Informants and Late for the Change

[tedwords]

“There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kerrie informs Deanne and Michelle that Laurie won't "be there." Deanne doesn't like pears, so Kerrie and Michelle exclude her from them. Nana and Mom enter. Mom had to pick Nana up from work. 

40 Years Later: Upon reflection, haven't we all felt excluded from eating pears, every now and then? Especially if we don't like eating them.

But there again, is it that Deanne truly didn't like eating them, or she just didn't think she'd like eating them? Perhaps had she tried them with an open mind, Deanne would have found she actually enjoyed the experience, and would have joined Kerrie and Michelle and felt more a part of the group. Although we shall never truly know, perhaps Deanne in hindsight regrets she was unable to bond with her friends over this delicious snack.

Laurie called 2 minutes before Mom arrived home from band with Ted. Laurie is going to a play with Nana and Ed.

I tell you, these entries are so darn cryptic. So much to unpack in these little haikus. First off, how was my first day at band? No idea! This entry doesn't give me any hint at all. It truly is as if I am writing about someone else entirely.

I think given the context, this first meeting may have been held at night, which is kind what is hanging out in the corners of my mind. It would make sense if I wrote my very first journal entry during the day, then mom picked up Nana in the afternoon (five) and then had to go pick me up later on. I am thinking she would have picked both me and Nana up had they been at the same time, even if I had band in North Eldredge and Nana worked in a mill in Pawtucket...and also, I am the freaking person writing this down, so I clearly would have been witness to the great pear incident.

But how did I feel, who did I meet? Since I didn't mention anything, I bet I didn't say much and just kind of kept to myself and listened and observed. Kept a low profile. Tried to blend in.  kind of remember our band director, Dillard Collins (no I am not making that name up. We called him Dilly behind his back, or if I was annoyed with him I would call him Dullard) introducing himself--he was a first-year teacher there--and introducing his staff, then setting expectations.

I am sure I have more in the...wait for it...200 page novel that I just remembered I turned my first year of high school into. Man, was I a weird kid.

Also, can we just make note of how continuously tortured poor Laurie is in this narrative? Forced to go down to Cape Cod AND go to a play with Nana and Ed. Life is hard, dude. 

Moral of the story: Sometimes the unexplored fruit is worth the time and effort.