It’s just after school starts, but it’s before any major vacations, and it is almost magical in it’s own right. Some years I stay up all night on the ninth just to see the clock strike twelve.
This year I awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window, but Carina, my parakeet, who lives in my room, had slept through the night without a peep. That almost never happens. I walked downstairs and touched my bare foot gingerly to the tile floor, expecting the same old ice-cold tile that comes with a broken heating system after a cold night, but found it warm to the touch. I walked to the cellar and found clothes easily, including socks, which are a rare and precious commodity in my house. I found my shoes on my way up, just lying under the kitchen table, like old dogs resting after a long exhausting day.
“I like those shoes, they fit perfectly.” I said out loud to no one in particular. It was just about time to get new shoes, but for today they’d survive. That’s all that matters. Today I mean. I made a note of the cats standing at the door, put on my shoes and fixed my hair. I let the cats out and left with them. I sat on the stoop and took in the day as it was at 7:10 in the morning, young, fresh, filled with possibilities, and absolutely beautiful. The sun just peeking over the neighbor’s house, like a timid child hiding behind his parent’s leg. The sky, an almost white blue was dotted with clouds still pink on the undersides. I sighed and let the cats back into the house, got my stuff, and walked to school. Surprisingly, the shooting pains from my shoulder blades to my ribs and cause my right lung to hurt every time I took a breath did not return on the walk to school. The damp air didn’t cause my knee to hurt, as it usually does, and I found ten dollars in my pocket that I hadn’t put there. I got to school and stopped first to talk to my best friend Andre. Now Andre is a real gift to me. He’s one of those constants, like the laws of physics. He was always there, and he always meant well. I consider myself lucky to have him. People ask us why we don’t just go out, but that’s simple. I don’t like him like that. He’s my best friend. I’ve always been thankful for that.
“Hey Alycia, you comin’ to my house after school today?” Andre had invited a bunch of us over this afternoon. None of the others were friends of mine, but I’d manage.
“Sure Andre, wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I gave him a nervous look and asked hesitantly, “…Is she gonna be there?” He just made a face.
“I would never invite that bitch to my house…” he smiled at a thought that occurred to both of us at the same time. “She’d probably rape me or something.” I laughed. That was an inside joke we had. The she we had been speaking of was Amanda. The three of us had been inseparable not 6 months earlier. Its amazing how much things had changed since then. It was just the two of us now, just Andre and I, no Amanda. I liked it better when it was all of us, I may not have acted like it, but even though we were so different, Amanda was someone I had always respected, she has always been my friend, that will never change. He had never forgiven her for their various disagreements, he still hasn’t. I know he wonders sometimes, about what it would be like, the three of us together again. I know, because I do too, but whenever I bring it up, he changes the subject. I spotted some of my other friends in the crowd outside the school. “Peace Andre, I’ll see you later.”
“See ya Later, I’ll meet you out here at three.” He promised.
After a quick hug and disagreement with my friends Brian and Caren I greeted the rest of my friends. Gill was absent, was kinda happy about that. She’d been real mean to me lately, even going as far as insulting my religion. When I heard the news I said softly to myself “ I hope it’s making her miserable, I hope it’s nothing serious, but real uncomfortable.
“Hey, who’s he?” I asked in a childish voice, gesturing to a boy siting with some of my friends. Not in a rude way, just asking a straightforward question. “Hi, my name’s Ryan.” He reached out his hand, I took it, and smiled. His hand was surprisingly warm and comfortable, not cold and clammy like everyone else’s, and the handshake wasn’t awkward or unfamiliar, like most first meetings are for me. I’ve never been used to people, but it was easy to talk either to him or while he was around. After the bell school went by with amazing speed. It seemed like every time I looked at the clock another class was nearly over; even math class seemed more bearable. In Chorus I found I hit even the highest notes with a clear voice with a good breath behind it. I answered every question in Latin correctly. I had this song stuck in my head that kept me cheerful. The song is called Corner of the sky. I haven’t heard that song since we sang it in 6Th grade chorus. After school I met Andre and we walked around town for an hour or so, then, around 4:45 I dropped my backpack off and walked with him down to his house. He had to go inside and change, so not to burden his family I stood outside his house singing softly to myself…
“Everything has its season, everything has its time, Show me a reason and I’ll soon show you a rhyme…”
I saw my grandmother come out of her house across the street and went to talk to her.
“ Hey Grandma, how’s the garden?” I asked, nodding to the various colorful flowers outside her house.
“Oh, hello honey, the garden is great, the tulips are coming in nice, not like the ones I had here last year…” She trailed off. She got an angry look on her face. I remember the tulips she had last year. They were disgusting. They were pale and droopy, covered with what my grandma calls “bug holes” It was actually some kind of fungus or plant disease. She was real mad at the guy who gave her those flowers, so, thinking of her heart, quickly changed the subject.
“So Grandma, today’s the 10Th, you know what that means…”
“Oh yes baby doll, that’s right.” She looked across the street “how long are you staying at Andre’s house?” “Pretty late.” I glanced at the back of my hand to check what time I had written there.
“ I’ll pick you up at ten and drive you home.” She said, kissing me on the cheek. “I have to go to work now, be sure to say hi to that Andre boy, tell him thank-you from me for helping with those pesky leaves.” “I’ll be sure to mention it Grandma.” I smiled. I spotted Kate, grandma’s crazy cat in the window resting on the back of the couch. I was reminded of a part of that song still stuck in my head…
“Cats fit on the window sill, children fit in the snow, why do I feel I don’t fit in anywhere at all? Rivers belong where they can ramble, eagles belong where they can fly, I’d like to be where my spirit can run free, gotta find my corner, of the sky.”
I wandered back across the street to Andre’s. He was taking forever, per usual. I just sat there thinking until some of Andre’s other friends showed up, and he finally came down. Chris made some double-meaning remark about how girls take forever to get ready. We ordered pizza, played a little football in the back yard, and after it got dark and everyone had showed up, we hung out in Andre’s room. There I felt like I really belonged. Nobody kept anything back just because there was a girl in the room. They didn’t care.
“Hey, Alycia, you wanna arm wrestle? I’ll bet I could beat you.” Ha, famous last words. Chris finished his can of coke and gave me a look, calling me a coward with his eyes. I smiled, “You’re on sissy boy.”
We sat across from each other and put up our right hands. He knew I was a lefty, which gave him the advantage in this, and everyone knew it. Ryan came and held our hands together in the middle. Then, the moment of anticipation; my eyes met Chris’s he whispered, “You’re going down squirrel.” I just smiled. Then the doubt set in. Can I beat him? What if I can’t, than he’ll get bragging rights, everyone will think they can beat me then. Ryan began counting down,
“Ready? One…two…”
I can’t beat him, look at his arms! And his muscles! Oh man, he’s gonna hurt me on this one, I know it. Ryan yelled, “GO!” and pulled his hands away. I pushed against his hand as he pushed against mine. Slowly the back of my hand inched toward the tabletop. My efforts seemed to be in vain, but I didn’t give up, the match wasn’t over yet. I kept pushing against his hand, and little by little my decent was slowing. Then our hands weren’t moving, and at a 70-degree angle from the table, I began to push him back the other way. Matt, who had been cheering Chris on suddenly became silent. Ryan came up behind me and whispered into my ear, “C’mon Alycia, this guy’s all talk, I know you can beat him.” I gave it everything I had, and finally slammed his hand against the table. Ryan patted me on the back.
“Whoa!” came a voice from the doorway. We turned, and there was Andre’s eldest sister Claudia, watching our little contest, which Chris still couldn’t believe he’d lost.
“Where’s Andre?” she asked. that was when we first realized he was gone. Ned piped up. “I think he went to the bathroom.” He said nervously. I knew he was lying. I knew he had been told to lie. I knew then where Andre was. I immediately walked out of the room; no one followed. I went down the hall; no one followed, I went to the window; still no one. From there I climbed onto the roof, and found Andre sitting there, looking at the stars. I remembered this place because this was where Andre went to think. Usually about his friends, and a lot of time, about Amanda. “Andre?”
“Yeah?” he didn’t turn around.
“May I join you?” I asked gently. He didn’t acknowledge me for a moment, but then he moved to one side, and replied softly,
“Sure, but I don’t feel much like talking right now.” “I can live with that.” I sat down and I looked over at Andre, I saw Andre as my gift, the only thing I had been given in this world that would never fail me. I thank God every day for my best friend. I remembered something I had written once about all the things that made today special. I remembered the one paragraph in particular that explained the main reasons. As I looked at him, I found my thoughts wandering to that song again. The last verse I think, but I don’t remember exactly the make-up of the song. Just one part came to my mind.
“And maybe one misty day you’ll waken to find me gone, and far away you’ll here me singin’ to the dawn, and you’ll wonder if I’m happy there, a little more than I’ve been, and the answer will come back to you like laughter on the wind.”
I saw my Grandmother’s car pull up on the street below, and thought the day over, as I often do when it has come to an end. “You’re my best friend, always remember that.” I told him. He nodded. I thought about the most important reason that September 10Th was my favorite day, The reason I thanked God for this day more than any other. I kissed my best friend on the cheek and whispered softly, “Happy Birthday Andre.”
