characters in the story of my life -- the summary and the novel
These are the characters in the story of my life:
- Ben aka Dragon aka sciethen -- the best husband anybody could ever hope for.
- Del aka Allison aka jedibubbles -- my spunky, sprightly, outgoing artist friend, whom I met in high school over an Anne McCaffery book.
- Paula & Spencer -- a wonderful couple whom I lived with for a year -- they taught me what real family was.
- Ashley aka alariya -- a new close friend; I was aquainted with her for years and recently we have grown close, very sweet and generous.
- Rebecca -- my very cherished best friend for 4.5 years, reserved but intense; also Ben's sister.
- elya -- my friend who is a living embodiment of a ray of sunshine, incredibly kind and gentle; also Ben's twin.
- Kristy -- my very outgoing, flirty friend who lives in Florida; also Ben's cousin.
- Kaylene -- a deep friend of mine who was part of my life for only a few months, yet she inspired me and understood me like no one else ever has.
- Gabe -- my spiritually adopted little brother, an amazing person whom I adore and am so proud of. You know when he's around because he sings everywhere he goes.
- Kristen -- my bossy, blunt, outgoing friend -- she was a friend of mine from middle school, and we've recently become friends again.
Ben
sciethen
My tall, medium-dark, and incredibly handsome husband. But I didn't fall in love with him because of his looks, believe it or not. Ben is one of the most passionate people I've met -- intense in everything he loves; me, writing, computer gaming (mainly C.S.), reading, drawing, songwriting, and playing guitar. He's fairly reserved with most people, very cautious, but not exactly introverted. He can communicate fairly easily and comfortably, he just doesn't have much interest in most people. He's very analytical and loves strategy -- he plays Axis and Allies (a 10-hour strategy board game) about once a month, and loves playing chess. I'm very analytical too, but I like analyzing people and ideas, not how to defeat an opponent in a game. He's also crazy about computers & plays counter-strike a lot. Fortunately for our marriage, he spends a good amount of time with me. The best thing about him is that he's humble. He's not a wimp or a pushover -- that isn't what humble means. He's willing to admit when he's wrong and change, and that's a pretty amazing thing. He has a semi-wicked sense of humor, but he's very compassionate -- I have to be careful when talking about people who are hurting, because he feels their pain so deeply. He's trustworthy; if he says he's going to do something, he'll go through hell to make sure it gets done, and he's very honest. (admittedly, he never wants to cause me harm, so if he thinks I won't like his answer, he'll make me drag it out of him -- but he doesn't lie) He adores me; he thinks everything I do and am is fascinating. And of course, he's very skillful and loving in bed. What more can you ask for?
Spencer & Paula
Spencer and Paula are a couple with whom I lived for a year, chauffeuring/mentoring their kids (Gabe and William) in exchange for room and board. Living with them taught me what family is like -- they accepted me as I was, loved me, and helped me in any way they could. They're my spiritual parents, though they might not know that. Paula I love because she is vibrant, cheerful, and intensely loving, and she honestly cares about me. Spencer I love because he is the best father I've ever known -- he and Paula both had children from previous relationships, and he took her son, Gabe, into his heart and loved him every bit as much as William, his biological son. He shows absolutely no preference -- and that amazes me. I also love him because he trusted me almost immediately (when someone gives me their trust I feel immensely grateful, especially if I hold them in high esteem), and because he supported me and showed interest in my jewelry business -- just because it was important to me.
Allison
jedibubbles
Allison is an extremely talented artist with a brilliant mind. Her energy is contagious, and I love being around her because she gives me a fresh love for life, and she's very inspiring. After being around her I either want to dance or write -- her creativity just flows all over the place! For some reason some people find her tiring -- my theory on this is that they are boring people whose creativity is buried so deep that being around her only stirs up frustration at their state of stagnancy. Allison's also fairly open-minded, despite being raised in a very "proper" household. I hadn't spent much time with her over the past few years, 'cause she's in FL most of the time for school, but over this past summer we've been catching up. She has been so open with me; I feel very honored.
Ashley
alariya
Ashley is a newly close friend; I was acquainted with her for years and in february of this year she approached me with an offer of close friendship -- I accepted, naturally. She's very sweet and generous, in every way. If I had to use one word to describe her I'd use 'giving' -- she really loves to give. (sometimes I almost feel guilty because she gives so much to me) She's grown so much just in the time we've been close -- it's really amazing to watch her open up and grow braver in being herself. She wants to be a teacher or professor and I believe that she will be amazing at teaching, because she has such a heart to give and to help people.
Kaylene
mayana
I love this girl so much it makes me cry. Why? Because we were just beginning an incredible friendship when several terrible things happened to her at once, and she decided being deep was too painful for her right now. That's her perogative, and I'm just sad that we lost something precious right after we found it. She's a deep, passionate person, who is intense in everything she does, and she doesn't commit half-way. She's a talented singer/songwriter and dancer, an artist in every sense of the word. We had so many things in common in our history -- absentee/abusive fathers, being forced to parent our siblings, etc. -- and we understood each other. And we were alike in small ways too -- we both love horseback riding, the color purple, beta fish, singing… She was completely open and honest with me after we decided to be close, and we bonded so deeply that within four months of first meeting her, I asked her to be one of my bridesmaids. I still have confidence that we'll be close friends eventually -- I just don't know how long it will be until she decides that she wants that. Hopefully before either of us has kids, so I can be 'Aunt Kristen.'
Kristy!
My heart-sister (also Ben's cousin), Kristy and I are alike in so many ways. I love her 'cause she shares my love of f.r.i.e.n.d.s (the show) and skinnydipping; she's passionate; she's got a sense of humor that will make me laugh until my tummy hurts and I have a headache from lack of oxygen; she's a physical touch person; she loves the color purple; and she's just fuckinawesome. Plus, she thinks I'm very intelligent (for some reason, around her my vocabulary tends to jump a few syllables). Unfortunately she lives in FL, but that's changing as soon as she graduates from college, or I'm woman-napping her. I mean it!
Gabe
This is my little brother. He's one of the most godly, honest, and good-hearted people I've ever known, and while he has his flaws (being the only child of an overly protective single mom will give you those) he is unique among every other teenage boy I've ever met in that, when confronted about a bad habit or other problem, he will be honestly sorry and try to change. (and he's been like that since I met him when he was sixteen!) He thinks of me as his older sister, and turns to me for advice sometimes, which makes me feel so trusted. He's grown up so much in the past few years... I'm so proud of him. He's off to South Carolina for college... I miss him.
elya
Ben's twin, my friend -- tall, kindhearted and very innocent. She's one of the most encouraging people I've ever met -- I don't think I've ever heard her say a negative word about anyone, though she has admitted to a mild dislike for certain people. If I make her sound sweet and vanilla, that's cause she is -- and not a tiny bit of it is fake. I don't think elya is capable of being fake.
Rebecca
My best friend for a long time, also Ben's younger sister. We were very close for years, called each other every day, told each other everything... but then I moved, and we both felt deserted by the other, and we drifted apart. We've also just changed, and we have very little in common now. We've recently forgiven each other for all the hurt, and now we're starting from scratch.
Kristen
My bossy, blunt, outgoing friend -- she was a friend of mine from middle school, and we've recently become friends again. She has a fearlessness about her that I love, and a sort of bossy friendliness that can make even the most reserved person open up. She seems tough but she loves deeply and forever -- she considered me a friend even when I moved away and didn't keep in touch at all, and she didn't even hold a grudge against me for doing it. She has recently grown much more accepting and openminded than she used to be, and I'm enjoying getting to know the new Kristen.
Angelina Jolie
You may say it's impossible to love someone you know only through hearsay -- but saying so would prove you don't know what my love is like. I love Angelina because she is a passionate woman who loves deeply, and she's not afraid of being herself under the gaze and censure of everyone. She gets tattoos because she loves them and they mean something to her -- despite the fact that tattooed women are disdained in this culture. She talks about her choices in romance -- despite the fact that it will cause the majority of her culture to at least look on her as 'weird' if not shun her outright. She wore a vial of her lover's blood rather than a wedding ring, despite the fact that most people see that as morbid and gross. She adopts children of other races and cultures -- despite the close-minded majority who accuse her of causing distress to the children by putting them among another race. I imagine she must hate racism and believe she can make a difference this way. All of this shows how much Angelina believes in herself. Living according to her rules of honesty and courage is more important to her than having people approve. I love and admire that in her, and I'd give a lot to be able to help her in some way.
the 'rents
The 'rents -- Patty & Mark (my parents) and Kathleen & Mr. Ben (Ben's parents). Out of these folk I probably talk about my dad the most, 'cause he's the one I clash with the most. I've never been close to my biological family, but Ben's mom has called me her 'other daughter' for years. Patty's a teacher, Mark's a Marine, Kathleen's a photographer/writer, and Mr. Ben's a computer programmer. My parents live in PA, Ben's parents live five minutes away. (both of those are good things)
You should all do this so I can get to know the people in your life! (don't worry about the long part with the pictures, but do the short part!)