobody else knew, was that Mae had actually anticipated coming to this dance at one point. When she'd learned of it a few weeks prior, she decided that she would actually attend, and that she'd do so with someone...the girl she waved at in the cafeteria. Her name was Melinda. She was in Mae's class, and she and Mae had become kind of friends, but not the kind of friends that hung out outside of school, just the kind that talked to one another in class and when they saw one another around school. But Mae had started feeling weird about their friendship, she'd started...liking her, in a way that wasn't just as a friend, and she didn't understand it. She'd never felt this way about anyone else. So, when she finally did approach Melinda and asked if she'd go to the dance with her, Melinda said yes initially, only to - a day later - privately rescind her response and apologize for saying yes in the first place. Ever since then, Mae hated the idea of coming to the dance, and also hated herself. She hadn't been in a good mood for weeks now, and nobody really knew why. But she knew. She knew and she was secretly ashamed of herself. But now, seeing Melinda at the dance, she wondered if maybe, just maybe, she could still have a dance with her. No. Not here. Not in front of other people. God, what was wrong with her? *** "Do you know how to dance?" Allie asked Trisha as the girls sat on one of the benches in the cafeteria, still eating from the plate of snacks she and Chaz had brought back. "Yes, I do, in different ways," Trisha said, "I took dance lessons for a long time, and I still dance from time to time. I would never do it in person though. I'd be so embarrassed." "I tried to dance once and my mom thought I was having a seizure," Chaz said. "Well were you?" Allie asked, making them laugh again. "I have to attend a lot of social church functions, so I wind up having to dance a lot there, and I hate it," Trisha said, "I like dancing, I actually like it a lot, but I hate doing it in public or in front of others or with someone else. It's like singing. I prefer to do it by myself. There's just some things that aren't meant to be done among other people." "Yeah, like going to the bathroom," Chaz said. "I would love to live in your head for a day," Allie said, staring at Chaz. "It's fun!" she replied. Trisha started looking around, and suddenly realized Mae was no longer there, and started to worry. As Chaz and Allie talked about the way Chaz's brain worked, Trisha's eyes scanned the dance floor, and the entire cafeteria, but she couldn't find her. She tried to relax, tried to tell herself it was okay, but she had a sense of worry in her gut. Unbeknownst to them all, Mae had gone outside and had taken the change from her dress pocket to call her mom and beg to be picked up, but before she could even get to the payphone, she heard a voice coming up behind her and turned to see Melinda of all people. "I'm surprised you came," she said. "I had to," Mae said, "Mom wouldn't let me not come." "I wanna explain," Melinda said quietly, as Mae hung up the payphone and pocketed the change again, willing to hear her out; Melinda took a deep breath, then blinked a few times and spoke, "um...when you asked me if I'd go with you, you asked me in front of my friends, and I didn't wanna seem mean so I said yes, but I didn't mean it. It's nothing personal. I just...I don't feel those kinds of things. Plus my dad was really angry when he found out you'd asked me. But I never did it to be mean to you." "...I was really upset," Mae said. "I bet," Melinda said, "but you have to know I didn't mean to be mean. I really didn't. I like you, you're my friend, and we have a lot of fun in class. I just...don't feel like that. Actually, I've never known anyone who has, so this is all sort of weird for me." Mae wanted to run and hide. Was she really all that different? "Still, I felt like I had to explain and apologize again," Melinda said, "but I also want you to know I don't feel weird about you now or anything. You're still my friend, okay?" Mae felt a bit better. She even managed to crack a slight smile, and nod. She was happy Melinda was so nice about the whole thing. In fact, her kindness was one of the things Mae liked best about her. "Um," Melinda said, "but, you know, even if we didn't come together and I don't, you know...we could still dance together if you want. That'd be fun. I like dancing with my friends." "I don't really know how to dance," Mae replied. "It's okay, nobody does!" Melinda said, laughing and taking Mae's hand, "Come on!" Chaz got rice krispy treats, Trisha got to show off her dance moves, Allie got to be around her friends and Mae got to dance with someone she liked. All in all, it wasn't such a bad night after all. *** Years later, many many years later, Mae would invite Melinda to her wedding. She would happily attend. They would laugh and talk and even dance together, and even now - as a newly married woman - Mae couldn't help but feel like that fourth grade girl once again, feeling nervous dancing with her first serious crush. Mae would always harbor a secret crush for her, just because that's what you do with your first serious crush, but in the end she was grateful just for her friendship and for not being hurt for being who she was. But that night, that night at the dance, Mae actually had a good time. She never really wanted to attend a dance again, but she did appreciate going if only because she got to dance with Melinda. Lying in her bed that night, Allie asleep on the floor beside her - her father had stayed over with his date - and staring up at the ceiling above her at the glow in the dark stars, she couldn't help but feel grateful her mother had made her go after all. Sure she'd never attend another school dance, but at least she'd been forced to go to this one and had gotten to dance with Melinda. Mae looked over the bedside and nudged Allie in the arm. "yessum?" she asked, half asleep. "Would you like me even if I was weird?" Mae asked. "If?" Allie asked, making Mae chuckle. Even half asleep Allie was hilarious. "I just mean, would you still be my friend even if-" "Mae, we'll always be friends, okay?" Allie asked, "We're friends cause you're weird. Cause I'm weird. Nothing's gonna change that. Now goodnight. I was having a dream about riding robo dinosaurs." That was the only answer she really needed.
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"I don't know how people wear stuff like this all the time," Trisha said, fidgeting in the back passenger seat in her dress, "I only wear dresses to Church, and maybe to certain formal family events. Can you imagine wearing something like this all the time?"
"I can't, no," Mae replied, "but it's nice. It's nice to be pretty. I like it anyway. I'm surprised your mom let you come." "My mom likes weddings," Trisha said, "She says weddings are the most honest expression of love two people can have for one another because they're openly celebrating it." "What does she think anniversaries are?" Mae asked, and Trisha got a weird look on her face. "I...don't know," she muttered, making Mae chuckle. Mae had been allowed to invite one friend to her aunts wedding, so she chose Trisha, because Trisha was the most proper of her friends, in the sense that she knew how to behave well at things like this. The aunt in question getting married was Mae's aunt Mary, who was finally marrying her longtime boyfriend. The two had been together for over a decade, and were finally tying the knot, much to the family's relief. As they parked the car, the girls were impressed by the amount of guests and tables of snacks laid out. The wedding was taking place outdoors at a small country club estate, all very well to do, and paid for by Mae's grandparents. Mary was their youngest, so they were happy to see her finally get hitched, and as such they had no problems paying for the necessities either. Mae and Trisha climbed out of the car as Scott exited the drivers seat, stretching. "God, an hour and a half drive," he said as Juliet came around the car and stood beside him. "I know, she couldn't get married somewhere close by, it has to be somewhere special." "Who does she think she is?" Scott asked, the two of them chuckling. Mae liked it when her parents got along and joked together. She often wondered if she'd ever meet someone that she could have the same sort of relationship with, where they were partners but also best friends. Trisha took Mae's hand, and together the two girls walked behind Mae's parents up to the estate courtyard, passing through the gates. "Look at that fountain," Trisha said, stopping and pointing, "it's a mermaid!" "That's so cool," Mae whispered in awe. "Maybe your aunt picked the right place after all," Trisha said, "I want a mermaid fountain at my wedding." "I just want a mermaid fountain, I don't need to get married for it," Mae said, the girls laughing. As they got further into the courtyard, they saw the bridesmaids hanging out together, all wearing emerald green dresses, eating snacks and laughing. They all looked so young, but they were adults. Age was weird to the girls. Suddenly a hand tapped Mae's shoulder, and she squealed only to see her Uncle Owen come around in front of her, kneel and grin. "You like the fountain?" he asked, nodding towards it and both girls lit up. "It's so cool," Trisha said, "does it belong to the club?" "No, we had it brought in specifically for this event," Owen replied, "it just...felt right, ya know? So, you girls want any snacks? We have a lot of sweets. Little cupcakes and fancy cookies, or there's a platter of nice cheeses and meats. Take your pick." "I promised my mom I wouldn't have any sugar," Trisha said quietly. "Well your mom ain't here, is she?" Owen asked, "I don't see why she'd need to know. Go, you're young, gorge yourselves on forbidden desires." The girls, giggling to themselves, raced off to the snack tables to eat sugary delights, while Juliet and Scott approached Owen, who was watching the girls rushing off, laughing to himself, his hands in his pants pockets. As Juliet and Scott approached him, he turned and nodded at them. "Congratulations," Scott said, shaking his hand, "it's about damn time." "That's what she said actually when I proposed," Owen replied, grinning, "no, but thanks, seriously, I'm...I'm happy to make it official in the eyes of the government, and our lord and savior, whoever that winds up being." "Where is my sister?" Juliet asked, and Owen pointed to a small white wooden building that looked almost like a shed. Juliet thanked him, then walked on by, heading towards the building as Owen turned back to facing Scott. "So tell me," Owen asked, "does being married change anything really besides your finances?" "Are you asking because I'm Jewish?" "...that hadn't even occurred to me, and I apologize," Owen said, the both of them cackling. Meanwhile, sitting at a table nearby the snacks, Mae and Trisha exchanged sweets with eachother, each one trying to get the other to try something different. After a while, the girls had had their fill of sugar, and decided to switch to actual food instead, loading up small plates and carrying them around as they walked amongst the grounds, looking at all the beautiful flowers that surrounded the estate. "Do you think you'll ever get married?" Trisha asked, and Mae thought about it. "I...don't know," she said, "I mean, I like the idea, it's cute, but...it seems complicated. I like the idea of just being on my own too, you know? Not having to listen to anyone else. What about you?" "I will," Trisha said, "I'd have to find the right boy first, but I will. But my mom's gonna throw a fit if he isn't from our religion, so that will be fun to deal with." "You can't date outside your religion?" "I will, she just won't like it," Trisha said, chuckling. "...do you think..." Mae asked, before pausing. She wasn't sure she should ask this, considering how religious Trisha's family was, but she knew Trisha wasn't like them exactly, so she figured it'd be safe; she cleared her throat and started again, asking, "do you think sometime it'd be okay to marry a girl?" There was a pause, and Trisha thought for a moment. "I mean," Mae said, "all my best friends are girls, and your partner is supposed to be your best friend, right? So why wouldn't it be okay?" "Well, my church says that marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman, but when I asked about that, they couldn't explain why they believed that. I think it's because the church wants more people to be born so they can have more people in the church, but mom says that's heresy to think so. I don't know though, I think it'd be okay, right?" Neither girl really knew what to say in regards to it, so they instead dropped the subject altogether. Mae felt awkward now. She'd never brought this question up to anyone before, for fear of the answer, and now she felt even weirder about it. She went back to her snacks. Meanwhile, Juliet had entered the little shed building, and found her sister Mary sitting down, smoking a joint. Juliet sat down and Mary immediately passed it to her. She took a long inhale, then waited and exhaled before going again and then passing it back, Mary smirking all the while. "If mom could see us now," Mary said. "She probably could, it's not that door has a lock," Juliet said, "...so, are you nervous?" "Please, when have I ever been nervous?" "Your entire life you've been a nervous wreck," Juliet said, laughing, "but today is the one day it's totally okay for you to be nervous. You're gonna be a wife in a few hours, that has to be somewhat stressful. Are you worried about anything?" "I'm worried that he's only marrying me because it's easier than starting over." "What? That's ridiculous, you know he adores you." "I know it's ridiculous, that's what irritates me about it," Mary replied, "Is how aware of its ridiculousness I am. Yet, I can't help for shake it. I think it's just something women of our generation had built into us thanks to the women who came before us. Like, mom likely never attended any suffrage rallies or political protests, you know? Her entire purpose was just to be a wife, and I think that got passed down to us, but we learned about the world, and how we deserve more than that from it." "Boy I bet mom really regrets sending you to college," Juliet said, making Mary laugh and choke on the smoke she was trying to exhale. The ceremony went off without a hitch, and was lovely. Trisha and Mae sat in the front row, watching as Mae's aunt and uncle were married. Cheering, whistling, celebrations. The wedding was a lovely way to spend a weekend, and it was a gorgeous day outside to boot. Afterwards, the girls climbed back into the car and headed home. Falling asleep in the backseat, Mae's head on Trisha's shoulder while soft rock played over the car stereo at a low level, it felt like it'd been the perfect kind of day. "I like weddings," Trisha said quietly. "Me too. I like it when things are happy and nice," Mae said, "It's a shame most marriages don't seem to stay that way." "Let's plan our weddings together," Trisha said. "That sounds cool," Mae said, yawning, "I'll get the markers if you get the paper and we'll draw what we want it to look like." "Sounds like a deal," Trisha said. As both girls drifted off to sleep, Juliet looked behind her seat at them, smiling warmly. She looked back at Scott as he drove, and she cozied up in her own car seat, thinking about her sister and what she'd said about getting married. Juliet hoped she was setting a good example for Mae - and to an extension her friends - that a woman could be more than just a wife. A woman could be anything she wanted. She didn't have to be defined by the marital status of the state. But most importantly, she wanted the girls to know that a woman could be just that, a woman. And there was nothing wrong with that at all. It was one of those rare weekends where each one of the girls weren't able to do something with eachother. Chaz, for instance, was helping her mother clean the entire house and map out their backyard remodeling she planned to do. Allie was hanging out with her dad because he actually wasn't working for a change. Trisha was busy doing schoolwork, house chores and preparing for church duties. Mae, on the other hand, was the only one who had absolutely nothing to do and, as a result, had to stay home because nobody else was available. These weekends didn't come around often, but when they did they sure were a bummer.
Mae was laying upside down on the couch in the living room, watching cartoons, when her mother stepped in front of her and looked down. "What are you still doing here?" she asked, "Aren't you and the girls getting together?" "Everyone is busy," Mae said, shoving a handful of crackers in her mouth and chewing, "gotta be alone." "Oh, well, that's a shame, I'm sorry," Juliet replied, sitting down on the couch next to her daughter and adding, "but you know, being alone isn't a bad thing. I mean, you of all people don't need to be told this, you're an introvert as it is. You could find lots of stuff to do by yourself other than watching TV." "I like TV," Mae said. "We all like TV, but surely there's something more constructive to spend your time doing," Juliet said. "I could watch TV in your bedroom," Mae said. "A change of location doesn't mean the activity suddenly gets better," Juliet said, chuckling, "um...what about coloring? We could do some coloring pages together? I could print some stuff out and we could sit on the floor and just color for a while?" Mae thought about this for a bit, then shrugged and said okay. Juliet patted her on the shoulder, then went to the home office to print some stuff out while Mae went and gathered her coloring utensils. When they both finally met back up in the living room and spread everything out on the floor, Mae realized how lucky she was to have a mom who genuinely wanted to spend time with her. Not every kid gets that, she knew, and she was thankful for it. Unlike Trisha. *** Trisha was sitting at her desk in her bedroom upstairs, trying to finish her homework, when her mother entered the room, carrying a laundry basket. Trisha turned to look at her, and her mother smiled at her then started taking the clothes from the basket, hanging them and putting them in the nearby closet while Trisha went back to work. "Have you decided what you're going to read during scripture class tomorrow?" her mother asked, and Trisha sighed. "No. I haven't. I'm kind of focused on homework right now," she replied. "Okay, well when you get a chance-" "I will." "...is something upsetting you?" Alice asked, looking at her daughter. Trisha set her pencil down and turned in her chair, adjusting her hair band and sighing. "I just...I know it's important, and I know homework is important, but this homework isn't due until next week and I can find something to read for class tomorrow morning, it isn't hard. I just don't like not getting to do things on the weekends. Every other kid gets to have fun, but I always feel like I'm stuck working on something and it isn't fair." "Well, that's life." "Yeah, when you're an adult! I'm not an adult!" Trisha remarked, sounding angry, surprising both herself and her mother with her tone as she continued, "I deserve to have things be easy and fun once in a while! Otherwise, maybe, I don't know...I'll grow up and not have any good memories of childhood. Do you have any good memories of your childhood?" Alice stopped, seated herself on the bed and thought. It dawned on her that, no, in fact she didn't. Her mother had done the same to her, and she'd hated her for it. Now here she was, doing the same thing to her own daughter, and her daughter was hating her for it. Alice sighed and shook her head. "You're right. You're absolutely right and I can't deny it," Alice said, "I've worked so hard to do the opposite of everything my mother did to me, and yet I feel like I'm just replaying her greatest hits. I try to let you have your own friends, I try to let you have your own interests and hobbies. The only thing I really ask of you is that you go to church with us because faith is so important to me. Faith was there to comfort me when my mother wasn't, and I guess I hope it could be the same thing for you. But I don't wanna be her. I don't want you to grow up to hate me." "I don't hate you mom, at all," Trisha said, "I'm sorry." "No, I'm sorry, you're...you're right, you're right. Go outside, go play with your sister for a bit. You can finish this stuff before bed or tomorrow or something," Alice said, "childhood is short, adulthood is too long. Make memories worth having while you can." Trisha stood up and walked to the bed, then sat down and hugged her mom, who happily hugged her back before watching Trisha go downstairs to gather her sister and go outside to play. Watching from the bedroom window as she continued to put away laundry, Alice felt like in some small way, she'd proven her own mother wrong, and that was more than enough of a win for her today. *** "How did you learn so much about remodeling?" Chaz asked her mother as they sat in the backyard, sipping tea and looking at the plans she'd come up with. "Well," Karen started, wiping her mouth on her sweater sleeve, "in college, I used to spend a lot of time with grandpa and he taught me how to build things. You know how grandpa is, very hands on, very do it yourself kind of guy. He built a ton of stuff when I was a kid. So I learned a lot of skills from him, but then..." She hesitated, then continued. "...when I met your father, he and I had the same interests," she said, "so for a while, we'd do the same things together, and one of those things was, surprisingly gardening and landscaping. He loved being able to create something out of nothing, a yard out of a pile of dirt. So between grandpa and him, I learned everything one needs to know in order to do this sort of project." Chaz smiled at this story. Her mother rarely spoke of her father, for good reason, but it was nice when she spoke of him well. She looked back at the plans her mother had drawn up and sighed. "Is this gonna be hard?" she asked. "Well, that's why I had kids, free labor," Karen said. "Hey!" Chaz said, the both of them laughing. "Is there anything you'd like to add to the yard?" Karen asked, and this surprised Chaz. She thought about it for a moment. They already had a hammock, a little playground set, what more could she ask for? The yard wasn't big enough for a pool, and that'd be too expensive and difficult anyway. Then a light went off in her head. "Bees!" she said, "I wanna raise bees!" "You wanna raise bees?" Karen asked, sounding shocked, "I can't even get you to clean your room and now suddenly you think you can look after an entire hive?" "Bees are cool, and they'll make honey for you!" "Sweetheart, I appreciate the earnest interest, but I don't think either one of us is capable of handling bees. Plus you need a bunch of equipment, and that's gonna cost a lot. I like the idea, I really do, and if we could genuinely do it I would, but...I just don't think its feasible, mostly financially more than anything else. This remodel is already costing me quite a bit." Chaz was, admittedly, disappointed, but she understood her mother was right. Bee keeping was an expensive hobby. She sighed and looked back at the plans. "Can we get a dog?" she asked. "That's a lot more feasible, yes," Karen said, laughing. *** Allie and her dad were sitting in the living room that evening, eating dinner that they'd cooked together. Homemade Mexican food, their favorite besides BBQ, and they were watching a game show of some kind. Her father sipped his beer, then leaned forward and took a bite from his burrito. "Do you think you could win on a game show?" Allie asked. "I'd never try." "Why not? You allergic to money or something?" Allie asked, making her dad laugh. "No, it's because the money you win on a game show is taxable, meaning a good percentage of your earnings go directly to the government. The only money that isn't really taxable is inheritances, but trust me, they'll find a way to get that too one of these days," he replied, "as fun as the idea is, it just isn't worth the financial headache that comes with the glory of winning Wheel of Fortune." Allie nodded. Her dad knew so much, and she was always learning something new from him. "What about me? I'm a kid, they can't tax a child," Allie said, genuinely believing she'd found a loophole. "Oh, you'd think that," her father replied, "but no, the money doesn't go to the child, it goes to the parent, you know, the one with the bank account who can cash it? Trust me Al, these things ain't worth the time and effort." "Well, what about the prizes they give away? They can tax money but they can't take half a jeep, right?" Allie asked, "someone from the government doesn't come and cut your new car in half and tow their part away, do they?" Her father lost it and started straight up cackling. Allie smiled and blushed. She loved that her father found her this funny, and she loved making him laugh. "No, I...I don't think they can do that," he finally said, holding back laughter, "jesus, Allie." Allie finished her dinner, then cuddled up to her dad and he stroked her hair until she fell asleep. After she was asleep, he carried her to her bed and tucked her in, then stood in the doorway of her bedroom and looked at her, tears in his eyes. He didn't have much. He'd lost most of what he'd ever had. But he had his daughter, and goddammit if that wasn't enough for him. *** "What'd you do this weekend?" Trisha asked Mae as they walked to school on Monday. "Colored with my mom and watched TV," Mae replied, "...I don't like the weekends where we can't hang out." "Yeah, they're weird," Trisha said, "Is that a bee in that jar?" Mae looked over to see Chaz, who had run up behind them, joining them and in fact holding a mason jar with a bee inside of it. "I'm gonna let him go, don't worry, I just think bees are cool," Chaz said. "Bees ARE cool actually," Mae said, "they have great colors. Black and yellow. Who'd have thought those would go so well together? Much better than Halloween's orange and black scheme." "Did you guys know the money you win on a game show is taxable?" Allie asked, now joining them as they approached the school. "Really?" Mae asked. "She's right," Trisha said, "My dad won money on a game show once and they took the majority of it. It's really not worth the effort." Each girl had had a different weekend, and each girl had come away with a different sense of appreciation for something they didn't have before. But being back together like this, Monday morning, was when they really knew just how much they meant to one another. Friendship was their biggest bond, and it would carry them throughout their school life, entangling them to one another until the end. Each girl was so very different, and yet those differences made up the whole of who they were as a group and why they liked eachother so much. You know what they say. It takes all kinds. |
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FANNYPACK follows 4 girls - Chaz, Allie, Trisha and Mae - in the 90s as they deal with adolescence and friendship. Archives
December 2022
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