Ch. 4, I shocked the teacher.

A quiet girl sits in a corner desk; somewhat isolated from her classmates, not because she is in trouble, or doesn’t like them. She just likes her space. Studiously doing her work, not too terribly concerned with what everyone else is doing that causes the buzz of chatter around her. Then the teacher walks in, late as usual. The girl’s thoughts immediately fly to the question. It could come today the triggering event happened yesterday afternoon.

There was always a question. “Are you related to…” insert the name of a person with your last name. It might be a well known gangster, or, the man on the news last night who killed is girlfriend. Of course it was never someone you would want to be related to. “Did you see the (cow, sheep, etc.) that is caught under the bridge?” Again, it was never something good.

But today it was the worst question of them all. The one that set this sophomore’s teeth on edge. It was the dreaded, “I saw you riding around in a black Malibu yesterday after school with. You were with some older guy with long hair and a leather jacket. Who was that?” It was said with an air of superiority and mock concern. This was not the first time the question had been asked, and the answer never changed. But this time, she was tired of it, she was determined that this would be the last time he asked that insulting, slightly creepy, question.

With a deadpan expression, she answered, “It was my boyfriend. Actually, fiancé, we are getting married this week because he has to serve time and we want to be married before the baby comes.” The entire room went silent. Jaws dropped, students smirked, and the teacher’s eyes got huge. After a couple of seconds to revel in the shock, the girl stated, “I have told you before. That is my brother’s car and he was driving. We drove in to pick up something I needed to make supper.” At this the rest of the class grinned and tried to hold back laughter. They all knew her brother; he was one of the people that they looked up to in elementary school. She liked to think they were impressed with her hutzpa in putting the teacher in his place.

In case you are wondering, it did work. The question was never again asked in the classroom or by that teacher. But the answer did spawn rumors when the girl switched schools the next year. She visited for Homecoming and found out she was now a divorced mother of two, according to the rumor mill. And yes, this girl was me.

The Front Porch

The brick red color of the porch was familiar, but, this time of year it was always different. Looking up there were black bats, hand-made cloth ghosts, styrofoam filled jack o' lanterns, and huge black spiders with long creepy legs. One side of the space was filled with leaves freshly raked from the yard. Hiding among the yellow and brown and auburn shapes hid rats with glowing green eyes, dismembered body parts seemed to reach out from under the floorboards. Sitting on their child sized chairs were "Pete and Willy", the dolls Grandma made out of old pantyhose and dressed in costume for the season, a devil with his red face and horns and a clown with rainbow hair and scary eyes. On the other side of the porch, jack o' lanterns sat in a row under the picture window. At a patio table covered in a black table cloth and animal organs a werewolf, a witch, a large ghost and a vampire sit playing pinochle.

It was like this every year, with some variation of course. Then the unthinkable happened, Grandma passed away and her daughter moved into the house. The following October trick-or-treaters came to the porch. If you didn't know any better, you would think the same person had decorated. Things have evolved over the years, but every Halloween that brick red porch is dressed for the season.

The Kitchen Wall

We moved when I was 8 years old, just going into 2nd grade. We went from living in town to a house in the middle of nowhere. From a class of 30 to a class of 10. From walking to school to riding a bus. From going to Grandma's after school to coming home to just my older siblings. Big changes were happening and I was terrified.

The first thing in my new house to catch my attention was the kitchen wall. At a glance it was a spectrum of greens and blues, but, there was more to it. I had never seen anything like it. There was a forest on that wall, a waterfall and cliffs, flowers and trees all on the wall. The longer I looked at it the more I saw. There were so many different types of plants in shades of green all living together on my wall. Sitting at that seventies' style table with its teal and metal chairs, getting ready for my first day in a new school, it was the perfect place to daydream. Living in that forest, just hidden from view, were fairies and leprechauns and all kinds of other magical creatures. Every time I looked at the forest I found something new and different. A new bird flying high above eye level, almost to the ceiling. Or, a new bug waiting to jump off one leaf and onto another. Or, a new plant with flowers just about to burst. There was anticipation in every section of that forest, every creature and plant was on the cusp of a big change. They didn't look terrified, they looked excited, ready for a new start. Maybe a new home wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.

Ten broad topics broken down

1. Try New Things
Take flying lessons
Take an interesting class
Low cost trips
Staycations

2. Complaining
Get to work
One person can make a difference

3. Divorce
Don't stay together "for the kids"
What not to do.
How to make it through with fewer scrapes.
Cutting Ties with a Toxic Ex

4. Equality
Woman's rights
Voting for a Change
Should Corporations Fund Elections?
Excluding certain groups from benefits: Religious Freedom or Just Wrong?

5. Doing what is best for yourself.
The Emotional Effects of Thinking Only of Others
The Ramifications of Doing Nothing
If it is better for my kid, but could hurt someone else, should I stay silent?

6. Education
Teaching to Test
Learning to Think
Teaching Styles: Teach How Children Learn
Availability of Education in small communities
Home Schooling Resources

7. Trust and Respect
The Two-Way Street
What are teens learning from what parents are posting?
Teaching Respect Online

8. Physical Activity
Barriers to Physical Activity and How to Overcome Them
I Don't Like to Run. So, Do What You Like to Do: Alternatives to running
Cost Prohibitive: Everyday Items used for exercise

9. The time cost of regulations
What is the cost of jumping through hoops to get information published?
Does it make more sense to "ask permission" or "seek forgiveness"?

10. Reading
The Effect of Technology on Reading Comprehension
What Difference Does it Make if I Read the Book, Or, Watch the Movie?
How have changes in the world effected the time spent with books?
Can Reading to My Child Really Help Them Later in Life?