Arlo and Buckeroo pt 2

Alright in Arlo and Buckeroo part 1 we learned all about Heather C. Bates/Arlo. If you missed that post, READ IT NOW. And then you'll understand why I'm righting about Steve. Anyway, I know now that you've read all about Heather and think she's awesome and you wanna be friends with her. But, it's time for Steve. It's okay though, because he's a sohnchen, which qualifies him as cool.

Steve...Buckeroo...

Why am I calling him Buckeroo? Well Steve I'm not sure if you remember this but MONTHS ago I called you buckeroo one day on msn, and then I told you I had decided I was going to call you that. I don't think I followed through on it, but for the sake of the post, your nick name is still buckeroo.Steve (who's real name is Stephen) Sohnchen and I go back to the summer. Not quite as far as Heather and I, but he's still sweet. He'd met my brother (Kelly) randomly once before me because Steve's cousin (Dave Sohnchen) was the bass player in Kelly's band. Connections hey? So anyway, we met, in sort of a funny situation actually. AJ wanted to go to the mall with Steve, but was not allowed alone with a boy at the mall. She called Heather to come along so they could go, who then called me so she wasn't a third wheel. Since it was summer and I was just gunna tan all day anyways, I said sure. We hit up the mall that Friday afternoon and I met this infamous Stephen Sohnchen. He seemed pretty cool, although a year younger, fairly mature. He had just recently moved from Calgary to K-town, and I must say fit in with the crowd back home due to his love of screamo/all those similar types of music.

Random Facts About Buckeroo:
-His birthday is March 5 (the day before Arlo's)
-He has an older brother named Adam (and a sister, but I don't know her)
-Him and heather both go to Evangel church in K-town
-He plays guitar
-He lives in rutland but is in denial
-Apparently we knew him when he was in diapers? Parental language...

Adventures of Loni and Steve...

I think our first adventure was at retreat this fall. There was this retreat for youth groups in the Okanagan at this place outside of Kelowna. It was really sweet...I think the camp was Jewish...but anyway it was on this lake and it was super nice and stuff. I went with Evangel youth cause my friends from my youth couldn't go. It was the end of September so it was a bit chilly, but not too cold. One night, there was this thing where people were supposed to go and find all the leaders. It started at like 10 or something cause we had just finished playing Capture the Flag I think. So anyway Steve and I were originally in a group or like 8 until we were ditched to a group of 4: us and 2 REALLY weird kids. Hmmm. So we decided it's be best if "you two take that side of the island thing, and we'll meet you in that field over there in like 30 minutes ok?" Then me and steve went exploring. We found a couple canoodling, and laughed at them haha. Didn't do too much until we came across these stairs leading towards the lake. Not being on that side of the camp yet, we decided to explore...or I think I decided and made Steve...that's besides the point. We ended up on this big dock that was the outline of a square and really neat. So we walked out on it and kinda stood there for a while watching some party across the lake. Then.....*cue creepy music* ..... Steve was on the other side of the big square when something was thrown into the water right next to me. I screamed and went running to the steve man. This happened again numerous times and we were scarrred. Well I'm not sure if Steve was, I sure as heeeck was. Since it was fun though, I was like hey, lets go find the serial killer throwing stuff at us! Venturing into the woods I'm pretty sure we came really close, but we ended up not finding them. It was a sweet night though, so much fun just running around the camp.

Numero Deux adventuro (I'll make this the last, because, well, if I throw every crazy thing in here then your attention goes out the window. And you don't comment. Hint hint, comment). Nooow I'm not sure if this was all in the same night...actually I think it was. Well anyway. I had been in downtown K-town getting shots done for A-frica, and was like since I'm around, I'll go to the Sohnchens. I pop up at the door, and Erin and Adam and Steve were watching....Kingdom of Heaven I think? I came in part way through and didn't understand anything. After a while Graeme showed up with the Poker set. I was supposed to be picked up in like 20 minutes, but we re-arranged so that I went home with Sean when he got off work that night at like 10:30. So we poker-d it up. And I'm pretty sure this was also the poker game when graeme had his cap gun and he'd keep shooting me so I'd flinch and then they'd make fun of me while Adam stole chips. Yeah...good times...not. Flinching and getting stolen from isn't good kids haha. But semi-funny for sure. Anyway then they made some pizzas...well I wont give them that much credit, I think they took them out of the freezer and put them in the oven. After a while we decided to hit it up at Erins with her 'big screen' (sweet wall movie projector) and watch Batman. Was it Batman? I'm pretty sure. Once the movie ended itself, we (Steve, Adam, Erin, and I) went into the hot tub, Graeme copped out, sitting on a chair in Adam's big wooly sweater. Since I didn't have my bathing suit I was wearing Erin's soccer shorts and tee. Then came the rubber ducky. Than danged rubber ducky. Steve started filling it with water and squirting me in the face. Apparently it's almost as much fun as watching me flinch because of cap guns.

So there you have a teenie biography of the Steve Sohnchen boy. Quite rad? I would say so.

I'm A Frappacino

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Props to Paul & Wanda's blog for opening my eyes to what coffee I truly am...

But the real question is...

Am I really frappacino...?

Arlo and Buckeroo

So, Steve and Heather wanted me to make a post about them. I told them I would, if they each commented on my last post, which they did. Are you all ready to be educated about Heather and Steve now? If not don't read, but if so, I suggest reading. They're super cool kids...

Arlo...Heather...

Now, how did we come up with the nick name of Arlo for her? Well, we were watching Orange County one summer day, and decided we needed nick names. Therefore, we took character names from the movie. I wanted Loni, and she took Arlo. Yes, they were boy names, but that is how the name came about. We also spent the following week pretending we were australian surfers. Good times.

A little background for you on Heather now. We go back to about age 3. Although, we did not start the best friend stage until age 10/11 (she's a year older than me). She has two older brothers, 3 and 5 years older, just like me! Their names are John and Andrew. Her mother and father are Fiona and Terry. We became best friends when she moved two doors down from me. I wanted to get to know her, so being the cool kid I was, I stood on my driveway and threw my pencil case up and down. Then I "accidentaly" threw it right next to where she was standing and introduced myself. She is tall, has dark hair, brown eyes, freckles, and basicaly a model figure. Her peircings consist of the norm, one on each ear. She also has an orange and white cat named Ginger.

We have spent every school holiday together, and been through almost every crush and heartbrake together. She has always been there for me when I was bawling, laughing, or being stupid. Anytime I am doing something regretful she, being the wise one, warns me, I go ahead and do it, then afterwards won't admit that she was right...again.

Adventures of Arlo and Loni...

Our first adventure together was "Revenge of the Turkey." We refer to adventures as stupid things we do where funny/crazy/thrilling things happen and it keeps us entertained because we can't drive ourselves anywhere. I believe Revenge of the Turkey was made around Thanksgiving when I was 12. It involved walking in snow in your bare feet for around 5 minutes, running, taking off your jacket, etc. I don't remember the exact rules, it was an extremely entertaining game played outdoors late at night though.

The Golf Course. Haha, living by a golf course provides so many interesting opportunities. One night I presented the idea to run across it at around 11pm and then climb through the barbed wire back onto the FREAKY path by Shannon Lake and walk home to thoroughly scare oursleves. Good enough, so we ventured out. I was full on into it all, hopping fences dodging eyes and hiding behind trees. Heather, well, she was behind me in a white hoodie.
"Dude, the woman on her deck just looked at us!" Heather
"She was probably just enjoying the stars or something womanly...hurry up!" Lauren
"No seriously....she's gunna call the cops man...I'm in white!" H
"Haha! Okay, seriously honey, she will not call the cops on a couple teens running across a golf course" L
"No, we're going back." H
"To do what? Watch Eric mow his lawn? We can't! It's night! Seeeeriously." L
"I have to go pee" H
"Why didn't you go before we left your house!?" L
"I don't know I guess I didn't have to go then" H
"uuuhh....fine....but we'll at least walk by the lake later for some kicks right?" L
"Ooooookkk...bathroom...now" H

When you walk to the end of our road (in kelowna) it used to be all just forest and stuff ok. It ended in a big circle of pavement, without homes around it. One night, Heather and I were down on that end at about 11 at night. I was sitting on the sidewalk with my back to the woods, and she was pacing infront of me, facing the woods. I heard something behind us and was like "Dude, what was that!?" Heather froze infront of me and din't say a word. So, I hopped up and saw a figure of a man in the dark, maybe 5 feet behind us. At this point I screamed "RUN!" for all I was worth, and we began sprinting back down the road. I didn't bother to look behind me but Heather was getting a good lead. Why? I was wearing Etnies skate shoes which I had bought a bit too big and they were extremely difficult to run in. So I yelled look out and kicked off both shoes while running, that takes talent guys! They landed in some bush and we kept running, me in my socks, freaking out and cursing every second word. Eventually we turned down a side street and collapsed on somebody's lawn to catch our breath. We were super sketched out and decided it was best that we didn't go directly home because else it would lead freaky woods man to where we live. So we walked down the other road more until we saw some guys we kind of sort of knew, and followed them about 7 feet behind. The entire time we talked about how we needed to catch the bus to Rutland (we lived in Shannon Lake, where we were). So we did this massive loop around the neighborhood and sprinted back to our homes where I found my brother and told him the entire thing. That night I walked home from heathers, the whole 15 feet, carrying a letter opener thinking if somebody attacked I could do enough damage with that. The next day we decided to investigate, in day light, what had happened. So, we trotted back down our hearts racing thinking we were about to die, to where we had been sittin/pacing. We looked where I had been sitting, and there were foot steps leading right up to and then back down into the woods. We're smart kids, so what do we do? Follow them. At the edge of the forest we saw where the foot prints walked to and from this tree, where on a branch, there was a large metal object hanging. Oooo Gosh. We concluded it was the crazy farmer that lived down in there who threatened to kill me brothers and shot one of my friends. Those were the days.

It was the same sort of scene, but they were doing some developing at the end of the road. You know that big cement circle? Well A path had been pushed through the trees, and we had never been down it. We decided it being 11 at night an all, it was a good time to figure out where it went. It was so creepy we were holding hands singing "Jesus Loves Me" all the way down the path. Suddenly after about 15 minutes we burst into this open area where there was a pony and a horse (we named them brownie and star). A big hill then went up, and it lead into an area of houses I never knew existed before. We walked up, and climbed up the mountain to where we could see the entire lake, the winery, and Mt. Boucherie. It was a really cool spot. We ventured around the neighborhood and wanted to find a different quicker way home, seeing as how it was getting really late. DUN DUN DUN!!!!! Walking around for like 30 mins we decided there was no way but the freaky deaky path back through the woods. Lame hey? So the next day we went back and found a way through all the trees and paths and random things back to the elementary school behind our house.

We did the same type of thing a few months later. We walked down the same path, and got up to the road above the pony and the horse (by this time we were experienced) and began walking. After a few minutes we noticed a creeeeepy and I mean creepy black van sitting on the side of the road with two people watching us. Deciding to pay no attention, we continued walking down the road that led to the highway. Not much later, we see creepy black van is following us. At this point we begin running up hill closer to where houses could hear us scream bloody murder. The van left us, and we thought it'd be best to head back home, drink hot chocolate, and watch a movie till one of us fell asleep. Walking back, this MASSIVE MAN EATING DOG comes out from the back yard of one of the houses on our left. It was growling and drooling and barking. Heather and I were freaking, whispering, and conspiring. The dog came closer and closer and it honestly looked like it wanted to kill us. We started backing up then to the right side of the street where another MASSIVE MAN EATING DOG decided to join the party. We were now surrounded by MASSIVE MAN EATING DOGS. As we backed up, and they approached us with all drool and teeth coming out. One began walking faster and at this point I was so scared and didn't know what to do that I was like "In the name of Jesus I command you to stop chasing us and go back home you stupid frickin dogs!!" And guess what happened!? They shut up, and started walking back without a word. Heck yeah baby! So we took the scary forest path back out to just before the cement circle. We sat down on a rock and began talking about life and such. Looking up at the hill above us about ten minutes later, there was a coyote. Not cool kids, not cool. We got fully scared and sat there contemplating what to do. We could run, and it could run after us, we could walk, and it could stalk after us. After about 15 mins of deliberating I said "I'm goin in man" and hopped off the rock and began crawling through the dirt in my stealth way. Heather followed and we ran back to the closest house onto the sidewalk. That was the end of that adventure.

Although we have had MANY more, I'll spare you. But I really should tell you about our last night together, just because, well, it was our last night.

December 26 2005. Brennan, Steve (not Steve Im writing about but a different one), Leah (Steve's wife), Meagan, Liz, Sam (Kelly's girlfriend), Kelly, Sean, Heather, and me! There's the characters. We were sitting in our house watching Much Music and just sort of chilling. Eating cookies, talking, and me taking pictures. Then I mentioned since it was my last night in canada, we needed to go do something. Heather and I brought up how back in the day me and her used to play grounders together on the elem. school playground. Everybody decided that was a sweet idea, and we headed off to the playground. [ first i had to borrow a pair of converse from heather because all my shoes were packed ] So we were all playing grounders (I didn't get tagged ONCE baby!) when this man comes with a flashlight and dog saying that we're not allowed on the play ground. What kind of no life comes after teenagers on boxing day at the elementary school? Who knows. So we semi-argued-but-not-really with him, and then left. Apparently nobody is allowed on the school grounds after dusk. Riiiiiiight. Anyway we began walking down the road again, and I was like, that can't be it!! My last night in Canada guys!! So Brennan went and got a bear scare from his trunk and we walked down to shannon lake while contemplating stealing lawn ornaments. While walking to the lake some man standing on his porch in his undies scratched his belly and yelled something and we replied "Hello! have a good night sir!" and continued on our way. Walking down the path around the lake, brennan shot off his bear scare, which basically sounds like a gun shot, especially when it's echoing out over a lake. We all freaked out at him and crept along staying silent for ten minutes until we hit the golf course. Then we ran around there for a while and I found a pylon and decided to carry it. We walked back down the road and I threw the pylon into somebody's back yard because it was getting annoying. Suddenly a man came out of his house and began lecturing Kelly. I being the lil sis had to know what he was saying but Kelly motioned me to stay back, so I did. Apparently he was saying we were hoodlums or something like that. BAM! As Kelly's done talking a cop car approaches us. She unrolls the window and goes "We've had a call about something that sounded like a gun" Oh.Crap. We looked at Brennan and wanted to kill him.
"Uh, yes mam I'm sorry we thought we saw something and I accidentaly set off my bare scare." "Alright, what were you guys doing down there anyway, partying?"
"Ummm..yeah...I guess?"
"Have you had anything to drink?"
everybody bursts out laughing "No."
"So why were you partying?"
I step to the front "Well you see it's my last night in Canada."
"Oh really" (she didn't look very believing) "and where are you going?"
"I'm moving to Africa"
stunned look "and why would you do that?"
(I dont think this is helping her believe we're sober, so I decided to pull out the preachin guns) "Well you see we go to church and believe that we have been called by Jesus..." and I went on this christian rant. It shut her off pretty quickly because she looked scared and sped off to talk to undies man standing on the road. Woohoo haha. So most people peaced out then, except for Sam. So Sam, Kelly, and I all crashed onto Kelly's bed and talked about nothingness until about 4 in the morning. Then Kelly drove Sam home and I went to bed, only to wake up at 5 because I was going out for brekky with some friends at six. Crazy it was.

Okay so, I think I should cut you guys a break so I'll talk about Steve-o in my next post, how's that? Overall though, Heather is the best friend I have ever had, and continues to be. She e-mails me almost every day and we chat on the phone once in a while. She is one of the greatest people I have ever known, and has an amazing christian heart. She's compassionate, crazy, and funny. Her laugh is unforgettable, especially since that's all she ever does is laugh hehe. I love her heaps. Now comment on Arlo's fab-u-lous-ness.

Twists Towards the Unknown

Yesterday I went with Sara and her youth group to a crocodile farm. It was really cool, those things are sooo massive! There were also alligators, turtles, tree snakes (and numerous other kinds including the most poisonus right here in Zambia!), and monetary lizards. At one point the guy who worked there pulled out a MASSIVE python from this big pit and I got to pet it...freaky but cool. The scariest thing is when there's nothing but a chain link fence seperating you and death in the form a big scaly green thing.
Today I went to an Intl. church and I cannot tell you how nice it is to a)understand the ENTIRE service!! b) have worship in ENGLISH!! c)Have a message that applied to my life!! d)Be sitting in real chairs!! e) It didn't go for four hours!!!!!!!!
I also went to the Sunday market today and bartered my way on a hair thingy from 50 thousand Kwacha to 20 thousand Kwacha! That's about a ten dollar drop. Go me for being white. Today, I also got a package from my rocking g-unit (grandma) with magazines, hemp, beads, STARBUCKS COFFEE, and twizlers. The package from Canada Fire (www.canadafire.org, check it out yo) also came in with plenty of sweet bits of Canada. What a sweet last day of freedom before I throw myself into study oblivion trying to catch up on three weeks of school.

On another note...

I've seen in the past year how life can change so quickly. Last January, if you were to ask me what 2005 was going to bring I probably would've said this:
*A trip to the Ukraine
*Lots of shows
*Doing Quest in my school
*Finally going to Boucherie
*Road Trip
*Meeting sweet new people
*More opportunities to preach
*Organizing lots of outreaches.
Instead, 2005 brought the reality of the idea I might be moving to Africa, going to my last YC, Going to the Ukraine, Entering Boucherie (but only for 4 months), spending lots of time between Vancouver and Kelowna, saying good-bye to my entire world, preaching. It was good, but so amazingly unexpected. For 2006 expectations are looking a bit different:
*Bungee jump for my sixteenth birthday
*Get my full license
*Visit Canada
*Go through South, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and maybe a few other random African countries
*See a lion, elephant, zebra, lechwe
*Find an international school to attend
*Find a good youth group where I finally feel like Im getting some Jesus again
*Look for a ministry that reaches out to street kids
And what has happened so far in 2006:
*Moved to a third world country
*Ate maize
*Ate termites
*Hung out in a compound with a 70-some year old
*Pet a python
*Been less than a foot from a crocodile
*Been less than a foot from an Alligator
*Made American, British, Zambian, Zimbabwian, Congolese, South African, Brazillian friends
*Played with monkeys
*Visited Malawi
*Cut my finger open
*Got proposed to
It's proved to be fairly interesting so far. It just kills me, thinking the other night: my old life is gone. Never again will I be able to casually phone up Steve and ask about a poker game at his place, phone heather and say hey lets go on an adventure at 2 in the morning, phone up liz and meagan and ask to go to Starbucks, ask Andy when we'll be preaching next, sit on my brothers bed at 4 in the morning talking about how they invented words and listening to them play their guitar. It's all peaced out. Im a teenager, and Im not getting to be one. I need to let go of that though, no matter how fricking amazing last year was in every way, and realize I need to make a life for myself here. I know it won't be as fun or crazy, but I have to deal with that. I have to make it as much like that as I can and let God take me where he needs me. I just feel sooo stinking dry and confused. Who the heck am I... What am I doing in Zambia?

Kalinga Linga's Men; Dogs

Another day, another marriage proposal. My parents and I were going through an area called Kalinga Linga (Ka-ling-ga-ling-ga, it's fun to say. Just say it over and over again and it's a hypnotizing kind of happiness...) which is where all the carpenters live. They work in their house and then display their work on the side of the road. If you like something, you pull over, talk to the guy, and put in your order of what you want, in what style, and negotiate prices. Anyway, we pulled over at this one point where numerous carpenters worked together. We picked out basically all our furniture (besides couches) here which was cool cause we got to choose exact styles and heights and everything, for a lot cheaper than a store. So, we were in this "office" (a small cement room with dirty windows that couldn't open, no air flow, and boxes all over the floor) when my dad stepped out to the car for a second to get our money. This left mom and I with the two carpenter boss guys working on our prices. As Dad was walking back to the office somebody yells
"Ah! Mazoongoo ( it means white person, you hear everybody say it when you're around)!"
"Mazoongoo! Well...I'm mazoongoo?" father
"Haha! Yes! Brother Mazoongoo!" says the "tonic water" drinking african man as he embraces dad.
"Oh...heeeey. What's your name?" says dad
"Me? I am Solomon! Like King Solomon in the bible, yes!" tipsy man seems very proud of his relation to a king
"Oh I see! Well I am Robbie (it's actually rob but people here like to add "ee" to the end of things, so he just sticks to Robbie)"
"Okay Brother Robbie"
Thinking that was the end of that Dad steps into the office, only to have King Solomon follow him, and spot me leaning against a crate dying of the heat. Now before moving on, let me just say, I was not dressing for his attention in any way. My outfit you ask? Four year old jeans with 4 holes in them, slightly baggy, not exactly attractive. Blue and white Nike flip flops. Navy blue tee shirt from Hollister. My hair was in it's usual curly state.
"Ah! And who is this? Robbie's daughter?" Solomon says moving towards me
"Haha, yes, I'm his daughter." I say laughing. Why am I laughing? Because when I get nervous, or scared, etc. I laugh...a lot...in everything I say. Even though nothing's funny.
"oooo...verrrrry nice. I am a king. You are verry beautiful, yes, mazoongoo." Solomon is now shaking my hand, in this culture it's rude to let go, so the hand shake continues...
"ah...haha...uh...haha...haha....um....dad? haha..." me, not exactly sure what to say
Let me explain to you what Solomon looks like. He is tall, like over 6 feet, super buff, and overall scary.
"So what is your name maddam?" Solomon asks, stiiiiiillll shaking my hand
"Um, me? I'm Bess (they have a hard time saying L if it's at the begining of a word, so if I use my first name it usually is said like mauren or vauren so I gave up and now go by my middle name) hahahahahaha...ha...wellll..." Me really wishing that he would just leave because now he's popping my personal bubble space...
"O, very nice name, yes, you come with me." He starts pulling me at this point, full well knowing there are two other Africans, and my parents present in the room, horrified at this man
"Um...hahaha...no...hahaha...ha...no" Me really trying to hold myself back and thankful that I have some muscle left from my 5 years of track and field.
"Oh why not pretty? We can get married! My family will like mazoongoo!" Okay seriously let go of me
"Ah...I don't think my older brothers who don't like boys touching me would like you." No more laughing. I want my brothers.
"haha" Solomon leans in to kiss my face as I lean back
"No! uh...haha yeah no, don't kiss me" By now his grips too strong on my hand to pull away and I have reached the fully sketched out point.
"Ah sister! You don't like me?" Solomon seems offended. Duh
"Not exactly...I don't know you." At this point I was dying for somebody to take this man out.
Finally, the two African guys started yelling at him in Nyanja and Solomon grabbed my hand and kissed it and left the office. I then felt the urgent need for some Purell. Welcome to Africa.

After that lovely incident I didn't really feel like hanging out in the office where I was about to pass out. So I took the digital and walked outside to where all the furniture was by the road. While I was walking I heard...
"Madam! hello!" a little boy comes running toward me
"Oh, hey, how are you?" I ask, laughing at the little kid
"Me? I am fine madam and how are you?" This boy had good manners, unlike Solomon
"I am okay, what's your name?"
"I am Daniel!" He says, very proud laying his hands on his chest.
"Oh that's cool, I'm Bess. Who's your friend?" another boy had joined him
"I am ___________(insert an African name impossible to pronounce or write)" he said in a super quite voice.
"How old are you guys?" I asked, wondering if they were school age or not
"I am twelve years old." Daniel said with a big smile
"Want your picture taken?" I asked holding up my camera
"Yes! Madam, right here!" They walked over to a desk on display
As they were leaning on the desk ready for the picture, two more boys, Jonathan and another crazy name joined them. After I had taken those pictures (I tried uploading them but they're not working so maybe in a later post...) I said I had to go back to the office. They all started yelling and asking me for more pictures and to stay. Daniel though, who I had figured out by this time was a group leader, held them all back and said "No, eway awai (boys stop it) she took our pictures already. Thankyou Madam, you have a good day." I was walking away when I heard them all yelling again. "I like you Madam! Come back later! Have a good day! I like you!" Afterwards we were walking back to our car when Daniel came running off his swing saying "God bless you!!"

As for more normal life, well. School is going incredibly bad. See I do online scool with an incompetent school. I finished all my English so yesterday I was supposed to move onto SS so I could finish that up. Well, I can't open any of it. How are people supposed to get educated when they can't even view the lessons!? Then, I was like okay I'll do Science. Only to realize my Science text which was supposed to be mailed two months ago, is STILL not here. Moving on to my last hope and choice, was Math. I hate math which was why I was going to leave it until May, especially since I'm in Principals and I'm still wondering why. Anyway I go to do that when it says to go to a page in my textbook. Only to get a call from Lauren in Kitwe saying "Hey, is your mathbook blue and white checkered with Frogs on it?" Yeah, that would be mine. So much for school. Then, I'm like okay well I'll e-mail my counsellor and see if he can at leats fix the SS page for me. They're ten hours behind so I won't get an answer until tomorrow, but oh well. It hits me after the time difference issue that it's not only that, but, THEY'RE ALL ON SPRING BREAK. I'm already behind because of a week and half when power was going out and the internet was down. Screw school, I can get through life with my grade nine education...this is just typical Africa though, Every problem leads to another and they take days upon days to fix, whereas in Canada you can have things fixed within hours. Not cool.
We're getting a dog in I think three or four weeks. A missionary lady in town, Nancy, has a dog that just had a litter of puppies on valentines day. They're rodegian ridgebacks and so stinking adorable!!!! Eventually it will be our guard dog, but that's still a pet. Until it's big enough to go outside (owls and other random things will come in and kill your dog if its small enough) it'll sleep in my room! Woowoo. Parentals have said it's my responsibility, which I'm fine with since my life currently consists of reading, writing, and...watching American Idol. We're going to Nancy's house for dinner tonight, so I will get to visit all the dogs again tonight. I have no idea which one I'll choose, I want them all. I'll take the digital and hopefully edit this or somethign later so you can see them and fall in love with them too.

Learning?

So, Monday we arrived here in Lusaka. Our house has a patio, a dining room, an office, a living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and four bedrooms. It's really nice, and has a massive yard. I'm still trapped by cement walls, eletric fences, razor wire, and barred windows, but at least this place is bigger and nicer. Right? Yeah. Well, I made one potential friend yesterday. She's thirteen, which I cringed at when I heard her age. Thank God though, she's incredibly mature, she even went bungee jumping last week. Which brings me tooo......

My birthday is May 16th, and since there's no point in staying here and having a party since I don't really know anybody, I think we're going to Victoria Falls. It's all these huge neat waterfalls, and is one of the 8 wonders of the world. Right here in Zambia! Woohoo! So anyway, we're going to go there. While there I plan on ringing in my 16th birthday, by bungee jumping! It's the largest commercial bridge bungee jump in the world, so heck why not. They even make a DVD of the whole thing for you. After Vic. Falls, we're going to go to South (South Africa) which basically isn't even Africa because it's nicer than North America. In Pretoria, where we'll be staying, they have the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere. Can we say stoked? Yeah. Crime is just really harsh in South, 1 in 2 women are raped, so I'm kinda sketched but hey hopefully it will go well.

Yesterday I visited a compound with Aunty Cheryl where "go-go"'s house had falled down. Go-go means grandma, and she's the grandma of the village. She made us maize and I talked with a couple little kids, Cristabelle and Lolo who knew some English and were from Zimbabwe. The two walls of Go-go's house had fallen apart over the night, the bricks all got wahsed out from the rain. We met a bunch of ladies from the community who all called me their daughter and cheryl their aunty, it was pretty cool.

I have to learn how to drive on the other side of the road in a little over two months! How exciting! If I can drive here, I'll be able to conquer anywhere! Bonus is, I only have an L for 3 months, then I get my real license. So when I come back to Canada I'll go for a driving test there and get my international license, I'm hoping this all works out by the time I'm 17.
I found this website the other day and I thought it was so hilarious because it was so true, you must read it...

You Know You're a Missionary Kid When... (Originally compiled and published by Andrew and Deborah Kerr)
*You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?"
You speak two languages, but can't spell in either.
You flew before you could walk.
*The U.S. is a foreign country.
*You have a passport, but no driver's license.
*You have a time zone map next to your telephone.
*You would rather eat seaweed than cafeteria food.
*Your life story uses the phrase "Then we went to..." five times.
*You watch nature documentaries, and you think about how good that would be if it were fried.
You think in grams, meters, and liters.
*You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel.
You go to the U.S., and get sick from a mosquito bite.
*You send your family peanut butter and Kool-Aid for Christmas.
*National Geographic makes you homesick.
*You have strong opinions about how to cook bugs.
*People simply don't understand.
You live at school, work in the tropics, and go home for vacation.
*You don't know where home is.
*Strangers say they can remember you when you were "this tall."
*You have friends from or in 29 different countries.
You do your devotions in another language.
*You sort your friends by continent.
You keep dreaming of a green Christmas.
*You tell people where you're from, and their eyes get big.
*"Where are you from?" has more than one reasonable answer.
****The nationals say, "Oh, I knew an American once..." and then ask if you know him or her. *You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service.
You realize that furlough is not a vacation.
*You've spoken in dozens of churches, but aren't a pastor.
*Furlough means that you are stuffed every night... and have to eat it all to seem polite.
You realize that in Australia, the above statement would be very rude.
Your parents decline your cousin's offer to let them use his BMW, and stuff all six of you into an old VW Beetle instead.
*You stockpile mangoes.
****You know what REAL coffee tastes like.
*The majority of your friends don't speak English as a first language.
Someone brings up the name of a team, and you get the sport wrong.
You believe vehemently that football is played with a round, spotted ball.
*You know there is no such thing as an international language.
You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism.
You tell Americans that democracy isn't the only viable form of government.
*You realize what a small world it is, after all.
You never take anything for granted.
**You know how to pack.
****All preaching sounds better under a corrugated tin roof.
You know raw fish tastes better than cooked.
When guests come to your house and bring a fish as a gift.
*Going to the post office is the highlight of your day.
When you sing songs to yourself in a language other than English.
*When you mother gets excited over finding Doritos at 7-11.
*When on deputation you have memorized Dad's messages.
When after the church service you look for a slide projector to put away.
When wearing shoes in the house sounds disgusting.
*You get excited to find cokes are on sale for only 99 cents.
You carry Bibles in two languages to church.
You watch an English language video and read the foreign language subtitles.
*When you dream in a foreign language.
On your 18th birthday you still don't have a driver's license.
You send out birthday invitations in a foreign language.
When you carry a dictionary everywhere you go.
When your five foot tall mother is taller than most of your church members.
Your Dad scolds you in a foreign language.
*When you don't know how to count American money.
*When you go on furlough your Mom buys everything in the store.
**When adults want to pay you to teach them English.
When you can't find shoes to fit your feet in any of the shoe stores.
*******When you would rather sleep on the floor than on the bed.
*******When the family gathers around the computer to check the E-mail.
*When you enjoy getting together with other MK's and talking about old news.
When all your clothes have been worn by someone else.
When at your yard sale the 80 year old man next door buys your mother's culottes.
When your friends know more English grammar than you do but can't understand English conversation.
When you find a seven year old picture of yourself on someone's refrigerator.
When you know how to send a fax using an international call back service.
When you have carried the same dollar bill in your wallet for four years.
When you write in your diary in a foreign language.
*When driving on the right side of the road gives you the willies.
When the traffic light turns from red to blue.
When eating with chop sticks seems natural.
When eating spaghetti with chop sticks is easier than using a fork and spoon.
*When you have explained the difference between "The cow is on the field" and "The cow is in the field."
*When you take a shower before taking a bath.
*When you call senior missionaries grandma and grandpa.
When the message on your answering machine is in two languages.
When you move into a new house you take a gift to all your neighbors.
When earthquakes seem normal.
*When your Mom sends you out to sweep the street in front of your house.
****When you pull into a gas stand and expect people to come running out screaming welcome!
***You consider parasites, dysentery, or tropical diseases to be appropriate dinner conversation.
*You tell people what certain gestures mean in different parts of the world.
You have stopped in the middle of an argument to find the translation of a word you just used. ***You calculate exchange rates by the price of Coke.
***You would rather have a Land Rover Defender than a Lexus.
You enjoy textual criticism of customs forms.

I think that's basically an update of life right now. I miss my brothers so much, if I had them here, I would not be having nearly as much of a problem adjusting. But I think I'm warming up a bit more to living here. It takes time, but it's cool.

I am woman. Hear me Rant.

Okay so you must forgive me but I am about to rant. I have warned you. So I wrote this short story for english class right. It was supposed to have a deep meaning. I check my mark/comments on it a couple days ago and I got 90%. I was curious as to why I didn't get full marks. There was a comment on how I didn't incorporate salvation into the story. I am sorry, but this was never on the criteria! or even mentioned! These danged christian schools. My gosh. And now, readers, you are going to read my story so you can rant with me about hwo it could be taken as a christian analogy, or just a good story for a fifteen year old. Oy. Here....

Cold Sand

The shouting had gotten louder, the alcohol taking its toll on numb minds. Glass was breaking, the sound of bruises in their most sincere form, screaming through to Tatome’s sanity. In a childlike reflex she threw herself onto the bed, awaiting sirens or the door slam, whichever came first. Most days though, the sirens never even reached the Bennet home. Yelling had caused too much damage for the telephone to be picked up. The rain trickled down in a sympathetic way, splattering on the glass, distorting the dark scene outside. It mimicked their life. Slowly and majestically the thunder made its booming voice roll through the valley. Lightning strikes hinted at the mysterious power the storm held. It took hold of the ground, causing damage, proving who was boss.
Slam, the door had made its statement of safety. He was gone. Tatome took a deep breath and stroked her silky brown hair back. While the tears threatened their way out, she searched for where she’d thrown her glasses in her earlier fit of rage. In a moment of panic, she realized she hadn’t heard her mother for a few minutes. She was her mother’s strength though. Running mascara wouldn’t prove that. On her way out the door, Tatome grabbed a Kleenex, and made a quick fix of her face. Calmly and peacefully she strolled down the stairs towards the torture area. Carly, her mother, lye broken, bruised and unsurprised on the floor.
“I should’ve remembered, he doesn’t like tacos on Wednesdays.” Came the pathetic words, spilling out of her mouth, imitating the blood making a bold statement on her leg.
“Mama, stop, it’s not your fault you have to stop this. He just had a rough day, he’ll be okay. Dad will be back later tonight. I’m sure he’ll have something to eat at the bar.” Tatome’s words were a cold comfort to the idea that this man would be back day after day, repeating his same painful sin like he had the past 5 years. They both knew he held a silent agreement with them. They spoke of the beatings, more came. If they didn’t speak, they brought it upon themselves.
Mother and daughter sat in silence. The air felt stale, a familiar scene. Carly was in the fetal position on the floor, blood staining her skin and leaking onto the carpet. Kneeling next to her beloved mom she swept her hair back, trying to find another world. One poor lamp let a dull light make the shadows. Rain drops grew bigger, making their presence outside known. Kevin came to both their minds at that moment.
“I’m so happy sweetie” her mom croaked out “that you have a nice boy to take care of you, like Kev. Such a nice kid. He’s good to you right?”
“Yeah of course mama, he’s great. Just great. I think we’re going for dinner tomorrow night.” Tatome knew she was lying to herself, but also knew it was necessary, for both of them.
“Why don’t you give him a call? Maybe you two can go watch a movie at his place, hm?” There was a needy tone to Carly’s voice as she let the words into the air. She made a painful attempt to pull herself up, and onto the seemingly perfect couch.
“I don’t really want to right now. I think I’m coming down with something, and, you know, don’t wanna be up too late. ‘Sides I can’t just leave you here when Gilmore Girls is on tonight!” Tatome made a desperate attempt to keep herself in the house.
“I said, I want you to phone Kevin, and I want you two to go and hang out at his house for a while, okay?” Carly got pushier in her tone, and was not about to explode in rage when she just didn’t have the energy.
Knowing it was best to simply say yes Tatome nodded her head, and followed her previous path up the stairs to her bedroom. The blue walls mocked her depressed mindset, as she picked her cell phone up off her desk. Shakily, she scrolled through the names until she found Kevin’s and hit dial. It rang a few times before being answered. Then, his voice.
“Hey baby, I thought I said I couldn’t see you tonight?” Kevin’s voice sounded suspicious through the phone.
“Yeah well you know, stuff happens right.” Tatome felt an urgency to get the message through to him, without having to explain another mother and father scenario.
“Again? Bastard. I just have to take care of some…things…then I’ll be over in maybe twenty to get ya aight babe?” Annoyed, he agreed in saving her.
“Ye, that’s cool, I’ll go get ready honey. I’m sorry.”
“Whatever see you soon. Oh and hey, wear that new skirt.” A click echoed in Tatome’s mind like a death sentence, as she saw herself in her mother’s position. Gathering herself again, she spotted her black rimmed Gucci glasses upside down on the other side of the room. Her feet padded over, and gracefully placed them back onto her face. It hit her then that she hadn’t reapplied any make-up to her face. She plopped onto the floor in front of her full length yellow mirror. Staring back at her was a scared, broken girl. Names and questions filled her head about that stranger looking back at her. Eyes were no longer a sparkling blue, but an icy cold color. Pale skin and delicate lips graced her oval shaped face. Her hair fell lifeless around that precious, lost face, flowing down to her collar bones. In an intense loneliness and brokenness, which kept her feeling, she applied her black eyeliner.
A car honk shook Tatome of her numb state, and her body unfolded itself, dragging over to the door. Looking out that hallway window, she saw fate sitting in the driver’s seat, she was nothing but a passenger. A bathtub down the hallway swallowed water pouring down from the metal taps, becoming the soundtrack for the white walls. No use bothering Carly when she was, perhaps, relaxed for once. A tug on Tatome’s mini skirt, and a second honk forced her down the spiral staircase. While approaching the shimmering door handle, she thought about how she could escape, but knew from countless times before, there was no escape. No freedom. Regretfully, one foot dressed in black high heels moved onto the porch, and let the night begin.
CNN let its mindless chat fill the room as Tatome sat alone and bored, on the burgundy couch neatly placed in Kevin’s parent’s downstairs living room. She heard the shower click off and awaited company, happy in some senses to be taken away from the talking box. Kevin strolled into the living room, in his jeans and muscle shirt.
“Sorry I never had a shower after work. So what do you want to do?” He said throwing himself onto the couch next to his girlfriend, with an arm gracing her shoulders.
“I’m not sure, I’m kind of tired, do you just wanna watch a movie, or maybe go grab a coffee?” Tatome felt like such an intruder, she had basically invited herself over. Not a smart thing to do.
“Don’t make me choose, you’re the one who brought yourself over here.” Kevin replied, pulling out a cigarette.
“I told you I was sorry. Carly made me leave. You can choose, don’t let me ruin your evening, I’m just your girlfriend.” Tatome said with a sense of hate in her voice.
“Hey!” a shout came sprinting out of his mouth “Don’t give me that crap woman. I do all I can for you. This is the attitude you give me? Unbelievable.”
“Look, just take me home then okay? Or Drop me off somewhere, I can find my own way home.” It was a desperate search to get out of his grip now.
“No way, you’re mine now. Come on.” Smoke floated out of Kevin’s mouth with a putrid smell, the cigarette hanging out the side of his lips. His green eyes filled with evil intentions, his hand slipped itself onto Tatome’s leg. Slyly he slid his hand up towards the edge of her skirt.
“Kev quit it you jerk! Do you honestly think I’d wanna do that now after my night!? Hell, I guess I shouldn’t have expected any better from dirt like you.” The second part of her words failed to come out quite as loud, falling onto her shoulders, hiding in the couch cushions.
“What did you say to me?” A rage suddenly began forcing itself through Kevin’s chest. “You don’t talk to me like that! I take good care of you. Nobody else will anyway. You try that again, and you’re gone.” A good hard slap drove itself across Tatome’s face as a reminder of her apparently painful mistake.
“Sorry” she whispered as her eyes met the floor. Ezekiel, he wouldn’t ever do that. He would save her. In her mind his face sank, realizing she hadn’t called him lately. Had she forgotten his birthday? No, no it was tomorrow. She would call him tomorrow.
“I’m going to Jake’s. You know how to use a remote. Hah, I’m not even sure about that. I’ll be back.” The white basement door shut with a strange ease. Tatome looked up to the TV to face Britney Spears. She was what he wanted. So perfect, so beautiful. Nobody would dare touch a woman like that. Strong, gorgeous, respected. It wasn’t right. Exhaustion flooded over her and she sprawled out on the couch. News reporters in their fancy business suits and accomplished lives pranced around the screen. Slowly, gently, Tatome’s eyes closed.
Three hours later, and the stench of alcohol at full strength, Kevin came stumbling into his basement. Crashing to the ground, a bottle awoke his sleeping girlfriend.
“What are you still doing here? I want you out of my house. Hey you! Yeah, you.” His words arrived slurred and angry. Tatome was flustered and tired, trying to convince herself it was the alcohol yelling at her. In behind him came Jake.
“What’s up girl!? Yo, what happened to your face? You aight?” Jake seemed to show some concern, it was obvious though, he had some sort of drink running through his system. The two of them had no idea how stupid they were looking at that moment. Tripping, slurring, and laughing.
“You know what happened. Can you take me home?” Came an annoyed reply from Tatome’s sleep deprived face. Jake gave a quick knowing glance to Kevin. Abruptly he agreed to be the Taxi driver. She got herself off the couch, and headed towards the two drunken fools. In Kevin’s embrace his stinking breath let her know she could stay the night.
“I’m going home, ok? I’ll call you tomorrow. Just go to bed. You don’t need me here tonight. I don’t need you.” She said in a tiring tone, and her and Jake exited the basement. As they strolled towards the car in the moonlight, there was a throbbing pain growing on Tatome’s pink cheek bone. The numerous scenes of her mother on floor, flashed before her. It was her future. No denying, she was falling into the same traps. The one man in her life that she had always looked to had turned himself into a demon, and she was attracted to his kind wherever she went. He represented comfort and safety, somehow all at once that meant pain and suffering. Bending down and into the beaten down car, she knew she had lost control. The passenger seat seemed such a fitting place for her to ride home in that stormy night.
Silence and a bruise were what Tatome woke up to that Friday morning. The events of the previous night haunted her thoughts, which shared similarities to the past years, no such thing as change in the Bennet home. On the bed she lied, feeling weak and dizzy. Sunlight snuck in under the curtains, crawling across the floor and drawing lines across the bed sheets. Faintly, the aroma of coffee worked its way to her nose, letting her know her father was home. Coffee at nine, then off to the real estate office it would be. Nobody there would know. Nobody ever suspected. Carly would do well in covering up her cuts and scars with her panty hose, to go and do her shift working as a teller at the bank. Sweating, Tatome pulled the covers back and rose to her feet.
A ghostly figure stood in the mirror confronting her boyfriend’s hand work. On her cheekbone lay a pinkish bruise, boldly confronting the sad reality she lived in. Bed head was evident as she looked herself up and down. Sadly she let the words from Kevin dig deep inside. It was true. Who else would want that? A calendar which stood with a bright yellow mark on today drew her attention. Ezekiel’s birthday, July 3rd. Ignoring him the past few days, had developed a guilt. Tatome knew not calling him today would be a death threat to a friendship that had gone 16 years.
They’d met the second Ezekiel was born, their mothers being best friends. Over the years, their moms drifted from each other, finding different interests and struggles. Tatome and Ezekiel (Zeek they called him for short) were inseparable though. Being in the same neighborhood, they spent everyday they could together. There was no such thing as only having one of them knowing a secret; it was like they shared a life. Happily, Zeek protected her like Tatome was his own daughter, and they meant the world to each other. It was the kind of friendship than ran deeper than blood.
She picked up her orange phone lying carelessly on her desk, and dialed Zeek’s number, memorized from years of phone calls to each other. It rang a few times before a tired voice answered on the other end.
“…Hullo?” It was obvious she’d woken him up.
“Happy Birthday honey!!! You’re SIXTEEN!” Shouted Tatome, trying to sound as happy as possible, despite her current condition.
“Hey girl! Well nice to hear from you, where’ve you been hidin’ Em?” hearing her voice Ezekiel picked up a bit.
“Oh I’ve been around, you know. I was gunna give you a call last night but I was over at Kevin’s and got kinda caught up in some stuff there.” She didn’t want to get into details over the phone, especially on his birthday. It wasn’t right.
“Right. Well, you up for a day of hanging out today? I didn’t have any huge birthday plans so I just figured me and you could chill. You know, maybe go get some ice cream, hang out at the beach, catch a movie tonight? You down?” Zeek was quick to get off the subject of Kevin, the entire situation left him nothing but frustrated. The idea of them being together killed him, he knew Tatome could do so much better, that she deserved so much better.
“Yeah for sure, I just got up myself, so I’ll be ready in about an hour or so. Do you wanna come meet me at my house then we can catch a bus downtown?” Tatome said, a bit happier knowing she was going to spend the day with her best friend.
“Sounds good, I’ll meet you in an hour then. Peace darling” Ezekiel replied.
“Peace boy.” With that the phone was replaced on its hook. Tatome took a deep breath and began a search for a strong enough cover up to hide her scar. Luckily he hadn’t made enough of a mark to make socializing impossible. Digging through her yellow make up bag she found the magic tool to keep the slap a secret. Just then the phone rang. Looking quickly at her silver watch still strapped loosely to her wrist, it read ten fifteen. Reaching over from her comfortable place on the floor she answered the phone.
“Tatome’s, what’s up?” She gave her typical phone answer.
“Baby, I was getting worried. You said you would call me.” A sickening voice came through the phone, making the pain in her face that much more real.
“Figured you were too hung over to chat, after last night.” Tatome said, hoping to get her point through to him.
“Ye, about that. I shouldn’t have hit you, you just gotta talk to me with more respect next time.” A twinge of arrogance was evident in his statement.
“Are you trying to blame this on me? Are you saying it was my fault that your hand hit my face? I never even touched you. You were the one dissin me, if you can’t take it then don’t dish it.” Tatome was making an attempt to defend herself. Sending surges of fear through her, she listened to what he had to say.
“Hey woman I told you before. Respect me. I’m all you got. You’re lucky you know. Your parents love me. Your friends would never believe you, so just give it up okay?” Kevin said coldly.
“Why would my parents love you? They don’t even love each other!” Tatome felt herself heating up inside, anger spitting its way into her words. “You have no right to hit me. You have no right to make me my mother. I could tell somebody if I wanted. I could leave you if I wanted.” Unfortunately, rage had taken its toll on her side of the conversation, she knew as soon as the words came out. He would know about Carly. Kevin would know their family’s deadly secret. As soon as the words “I could leave you if I wanted” rang back in her head, she knew what was coming. Her face was hot, the tears fresh. They were threatening words that she let out that time. From experience, defending her side was dangerous, it was stupid because she was wrong. Always wrong. Always weaker.
“You act like I’d be losing. You so dumb you didn’t even know I had another girlfriend! I should’ve seen this coming, you think you’re so great. Time to hit the truth girl, you’re not. Nobody wants you. You think you could leave me? You’re trippin’. Yeah let’s hear you do it. Say the words baby. Say it.” Silence separated them, two different people in two different lives.
“You make me sick. I hate you. You’re everything I never wanted, and somehow I found comfort in familiarity. You’re not as great as you act.” Tatome could hear her voice beginning to crack, she was drained “You don’t have another girlfriend. You’re just a deadly attraction.”
“Shut up, you don’t know anything. I told you, ha-ha, you can’t break up with me. I’ll keep you around. Only cause I feel sorry for you. I’ll phone you later sexy.” As soon as the words reached her heart she felt degraded, worthless, nothing. Expecting failure was what she held close, she’d come to know that nobody would ever care about her. Falsely, Tatome thought she was an object to be thrown around, for everybody’s entertainment. Emotion just got in the way, so sometimes it was easier to become numb. This time though, feeling nothing was too hard. By the time she knew what to say, there was nobody to say anything to, because he had hung up.
She had no energy yet wanted to keep Zeek’s birthday plans, she already felt horrible enough not phoning for the past week. Picking up some clothes off the closet floor, she headed down the hallway towards the bathroom. Her red toe nails had a strong contrast against the crisp white carpet as she walked. Suddenly though she noticed a matching color ahead. Carly’s blood. No doubt it was from the night before. Tatome figured she would clean it up later, which she was accustomed to. Their perfect home’s carpet had to stay that way, they wouldn’t want to destroy their image. Sluggishly she pushed the bathroom door into its place and turned the shower on, letting the steam fill the room.
Christina Aguilera let her voice scream around Tatome’s room as she made decisions on what to wear. Walking around in her grey mini skirt she was trying to find a matching top. Strangely, she heard some noise, but let go, thinking it was the neighbors. Walking around her room, in her grey skirt and red bra, she suddenly heard the door open behind her. Spinning in fright she saw Ezekiel’s face.
“Zeek! It hasn’t been an hour, I don’t even have make-up on, and my hair’s still wet.” Shrieked Tatome.
“Ha-ha, well actually it has Em.” Zeek laughed out. “I didn’t mean to intrude, but hey I figured you’d be ready, you’re always so…ready ha-ha.”
“Weird…oh! It must’ve been the second call….um yeah anyway. Sorry I was looking for my red tank top, you see it anywhere?” questioned Tatome.
“I think I’m sitting on it” he exclaimed, as he pulled it out from the bed sheets “Here ya are, now put some clothes on girl!”
“Your own fault for walking in on me loser.” Tatome said as she pulled the red top on. She didn’t get too worried about seeing Ezekiel looking like that. It wasn’t weird, which was what she loved about being with him. They had never liked each other, and it kept things nice and simple, which was what she clung to in the midst of everything else’s’ complications. She thought at least. “I’ve just got to do my hair, it’ll take like two seconds, aight gangsta?” She joked with him.
“Hold up. Don’t think you’re getting away all that easy. What happened to your face?” Ezekiel asked feeling pretty concerned while she just faked happiness. “It…it wasn’t your dad…was it?”
“No” Tatome said, suddenly worried what Zeek would do when he found out the truth. Displaying she didn’t want to talk, she kept busy.
“You know we’re not leaving this house until we talk about it. It was Kevin wasn’t it? What’d he do? What’d he say? Sit down, come on, fess up.” Suddenly he was intensely interested in what had gone on the night before.
“You really wanna know?” Tatome looked at Zeek, who was nodding his head, in his typical ‘I need to protect you’ way. “I was at Kevin’s, he got angry, and he hit me. Then after I talked to you this morning, he called. He said I was worthless, and he had another girlfriend. His usual bit.” Hearing herself say what had really been done, she felt one lonely tear slide down her flushed cheeks. By this time Ezekiel’s arm was around her. He knew not to say anything, but just to be silent, it was all she wanted. Somebody to know about it, somebody to talk at, not with. She let a few more sad tears work their way down her face as she faced reality. Together, they leaned back onto the bed, and she buried her face into his chest, covered by his favorite black tee shirt. Gently Ezekiel placed his hand on her back.
“You can’t let him own you like that honey. You’re stronger than that. You’re better. Tatome I’ve known you for years, and I can’t stand watching you go down like this. I care about you. Don’t do this” Zeek was dying watching the girl he loved go through so much pain, without any gain. His sandy blonde surfer hair fell around his face, his freckles making a stand around his nose. His skin had a darker tint to it lying next to Tatome’s arm. “Come on, strawberry ice cream? It’s my treat k hon? “
“It’s your birthday Zeek, I should be paying. I’m sorry to be so miserable. Let me just fix myself up and we’ll go catch the bus.” Tatome wanted the day to be fun, to be a way to forget everything that was going on, and to just be with Ezekiel.
“Fine, but I’m payin’ for the bus fare then. No arguing.” He stated, watching Tatome walk over to her dresser. She picked up a black elastic, put it around her wrist, and flipped her brown hair back. Grabbing a comb she ran it through her moist hair, then wrapped her hair around the elastic into a messy bun. Picking up her yellow makeup bag she ran over to her mirror and sat down. First the cover up was applied, with some pain, because of her pink reminder. Second, face powder. A quick mascara job, and some pink lip gloss, and she was ready to go.
“Do I look okay?” She turned to Zeek for confirmation of her beauty.
“You always look better than okay honey, let’s go.” Ezekiel said, with his classic charm shining through.
“Oh wait, you wanna hit the beach later on?” Tatome brought up.
“Sounds pro, I’ve got my swimming shorts on anyway, the maid forgot to do my laundry yesterday.” Ezekiel said as he made a gesture towards his black and blue trunks.
Tatome ran to her dresser and opened up the first drawer. On top lied her yellow and orange bikini. Quickly, she threw it into her beige messenger bag that was resting on her shoulder. Her cell phone was turned on, and tossed in as well. The pair ran down the stairs, and out the front door, towards the bus stop.
“One strawberry cone, and one dipped cone with chocolate and vanilla swirl, extra sprinkles.” Tatome ordered at the counter of the ice cream shop. Turning around she watched Zeek at the table, building some sort of abstract creation out of napkins and stir sticks. The lady working brought over the ice cream and Tatome carried it over to the table. Discussing what movies they should rent, which beach to go to, and what he thought he was getting from his relatives filled the conversation. Sunshine outside overpowered everything, the thirty degree heat soaking into their skin. While they ate, they watched walking, skateboarding, and rollerblading teenagers speed down the sidewalks, they were declaring the town theirs since summer break had started. Swallowing the last cold chunks of ice cream, they left the shop to roam downtown. Outside smelled of sun tan lotion. True summer.
Around 3 that afternoon, after a day of shopping and fun, they tossed themselves onto the sand. Heat glared down on them like an angry adult, the full force of its wrath being felt. The park behind them was scattered with people out enjoying the summer’s incredible warmth. Stretching out on her large, brown, white, and pink beach towel Tatome let out a loud sigh. Zeek, lying next to her on his old blue beach towel threw some sand into her hair. Slowly, she rolled to face him, but was too relaxed to retaliate.
“Let’s go swimming.” Zeek suggested, excitedly.
“You know, I would say no. I want to say no. Yet, being the girl I am, and since it’s your birthday I will say yes. Swimming it is.” Tatome said, and she watched Ezekiel get up before lifting her hands up for help. Unwillingly he reached down to her hands, squishing the sand and sweat between them, and pulled her up. Joking, they walked across the sand, which, after the heat of the day was beginning to burn their feet. It shared similarities with fire. Their pace quickened to a run in no time, because the water was suddenly a refuge.
In the water they wrestled each other down, and splashed until they were equally soaked. Ezekiel’s hair shimmered in the sun, and Tatome’s grew darker in the water. As she swam further and further out, Zeek watched his Em in amazement. Moving in water she swam so gracefully. Gently, her body floated along as her hair was swept back, playing with the waves. Skin growing darker and darker, she became more beautiful to him with every second he was with her. While he came out of his zone, he followed behind her. His skin brushed hers and he felt a rush go through him. It was fatal. He’d begun to like his best friend.
“The water’s warm, it’s weird hey?” Commented Tatome.
“Yeah, it is. I guess it’s this crazy weather we’ve been having. I don’t mind all that much though. Cold water’s not all that fun to be in” Zeek was saying anything that came to mind, he’d momentarily lost the ability to think. Her eyes, matching the waves, kept him preoccupied. A little boy in bright orange swimming trunks went splashing past between them, throwing a nervous laugh out from each.
“So, I’m definitely up for The Breakfast Club tonight, but I just remember there’s a concert tonight. I think Fatal Love, Midnight Screams, Lonely Swings, and some others are playing.” Zeek brought up, remembering he had told a friend he might show.
“Yeah, I haven’t been to a show in a while that might be fun. Sure. The usual five at the door right?” Tatome agreed.
“Just like every show every weekend here ha-ha. You can borrow one of my tee shirts, I’m doubting you wanna go to a punk show in a bright red tank top?” Assumed Zeek.
“You know me all too well!” With that Tatome dunked back under the water, her thick hair floating down around her. Her red toes hit the bottom, and sank like rocks into the sand. She made at attempt to cross her legs and sit on the sandy floor, without success. Looking up, Zeek’s laughing face tempted her to burst too. In one straight jump she came shooting out of the water with a giggle and hair stuck all over her face like honey.
Riding the bus home suddenly felt awkward between them. Calmly, Ezekiel tried to convince himself he didn’t like Tatome, that it wasn’t possible. No use though. There was no denying it. On the green seat next to each other they sat fairly silently, glancing out over the lake through the dirty window once in a while. Her silence was from a long day, his, his was from a confused heart. Her face glowed in the sunset, which emphasized every detail of Tatome’s character. Pink was hidden under freshly sun kissed cheeks, her skin glowing with the radiance of a full moon.
That night macaroni and cheese was the chosen birthday dinner, being Ezekiel’s favorite. Together they hopped their second bus that day downtown. The ride took them down the main road, into the heart of the city, with the sky scrapers and poverty. Inside the venue, it was stuffy, smelly, and rocking. As usual, they were local bands, but it provided them with entertainment, good or bad. Zeek was standing near the thumping speakers, waiting for Tatome to come back from the washroom. Packed shoulder to shoulder was every hard music lover in the city, mainly teenagers. Looking over the top, every hair style was edgy and dark. Clothing choices were band tee shirts, or vintage, of course they all had to be ‘original.’ Suddenly, he spotted Kevin with another girl in the sea of clones. If Tatome saw it would be the end of her. Searching desperately for her face in the crowd of teens, Zeek found no success. Then, he felt somebody grab his shoulders. Too late.
“Looking for me!?” Tatome giggled.
“Hey, um, I was thinking you wanna get out of here?” By the time the words left his mouth though, it was too late, she had spotted Kevin. Her face said it all. “I’m sure she’s just a friend, you know?” Ezekiel tried to convince them both.
“No, Zeek, it’s the other girl.” No sooner had the words left her mouth, when Kevin grabbed the girl and began kissing her. Smoothly, his hand ran through her long blonde hair, his other hand out of view. Clasping his neck, she pulled in close. The music seemed to blare into their ears. As they watched Tatome’s heart fall apart between their lips, they both knew she wouldn’t be staying. Tearing out of the concert hall, Tatome felt an intense hate fill her up. Ezekiel ran after her, while trying to find what to say to her which seemed an impossible task. She ran all the way to the beach they had been at that afternoon before she collapsed. The sand was freezing compared to earlier in the day.
Finally, Ezekiel fell down next to her. Silence held them both. Tatome picked up chunks of the cold sand into her hand, and let it run between her long slender fingers. She stayed, somewhat mesmerized, by the graceful motion of every grain. Unified they stayed, yet fell apart when they came crashing down into the world of sand beneath. It had let the heat run away from it; the moon had stolen its warmth. Moving the sand around it let a smoky smell rise, no more sun tan lotion. Wiping her hands on the borrowed black tee shirt, Tatome began picking the grains out that had hid in her nails.
“I’m his. He can’t do that. It’s because of our conversation. It’s my fault. I thought we were good though. There couldn’t have been another girl! It’s my fault. I wasn’t good enough, he needed somebody else. I wasn’t pretty enough, I wasn’t enough. I’ll never have anybody again. I –“ Tatome was cut short by Ezekiel.
“I can’t do this anymore Em. It’s every week. Every week! I care, I don’t want you getting hurt don’t get me wrong. You can’t keep apologizing though. It isn’t always your fault. In fact, it’s never your fault! You’re always trying to please everybody else! You’re beautiful, you’re kind, and you care about everybody, even when they don’t care about you. You let yourself get stepped on. You say nobody will ever love you Em? Take a look at me. I have been standing in front of you for sixteen years. I have been through every crush, every bruise, and every joy with you. I won’t leave you, I won’t ever leave you. You’ve exhausted me though, and I don’t know what else to say but I love you. I love you!” Zeek was shouting by the time he finished. Looking down at Tatome he saw the crushing tears swim down her pink cheeks. Her bottom lip grew as she mourned the loss of life as she had known it. Up in the sky the stars winked down at both of them, letting them know their incredibly small position in matters. Turning Zeek walked away, knowing that his words had left a scar on her delicate aching heart. Without a word, Tatome rose and followed his faint footsteps in the breaking sand.
Back at the venue, Ezekiel found his friend Steve to drive them home. The three of them placed themselves into the typical teenage beater car, without speaking. All of them knew, there was no need for words. Tatome’s tears and quick breaths stayed their music all across the bridge and towards Ezekiel’s house. A seemingly deafening hum of the pavement underneath the tires added to the painful silence. Together they stepped inside his house, and walked up to his bedroom.
A tired Tatome walked with caution into the room, and pulled off her skirt almost immediately. Her underwear was lined with a bold pink, surrounding black. Tugging on his tee shirt, she rustled her hair, and carefully slid into his bed. The blue sheets were pulled up over her head as she let the day sink in. Ezekiel pulled off his tee shirt and shorts, left standing in his black and yellow boxers. Next to Tatome he crawled into his bed, with little sheet left to cover his body. Reaching over for his remote he hit play, immediately a classic Beatles CD began to come through his surround sound. Softly he laid his sandy blonde hair onto the beige pillow, next to his favorite girl’s silky hair. Randomly he leaned over, and kissed her forehead. “Good night” he whispered, barely audible, and turned to the window. Together they fell asleep, awaiting the words of the next day.
That night was filled with dreams of simpler times. When concerts were times to throw down and hang out with friends. Times when her parents, may have actually loved each other, known a real attraction. The most prominent memory was one of the two best friends as children. In Zeek’s backyard, playing together in the sand box. They threw sand into each other’s lap, and built castles in imaginary kingdoms with the hot sand. It was when romance didn’t create complications, and having each other was enough.
The Beatles let their sound wake up Ezekiel the following morning. He let out a long stretch before making the decision of pancakes for breakfast. Standing downstairs in his kitchen, he stared out the window with pancakes on the grill. Their scent decorated the air, numbing the loneliness. Out the backyard lay the lake in a peaceful slumber, yet to be awakened by eager swimmers. You could already feel the warmth of the day beginning its threats. Startled by a sound behind him, Zeek turned around to see Tatome. On the tile floor her delicate body stood, in his tee shirt and her favorite underwear. Her feet felt the cool touch of the tile floor, mixing with the sweat of the morning. Stepping towards him, she was perfect, unmistakably gorgeous with all her imperfections.Looking him eye to eye, Tatome let out the deadly words “I love you too.” He stepped forward with all the confidence he had in him and ran his hand through her hair. She clasped her hands around his neck and pulled herself close. In a kiss, they witnessed each heart being put back together in the midst of life’s mess between their lips. It was the statement of change, the recognition of the truth.

There you have it. My story. Ifyou actually read through it, you amaze me. Now rant, RANT FOR ALL YOU'RE WORTH! GAH!

My next post should be The Adventures Of Afro Man. I am moving in a few days, so who knows when that will be. But seeing as how I will have no friends and too much time, I should get it done quickly. Oh, mentioning that