On a Windy Frightful Night…

May 23rd, 2009

I dedicate this post to my miso soup buddy, Georgina.

It was just past midnight when my black lab began to growl. Half asleep, I rolled over in bed, shushed her with a pat on the head, and proceeded to try and drift off. Five minutes later, Belle growled again. The rumbling sound vibrated my bed and stifled the heavy night winds. Before I could even try and calm her down, she jumped to the floor in a mess of long legs. In her two years of life, Belle has never barked so loud and with such intensity.

The house was dark, and besides Belle’s howling and the drifting whispers of the wind, it was quiet. My parents were vacationing in Mexico, so it was just my two younger siblings and me. Belle’s barking was beyond alarming – she only “speaks” when senses a stranger near by. Because of this, I had the sudden urge to run screaming out of my house, sprint straight to the Mexican border and find my parents. I was willing to risk exposure to the Swine Flu! Anything but face the frightful mean invader of my home sanctuary!

I crawled out of my bed, cursing my first floor bedroom and the oh-so terrible danger it put me in. I tripped over my combat boots and in the last moment decided to slip them on. If need be, I could KICK the robber in the nose, down under, the knees, and the TOES. I was determined to save my dear brother and sister, as well as my own precious life.

Meanwhile, Belle was whimpering in between barks, pushing at my bedroom door and begging to be released so she could attack. I nodded. We were ready. Ready to fight and protect! To kick some ass, you could say.

“One… Two…” I whispered, holding the cold door knob. “THREE!”

I opened the door and Belle darted out into the hallway, sniffing and searching for any sign of true physical evidence. Cowardly and drugged on Benadryl, I wandered out of my bedroom at a slower and more timid pace.

“Madeline?” I called. “Grant? HELLO, ARE YOU GUYS ALIVE?!”

I wander over to the staircase, grasping the banister and swaying with the shadows from the front large windows. There was a light on in my sister’s room, so I yelled again, “Madeline! Maddie! Hellooooooooo! Madds!?!?!”
“What?!” She snapped, popping her head out of her room from upstairs.
“Oh, good. You’re alive.” I sighed. “Where’’s Grant?”
She shrugged. “I dunno. Bed.”
“Okay. Thank goodness. Belle was just… freaking out… It’’s all okay, though!” I insisted to myself.

After checking the bolted lock on the front door and deciding that Belle agreed the house was in control, I wandered back to my bedroom. As I turned the corner and into my pitch black hallway, the man grabbed me by the shoulder and yelled, “AHRAAAHGGGGHH!!”

I cried out in agony, falling backwards into the kitchen as my heart was thrown out of my chest. Sobbing and holding onto an also frightened Belle, I screamed some more. “I’VE ALREADY CALLED 911 DON’T YOU DARE TRY ANYTHING! AHHHGERAWAWWWW! RUN MADELINE, RUN!”

“I so got you!” Grant cheered with a dance, stepping into the light of the kitchen.
I held my chest and ninja kicked the air in front of him. “Just because your now taller and sneakier than me does NOT mean you can attack me in the middle of the night! MEAN MEAN BOY!”
“I scared Heather! I scared Heather!” He sang.
“I thought I was going to DIE!” I screamed, stomping past him and into my room. “You will pay! Just you wait! Years from now… You will pay!”

This occurred two nights ago and I’m tragically STILL shaking from the incident. Obviously I’m a very jumpy person. So… Anyone have any ideas as to how to get back at my 13-year-old brother?

Under: boys, family, story time — @ 5:01 am

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Thinking…

March 3rd, 2009

My trip to Colorado Springs in two weeks is going to be rather amazing, despite all that has occurred and changed the last three years.

(Video made August 2008. Ignore the cheesy ending, please.)

Under: boys, Colorado, friends, happiness, travel, video — @ 6:41 pm

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The Joys of Mustang Boy & Football Boy.

December 12th, 2008

Though there are quite a few dating-range (anywhere from 17 to 25) boys in my math course, only two have stuck out. And not in the sense that I’m attracted to them, but in the sense that… Well, I don”t know. The two of them are just there.

For anonymity, I’ll give them stage names. Mustang Boy and Football Boy. Over the past few months, both of the guys have become more prominently noticeable – to a degree of gut wrenching humor (is that bad?).

Mustang Boy always finds a way to park right next me. It doesn’t matter if I see his car in different lane when I park mine, by the time I come out of class, his red Mustang is beside my red Mini Cooper. And yes – I have checked the lisence plate to prove this. Without fail, for the past two months, our cars have been within touching distance of each other by the end of the day. Cute, right?

Who is Mustang Boy? Why he is the boy who sits two aisles away from me in class, silent, his back slumped against the wall. He frequently looks in pain, much to my confusion, and I have never heard him talk. NEVER, EVER. For all I know the guy has a voice equivalent to Mickey Mouse.

Despite our parking relationship (which is all HIS doing), we have never spoken a word. I can say one fact about the boy though: He is a slow driver, and I so kicked his ass at that green light.

Then there is Football Boy. A boy who has sat directly behind me every single day for a really, super duper long time (and our class is over half empty). Now, this guy has some long legs, and he likes to stretch them all the way out, so his feet are basically beside mine. Then he slumps forward in his desk and 80% of the time keeps his head rested down. This wouldn’t be quite so weird if it weren’t for two things.

1) My hair is ridiculously thick and has become quite long. Most of the time it’’s hanging over and on top of his desk without my knowing. And yeah, okay, this isn”t Football Boy’s fault… But it is still awkward and swear I feel him touching… Or maybe I’m just paranoid.

2) His breathing. He always breathes as if he’s currently running, rather then resting. And I wouldn’t mention this if it weren’t for the fact that I feel his breath on my neck and ears for two hours straight.

Despite my close proximity with Football Boy, we too have never talked. Or we have. I lend him a pencil and paper at least once a week, but besides that… Nada. Which is partly my fault, I write during class quite a bit for an Algebra course and I zoom out to my car like a puppy on a walk, but still.

The point of this ramble is how intriguing I find it, that some people stick out to you so abruptly, while others fade into the distance. I’m sure it was at first a coincidence that Mustang Boy and I kept parking next to each other in that expansive lot. But why did the coincidence occur? Why is that the characters of those two boys are so thickly prominent in my mind, while the other guys in my class are faded and gray?

Perhaps it’s simply human connection – that we’re all like magnets, and sometimes the shoe just fits. Whatever the case, I was rather stunned when Football Boy held the door open for me yesterday. It was our very first interaction outside of class. I even let him see a smile.

Under: boys, story time — @ 11:50 pm

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