Grade Six
Kelli always had perfect nails. They were always filed beautifully. They were red more than pink. Kelli did her nails herself.
Her room was wallpapered with flowers. Part of her ceiling was slanted. There were the horses, the dollhouse and the stuffies covering the entire bed.
Kelli was a girl.
Kelli had lots of make-up.
Mid September
We sit in her backyard with her gigantic purple, plastic case of make-up. We have it open, peering inside.
"Well," she says.
"Well," I say.
"What are we going to be today?"
"Depends on if we are doing a play or music video or something..." I trail off.
"Yeah," she sighs.
We sit in silence.
We had not seen each other all summer.
"Betcha I could make you look like you got punched in the face," I say to her.
"Cool," she replies. "I think I know the colours."
I am not sure which one of us came up with the plan.
Testing Limits
We peer down at Kelli's arm. It is covered in eye shadow. Lipstick. Really a bit of everything.
"I am not sure this looks real," she says. "She will never believe it."
"Kelli," I say. "I went up on the porch. It does not start looking not real until she is half-way to us."
"So, you think it will work?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Okay, you know your lines?"
"Yes," I reply.
"Want to go through them one more time?"
"We have been through them lots," I answer her. "We do not have to do this to her if you do not want to."
"Oh, but I so want to," she replies.
And boy, do we grin at each other.
Kelli opens her mouth.
We nod. And she begins.
Kelli sounds like an animal scared and then hurt and then scared all over again.
Kelli deserves an Oscar.
We watch as the screen door opens. We watch her mother running out.
And I leap running to her.
"What is go-" Kelli's mother shouts.
"Oh my God," I shriek, louder than Kelli, at her. "Kelli is hurt. Oh my God." I stumble in the grass and look at her helplessly. I let my eyes start to well. She looks at me.
This is all she needs.
She is off and running and I go with her.
She is wild. It is in her movement. Her eyes. Her hair.
And Kelli and I cannot help it.
We burst out into giggles. We are roaring in seconds.
We watch her stop and look around. Realization hits her eyes even before she lets them lay on Kelli's arm.
You can see the disbelief. You can see the been one-upped in her eyes.
She stands with feet apart in her brown skirt and runs a hand through her long brown hair.
She lets us laugh. Until we were scared enough to stop.
She points at us both, looking directly into our eyes.
"You should both know, I could beat you right now. But instead I am going back in the house. And I am going to do some laundry."
She turns and walks away.
***Learn Your Lessons
Kelli always had perfect nails. They were always filed beautifully. They were red more than pink. Kelli did her nails herself.
Her room was wallpapered with flowers. Part of her ceiling was slanted. There were the horses, the dollhouse and the stuffies covering the entire bed.
Kelli was a girl.
Kelli had lots of make-up.
Mid September
We sit in her backyard with her gigantic purple, plastic case of make-up. We have it open, peering inside.
"Well," she says.
"Well," I say.
"What are we going to be today?"
"Depends on if we are doing a play or music video or something..." I trail off.
"Yeah," she sighs.
We sit in silence.
We had not seen each other all summer.
"Betcha I could make you look like you got punched in the face," I say to her.
"Cool," she replies. "I think I know the colours."
I am not sure which one of us came up with the plan.
Testing Limits
We peer down at Kelli's arm. It is covered in eye shadow. Lipstick. Really a bit of everything.
"I am not sure this looks real," she says. "She will never believe it."
"Kelli," I say. "I went up on the porch. It does not start looking not real until she is half-way to us."
"So, you think it will work?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Okay, you know your lines?"
"Yes," I reply.
"Want to go through them one more time?"
"We have been through them lots," I answer her. "We do not have to do this to her if you do not want to."
"Oh, but I so want to," she replies.
And boy, do we grin at each other.
Kelli opens her mouth.
We nod. And she begins.
Kelli sounds like an animal scared and then hurt and then scared all over again.
Kelli deserves an Oscar.
We watch as the screen door opens. We watch her mother running out.
And I leap running to her.
"What is go-" Kelli's mother shouts.
"Oh my God," I shriek, louder than Kelli, at her. "Kelli is hurt. Oh my God." I stumble in the grass and look at her helplessly. I let my eyes start to well. She looks at me.
This is all she needs.
She is off and running and I go with her.
She is wild. It is in her movement. Her eyes. Her hair.
And Kelli and I cannot help it.
We burst out into giggles. We are roaring in seconds.
We watch her stop and look around. Realization hits her eyes even before she lets them lay on Kelli's arm.
You can see the disbelief. You can see the been one-upped in her eyes.
She stands with feet apart in her brown skirt and runs a hand through her long brown hair.
She lets us laugh. Until we were scared enough to stop.
She points at us both, looking directly into our eyes.
"You should both know, I could beat you right now. But instead I am going back in the house. And I am going to do some laundry."
She turns and walks away.
***Learn Your Lessons
Comments
Q