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Sunday, September 9, 2007

Up In Smoke


M.C. Escher, Liberation, 1955.


When she wrote her faltering cursive in her new pink diary with the tiny, tiny key, her hand was light. Later the ink from the cartridge pen stained her fingers when she’d write about injustices, boys, high-hurdles, belt buckles, and beer. She pressed so hard that she left holes in the paper, so when she turned the page she just drew a peace sign around the holes and moved on, filling another page. In spite of her need to write, she remained detached from the notebook. Seldom was there a tear-stained page. Sometimes she thought she felt another hand on top of hers carefully underlining swear words in red felt marker for her. Her shame rose like smoke.

Eventually she realized the pages she’d written in the past were trustworthy. In her final months at home she allowed her tears to spill as she wrote of her new plan to not let him see her cry when he hit her. Some days she fell victim to the tears before she had a chance to show him the rebellion in her eyes. She clung to her pen for clarity.

One day, just like that, she found herself moving in with a new family on a farm. While she and her new family drove up the gravel lane to the farmhouse, across town her parents were packing her belongings into a large empty box. Never did she suspect that of the few things they kept—mostly gifts she’d received from them—they would keep her diaries. Nor did she know that as she navigated the lonely, heady days in a foster home and new high school that her mother would light a cigarette in preparation for her nightly reading of excerpts from that diary to selected friends and family over the telephone.

The lesson learned is that you can tell a lot about one’s character by how they respond to an offer to expose a girl’s life to them late at night by phone. Would you tell the caller you’re not interested or would you be drawn in by all the hype?




More writing at Sunday Scribblings.

7 comments:

teabird said...

I like this beautifully-written puzzle.

I've been in situations like this (I guess that's not unusual) and I haven't even been tempted to listen or read. Privacy is more important to me than almost anything else, and anything I'd learn would be - tainted?

Granny Smith said...

What a pleasure to return home after a week away to find such a wealth of treasures on Peacock Blue! Not just one but TWO Sunday scribblings, both vividly and elegant;y written. Plus moon flowers, ciambotta (I must try it) and the State Fair in well-chosen words and photos.

I like your Escher picture as a lead-in to this story.

Phyllis

sage said...

heartbreaking and beautiful

Marianne said...

I would in fact give 'that person' quite the ear/brain reaming, shame on them....on so many levels...and since from your writing I would be a 'selected friend or family member' would be devastated that I didn't 'see' it? and somehow would try and help the girl.
This is a great post.

Annie Jeffries said...

Easy answer - absolutely would not listen. In fact, I would question the caller's reason and reasoning. Of course, I probably would never get a call like that either. Like attracts like, you know.

Sage said it perfectly - heartbreaking and beautiful.

Tumblewords: said...

Beautifully written. Peacock blue is a wonderful shade and Escher can't be beat. Enjoyed this visit!

Gill said...

A touching and beautifully written post. I think that respect for the privacy of an individual is very important, so there is no way I would listen or read.