Journal and When Needed part 6
Mar. 18th, 2011 10:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
drownedinlight So, I thought I'd talk about me a little bit (because I don't think I do that enough on this journal, do you?) before I give you a piece of story for today. It's partly because I'm tired (though not quite as tired as I was during the rant I did early this week), but also because this is a good stopping place for now, and I have to get those two thousand words some how.
“Oh you shush, he thought you were pretty,” she said, as they walked toward the snack counter.
“Yes, but there’s this thing these days we kids like to call ‘subtlety’,” Arcadia retorted. “Do you want popcorn?” she asked.
“It always makes me sick, but I might like some chocolate covered raisins.” Arcadia veered towards the mostly empty snack counter, her mother following after as she ordered the raisins. “I hope you certainly don’t intend on playing two boys at once, however,” her mother remarked as they walked toward the theatre where their movie was screening.
“Of course not,” she said. “I’m probably never going to see this guy after tonight, and Marlowe and I work together. Besides, I don’t know, I like Marlowe, he….I guess it’s just something electric between us, but I really feel it with him.”
“Well, you had better tell this other boy before he gets any ideas like asking for your phone number,” Edith advised. “But let him down gently. Boys pretend, but they don’t like getting hurt either.” Arcadia wondered if this was true, because Guy and a few of her friends had been dumped before and none of them had ever seemed to hurt about it, but maybe boys expressed it differently or something.
They had their tickets taken just before they walked into the hall of theatres, and kept walking until they hit theatre seven. The theatre was mostly full, but it was simple enough to find two seats together toward the middle of the rising rows. As soon as Arcadia found herself seated though, she was accosted by a woman with greying, frizzy brown hair.
“I’m sorry you, don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I just have to say, you have the prettiest red hair I have ever seen. I was just saying to my husband, it’s even darker than Belinda Kimball’s. I’m sorry, you don’t even know who that is! But I just had to let you know that it really is just fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Arcadia replied blinking, as the woman descended back to her seat. She turned to her mother, who rose from her seat, and said,
“Oh, I see Patty Thomas, I have to ask her about something sweetie, will you let me out?” Arcadia stood and her mother swept past her, going up a few rows to where one of her friends sat. IT was not until she turned to retake hers seat that she noticed the dark haired boy striding up the steps to her.
“Hi,” he said. “That seat taken?” he had pointed to the seat on her right, the one that had been free even before her mother left it.
“Uh, yeah,” she replied, just before he took the seat.
“Thanks, Cadi,” he said.
“Um, it’s Arcadia, actually, that’s just a name my mom uses sometimes.” He grinned and held out his hand.
“Morris Southgate, nice to meet you. So are you just here with your mom?” he asked.
“Um yeah, but Morris, I have to be kind of blunt with you, because this doesn’t happen to me often: are you flirting with me?” Arcadia asked.
“Um, yeah…is that a problem? Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“Not per say,” she replied. “But I met someone today and agreed to go out with him tomorrow, and I don’t want to seem like I’m leading you on. And well, like I said, this doesn’t happen to me a whole lot, so I just want to be clear and not…”
“Lead me on,” he said, nodding. “All right, fair enough. I guess it’s a modern world and women can lead men on. It’s perfectly acceptable. Anyway, you’re probably like what, sixteen?”
“Seventeen,” she said.
“Yikes, you see, I’m very nearly twenty-two, so I doubt this whole thing would have worked in favor of either of us.” He smiled. “Not to mention this whole high school college dynamic. Very different thing, I’m sure you’ll find out soon. Thinking of applying to anywhere?” she groaned a little bit and rubbed at her eyes.
“Okay, you are not allowed to go from flirting to guidance counselor,” she retorted. “But yeah, I’m thinking of applying to places. It’s my senior year of high school, that’s one of the only things I’m allowed to think of doing.”
“Sex and alcohol not high on the list then, huh?” he asked, making her giggle.
“Uh, no, not exactly,” Arcadia replied. “I’m not really a very sex oriented person, and I hold my liquor well enough, and well, my parents are cool with the occasional glass, so I guess the whole drinking thing just isn’t a really big deal. But money is pretty high on the list.”
“It always is, unfortunately,” Morris agreed. “I mean, I work a terrible job just to scrape together enough money not to be in horrible debt, and I mean, isn’t that just terrible?”
Arcadia wanted to answer and agree, but the lights dimmed and the trailers began to roll across the screen.
Her mother did not return to her seat for the rest of the movie, and Morris would whisper occasional facts about the actors or the plot or the writers. Arcadia found herself whispering back the things that she knew, and felt it oddly comforting. She had never met a boy so interested in just sharing with her, but against all logic, seemed to be okay with backing off. Maybe he wasn’t and was just waiting until she let her guard down, but Arcadia didn’t think so.
As the credits began to roll, Morris pulled a small notebook from his pocket and scribbled something out on it.
“This is my number, but it is purely for research and resource purposes. If you need someone to look over essays, or who has heard some pretty good rumors about colleges in the area, and I’ll be happy to help.”
“thanks,” she said, as they began to descend the theatre steps. “But doesn’t being twenty-two usually mean you’re a senior in college, which means thesis writing?”
“Yes, but if you are a proactive senior, who is already outlining and researching his thesis, than the task seems not so daunting.” He smiled at her as they reached the doors, and moved toward the exit. “And I don’t mean this in a creepy way, which since I said that, means that I do, but if you just ever need someone to talk to, and you feel like all the normal people around you aren’t getting it, then give me a ring and I’ll see what I can tell you that might be different.”
“Thanks,” she replied, as they pushed out of the exit doors.
“Arcadia!” her mother called, jogging after them. “Did you get my purse, sweetie?” Arcadia held it out to her, and Edith accepted it, taking her arm at the same time. “Well, that was a good movie, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah it was,” Arcadia said, feeling herself being tugged away. “Uh, I guess I’ll call you sometime. It was nice meeting you Morris.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Arcadia,” he replied with a wave before he walked off in a different direction of the parking lot.
“That was rude,” Arcadia said, once they got closer to their car. “We were just talking, and he was just trying to be nice to me. And just in a big brother kind of way too, not in a he wanted to date me way.”
“Well, sweetie, you can never tell with some boys, but something about him started to rub me the wrong way,” her mother retorted. “Come on now. You’re not going to see him again, right?” she asked.
“Right,” Arcadia agreed, not quite sure if she was lying or not.
That night, sleep would not come to her,
As she sank into the deep folds of
Her bed, her mind everywhere else,
But dreams. It fell to two dark haired boys,
Sweet in their own ways, willing to give
To her themselves, to be a confidant,
And to be a love of the highest degree.
But her mind also wandered to the strange woman
Who thought her hair the reddest she
Had ever seen; redder than another’s she knew.
Could something so simple be the sign
She prayed for? The offering sank deep
Within her and the strange behavior of her
Mother only drove it deeper until
It carved out a hole, longing to be filled
With the answers she had wanted for so long.
Here's my biggest news: IT'S SPRING BREAK!!!!! YAY!!!
I am staying with Friend J and her family the S's. They all seem super friendly, and there was even a time when we simply congregated in the living room and had family chat time. It was different, because my family and I definitely do not bond that way, but it was also cool. I am also interested in seeing what the week holds, because it seems to be filling up with activities the more time I spend here.
Family S has agreed to let me make chocolate gravy while I am here which is cool, because I haven't had chocolate gravy in forever and I really want some. Friend J has also said that she would like to bake cinnamon roles, which I am not opposed to, at all, and am in fact making myself hungry thinking about them. So, new topic:
I left my wallet back at the college, because Friend J's sister was supposed to be arriving at noon thirty, and I had only just finished my laundry that morning, so I got back to my room just around twelve and began to pack. I was a little more than a little rushed. And it was not cool. So, I get all packed and get over to the other Freshman dorm where Friend J lives and find out (by having another friend call Friend J, because my phone was not working, still) that Friend J's sister will not be arriving for sometime. So we hung out with friends, I went back to my room and got my viola (didn't even consider the wallet though), and returned for a worship jam session and we talked, a lot. When Friend J's sister arrived at four, and we finally got on the road, it was not until we pulled into a gas station that I even thought about money, and thus I need my magic plastic card, which was in my wallet, which was back in my dorm room.
This was depressing, as I had planned to buy a new battery for my phone, which has been on the fritz (Friend J offered to spot me the money, though, because she's awesome). Speaking of my phone. It magically started working. I received both a voicemail and a text from two different people. So I am intrigued to see what AT&T will say when they take a look at it (I'll still need a new battery, because this one won't even stay charged for eight hours). So, I plan on making some calls to family when I can, just to see if they will work.
Also: I need to apply for scholarships this week. I already have a bunch picked out, that I am hoping to win, but I'm not sure if I could, and I'm really worried about going back to Hollins next year, because I really like it at this school, and I would like not to be in super amounts of debt, though I would honest prefer it to not being able to go back at all because I could not get a loan in my name this year, so my parents had to do it for me. Anyway, it's all just a little bad right now, but I keep telling myself that God has a plan and it'll all work out.
“Oh you shush, he thought you were pretty,” she said, as they walked toward the snack counter.
“Yes, but there’s this thing these days we kids like to call ‘subtlety’,” Arcadia retorted. “Do you want popcorn?” she asked.
“It always makes me sick, but I might like some chocolate covered raisins.” Arcadia veered towards the mostly empty snack counter, her mother following after as she ordered the raisins. “I hope you certainly don’t intend on playing two boys at once, however,” her mother remarked as they walked toward the theatre where their movie was screening.
“Of course not,” she said. “I’m probably never going to see this guy after tonight, and Marlowe and I work together. Besides, I don’t know, I like Marlowe, he….I guess it’s just something electric between us, but I really feel it with him.”
“Well, you had better tell this other boy before he gets any ideas like asking for your phone number,” Edith advised. “But let him down gently. Boys pretend, but they don’t like getting hurt either.” Arcadia wondered if this was true, because Guy and a few of her friends had been dumped before and none of them had ever seemed to hurt about it, but maybe boys expressed it differently or something.
They had their tickets taken just before they walked into the hall of theatres, and kept walking until they hit theatre seven. The theatre was mostly full, but it was simple enough to find two seats together toward the middle of the rising rows. As soon as Arcadia found herself seated though, she was accosted by a woman with greying, frizzy brown hair.
“I’m sorry you, don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I just have to say, you have the prettiest red hair I have ever seen. I was just saying to my husband, it’s even darker than Belinda Kimball’s. I’m sorry, you don’t even know who that is! But I just had to let you know that it really is just fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Arcadia replied blinking, as the woman descended back to her seat. She turned to her mother, who rose from her seat, and said,
“Oh, I see Patty Thomas, I have to ask her about something sweetie, will you let me out?” Arcadia stood and her mother swept past her, going up a few rows to where one of her friends sat. IT was not until she turned to retake hers seat that she noticed the dark haired boy striding up the steps to her.
“Hi,” he said. “That seat taken?” he had pointed to the seat on her right, the one that had been free even before her mother left it.
“Uh, yeah,” she replied, just before he took the seat.
“Thanks, Cadi,” he said.
“Um, it’s Arcadia, actually, that’s just a name my mom uses sometimes.” He grinned and held out his hand.
“Morris Southgate, nice to meet you. So are you just here with your mom?” he asked.
“Um yeah, but Morris, I have to be kind of blunt with you, because this doesn’t happen to me often: are you flirting with me?” Arcadia asked.
“Um, yeah…is that a problem? Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
“Not per say,” she replied. “But I met someone today and agreed to go out with him tomorrow, and I don’t want to seem like I’m leading you on. And well, like I said, this doesn’t happen to me a whole lot, so I just want to be clear and not…”
“Lead me on,” he said, nodding. “All right, fair enough. I guess it’s a modern world and women can lead men on. It’s perfectly acceptable. Anyway, you’re probably like what, sixteen?”
“Seventeen,” she said.
“Yikes, you see, I’m very nearly twenty-two, so I doubt this whole thing would have worked in favor of either of us.” He smiled. “Not to mention this whole high school college dynamic. Very different thing, I’m sure you’ll find out soon. Thinking of applying to anywhere?” she groaned a little bit and rubbed at her eyes.
“Okay, you are not allowed to go from flirting to guidance counselor,” she retorted. “But yeah, I’m thinking of applying to places. It’s my senior year of high school, that’s one of the only things I’m allowed to think of doing.”
“Sex and alcohol not high on the list then, huh?” he asked, making her giggle.
“Uh, no, not exactly,” Arcadia replied. “I’m not really a very sex oriented person, and I hold my liquor well enough, and well, my parents are cool with the occasional glass, so I guess the whole drinking thing just isn’t a really big deal. But money is pretty high on the list.”
“It always is, unfortunately,” Morris agreed. “I mean, I work a terrible job just to scrape together enough money not to be in horrible debt, and I mean, isn’t that just terrible?”
Arcadia wanted to answer and agree, but the lights dimmed and the trailers began to roll across the screen.
Her mother did not return to her seat for the rest of the movie, and Morris would whisper occasional facts about the actors or the plot or the writers. Arcadia found herself whispering back the things that she knew, and felt it oddly comforting. She had never met a boy so interested in just sharing with her, but against all logic, seemed to be okay with backing off. Maybe he wasn’t and was just waiting until she let her guard down, but Arcadia didn’t think so.
As the credits began to roll, Morris pulled a small notebook from his pocket and scribbled something out on it.
“This is my number, but it is purely for research and resource purposes. If you need someone to look over essays, or who has heard some pretty good rumors about colleges in the area, and I’ll be happy to help.”
“thanks,” she said, as they began to descend the theatre steps. “But doesn’t being twenty-two usually mean you’re a senior in college, which means thesis writing?”
“Yes, but if you are a proactive senior, who is already outlining and researching his thesis, than the task seems not so daunting.” He smiled at her as they reached the doors, and moved toward the exit. “And I don’t mean this in a creepy way, which since I said that, means that I do, but if you just ever need someone to talk to, and you feel like all the normal people around you aren’t getting it, then give me a ring and I’ll see what I can tell you that might be different.”
“Thanks,” she replied, as they pushed out of the exit doors.
“Arcadia!” her mother called, jogging after them. “Did you get my purse, sweetie?” Arcadia held it out to her, and Edith accepted it, taking her arm at the same time. “Well, that was a good movie, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah it was,” Arcadia said, feeling herself being tugged away. “Uh, I guess I’ll call you sometime. It was nice meeting you Morris.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Arcadia,” he replied with a wave before he walked off in a different direction of the parking lot.
“That was rude,” Arcadia said, once they got closer to their car. “We were just talking, and he was just trying to be nice to me. And just in a big brother kind of way too, not in a he wanted to date me way.”
“Well, sweetie, you can never tell with some boys, but something about him started to rub me the wrong way,” her mother retorted. “Come on now. You’re not going to see him again, right?” she asked.
“Right,” Arcadia agreed, not quite sure if she was lying or not.
That night, sleep would not come to her,
As she sank into the deep folds of
Her bed, her mind everywhere else,
But dreams. It fell to two dark haired boys,
Sweet in their own ways, willing to give
To her themselves, to be a confidant,
And to be a love of the highest degree.
But her mind also wandered to the strange woman
Who thought her hair the reddest she
Had ever seen; redder than another’s she knew.
Could something so simple be the sign
She prayed for? The offering sank deep
Within her and the strange behavior of her
Mother only drove it deeper until
It carved out a hole, longing to be filled
With the answers she had wanted for so long.
