When I was eight years old, my head swarmed with nothing more than bright flashes of television, landmines of toys on my bedroom floor, the sweet scent of my father when he arrived home from work, always a cocktail of cold and sweat and cologne when I buried my face in his neck. Life rolled by with homework and spans of playtime from three until the sun went down, my mother calling me inside from our cracked front step. At night the humming of the fan was a lullaby.
I never thought dressing and parading my Barbie Dolls across the sidewalk was something to hide until he swerved down my street on his bike, all I remember are the tires, the way he stopped and put two feet on the street to balance himself while he called out something in that childish sing-song voice, silly at twenty-five but nothing but daggers then. We all know the voice, we all run from it. I don’t know if this was my first encounter with darkness, but it’s the best I can remember. Things get twisted up, out of order when you’re trying to pinpoint your first moment of confusing unhappiness, the what and why of it all. Second, maybe, was being the new girl in a new state in a new school at ten years old, thicker now, the bulls eye of whispers and crumbled notepaper. You’re not laughing with me when I’m not laughing.
At thirteen a teacher told me “they’re just jealous”. His intentions were the best but acceptance was more important to the awkward teenager, it always is, whether they genuinely like you or not. Sulking was my only talent. Twelve had seen a total eclipse, wandering hallways counting linoleum tiles and feeling empty as the air after the bell gave its final warning. Shoving myself inside a locker was never an option, only drifting through the afternoon until I could close my eyes on a turbulent bus ride and bury myself in the couch and count the teardrops.
Fourteen seemed better, more promising, until the growth spurt that left me thin for the first time since that eighth year of life brought on more whispers, the wondering of why I was really in the bathroom. I felt free, strong-shouldered, until the darkness put its hand on my cheek and asked to stay a while. Life was more than television and my favorite smells now, life had become a series of fleeting laughter, textbooks and deadlines, more sadness than I’d expected when all I had was a dream and a ceiling of plastic, glowing starlight.
There was happiness, love even, but something else, too. Since I was very young there has always been something lingering just overhead, pointing its long, ugly finger and telling me to second guess everything, because someone like me doesn’t get to be right. My demon doesn’t maintain permanent residence, but he likes to pop in and check on me quite frequently.
Now I have love, breath, red wine, skin on skin. Sometimes there is darkness, but mostly there is the most beautiful light.
(I hope you enjoyed my response to the WP Weekly Writing Challenge. The above photograph evoked some difficult memories.)
xoxo
I loved this Nicole, so beautifully written. The title is perfect and your words crept under my skin. Wow.
Thank you, Daile. So glad you enjoyed it.
I love your writing, Nicole.
Thank you so much, Twindaddy ❤
Yay!
Well done. I like where you are now. 🙂
Thank you, Colleen. So do I 🙂
🙂
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Skin on skin…one of my favorite things, unbelievably out of reach at twelve, thirteen, fourteen..thank you for bringing back hard memories, so I can soften them now with the acid of experience…
Thank you for reading, Nick. 🙂
This was absolutely perfect, I felt every word of it.
Thank you, Aussa. I take your words to heart; you have some serious writing talent.
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Reblogged this on storycodeX and commented:
nicole’s wordsandotherthings blog is definately worth following. tis many more other things than just words, very well written, great story drama talent! thanks nicole!
can only second my pre-commentators, nicole. thanks for many inspiring and touching posts, emotional but never kitschy, very well written, true story talent there. any plans on writing a longer prose one day, book or so? i’d read it!
Wow, thank you so much Herr! I am (slowly) working on a novel that I can only hope will make it to the shelves one day. If it ever does I’ll let you know 😉 Thank you again!
make sure it not only makes it to the shelves, but also to my kindle…;) i’m more on the theory side of storytelling (so far), so feel invited to drop by my blog at storycodex.com, less poetic and much younger, but a lot of fun. looking forward to your next posts!
Thank you, Herr! And I’m actually in the middle of reading one of your posts right now 🙂
and also already following, i saw. stand honored! btw: my name it tobias, Der Herr is kind of a wannabecool psydonym on my social channels. herr means mister.;)
Then Tobias it is 🙂 I figured Herr was just an alias, but until someone tells me otherwise I just type the first part of their alias. I like being able to address them in some way or another lol 🙂
i also feel addressed by Herr. 😉
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Reblogged this on Castles Made Of Sand.
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This tugged at my heart….beautiful.
Thank you, lady ❤
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Brave writing. More power to your elbow.
Thank you very much, Lita.
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I loved this line: “Things get twisted up, out of order when you’re trying to pinpoint your first moment of confusing unhappiness, the what and why of it all. ” it really resonated with me. I find that happens a lot when I try to recall memories in more detail. Beautiful as always and loved how your poetic style took me along for the ride.
Thank you, Deanna. I love more than anything that this touched you in some way. My writing isn’t just a release for me – it’s even better when someone else finds something in it. 🙂
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