Party Whirlwind

Pre-School Graduation is probably more than I can bear but what the hell...little black dress and flip flops will just have to do, accessories include silver earrings and infamous duct-taped crutches. Whee!

Off to wade in the chilled pool with nondescript floaties. Most likely won't take the time to write a blog tonight after the festivities (will fill you all in tomorrow!) I will share the initial page of my first draft of my short story...

Helena is a ward of the state. She is 16, thick about the waist and exceedingly strong of character. People tauntingly refer to her as the “hunted meek” whereas she is actually resembles the unrelenting plank of wood that dutifully supports an immense castle of robust brick and mortar. She is cunning and resilient, mostly unaware of the vicious rumors that follow her like a shadow cast in the depths of a mildewy cistern. She isn’t much liked due to the simple fact that her mouth droops in scorn and her heavy-lidded eyes are too close together for comfort. Helena never knew her parents. They gave her up long before she could remember her mother’s affectionate embraces that tightly gripped her ribcage hoping the irrational apprehension of her daughter could be diminished by intense contact.

The majority of her days were spent daydreaming. Coldness and distrust have been engrained in her. She knew by her horrific past experiences that “love” presented struggle like the cockroach nabbed by a cat crunching down on its crispy shell in spite of the fact that it had just eaten its fill. Love gradually dissipates until there is nothing left but blissful emptiness. She drives the sheep dreamily along the perilous edge of the cliff where few dared challenge the precipice to the plentiful clover-filled fields below. She hardly considers just how much she has already lost in her short life, mislaid the trustfulness and how little she gains in acquiring hard caution.

Bobbi could not get enough of Helena. He thought her looks proved fascinating like a horror movie that draws one eye behind a hand, the other fastened on the hideous scene on the big screen. Bobbi was slender hipped, hosted thick shoulders, waist and neck, lanky with a prominent forehead, one bushy eyebrow sauntered from one side to the other. He was brighter than he ought to be given his dim witted mother and surly father long lost to the drink. Every chance he got Bobbi tracked down illusive Helena to warble around and around her as though he were luring a luminescent butterfly in its interminable flight. His set smile only deserted him when he was understandably uncertain of the response he would illicit upon Helena spotting him in her wake. At times she welcomed the energy of his charms, other days she simply scowled and flipped her scarred back hand at him in disgust. Bobbi knew one hesitant glance at this distinguishable scar would set her off like a rat escaping the deadly clutch of an owl’s talons. It was an instinctive reaction since Helena could hardly draw up the memory of the incident between her father and a frying pan hot off the wood stove. 

A very small key will open the heaviest door. This philosophy is Bobbi’s salvation. He is determined to prove himself to Helena, sweep her off her feet and cherish her to the ends of the earth as in the romance films he catches from the back alley door on Tuesday evenings at the Rose Theatre. He is well aware that dull resentment lurks for Helena since she trusts no one. He believes in his dreamy little heart that he can change all of that for her. He is honorable, a passable cook and has a good habit of keeping his socks and undershorts clean and pressed. Though Helena is know to be formidable more often than not his cheerful and persistent presence will occasionally sway her. As far as Bobbi’s diminishing funds permit he plans on demonstrating his intentions to prove to Helena just how much he can and will take care of her. His sufficient wages as a gardener, keeper of the supple plants in the village’s terraces affords him more luxuries than most. Bobbi simply does the work of three in his earnest to represent strength of character.