The Drive
So I get out Gerry's car and there's a fight. Between the Elf and Gerry obviously. The Elf had decided that the three of us were moving to FL and she was leaving Gerry behind.
Gerry threw a fit. Called lawyers and friends and was told that unless he had $10,000 he was shit outta luck.
The Elf packed us all into the car, Mike's lil burgundy mustang, with Thunder and Sherlock and we drove. And we Drove. Thunder lay on the dash board and Sherlock under the driver's seat and Thor in the Elf's lap. We drove. I slept. A lot. i learned that I can't read or colour in the car.
The first night we made it to Canada. Yep. Mike took a left instead of a right. We got stopped at the boarder around dawn. Mike turned around and went back south. I don't remember too much more of the drive except stopping in Oklahoma to borrow a bathroom from a family with a rabbit (can't pee outside, remember?).
We got to Florida and it was raining. I had a nose bleed. We moved into the scuzziest apartments in Orlando. The Park Place Apartments. Don't let the monopoly board fool you, this place stank. But we moved in anyway. We spent two days sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor (go Popples!)till the truck appeared.
There was another little girl who lived in the apartment below us. The Elf was insistent that I be friends with this girl. Didn't go over that well, but we played together anyway.
During this time I got my first taste of how uninformed i was supposed to be. After being enrolled in Buena Ventura Elementary, being exposed to other kids, I learned that its a bad thing to hold up just your middle finger. One day while shopping in the dollar store with the Elf i asked her about this. She told me yes it was a bad thing but wouldn't tell me why. She never told me anything.
The apartment complex had a contest that xmas. A raffle for a giant huge bigger than life stocking full of toys and candy. The Elf would not let me enter the raffle. "you're not going ot win it any way, so don't waste your time or get your hopes up". Every time we went through the lobby I stared at that giant stocking over the doors to the pool. I wanted it sooo bad. I didn't get it, obviously. The little girl down stairs from me did though. and she was kind enough to let me play with some of her toys. Though later I would get from her the first "you think you're so great" speech of many many many more that I would receive in my life time.
The spring was better. Summer blew. Summer always sucks in Florida. I know that now. the redeeming feature was the ice cold pool. Gerry having taught me to swim, the pool was my favourite place to play. But I only got to go swimming sometimes. When Mike wasn't working. But during the days when I was running loose with little girl who lived down stairs we'd end up over by the pool. One day I fell in the pool, I remember that. I remember the bruises I got from the Elf for "going swimming without an adult". Not that I did it on purpose, mind, but just the same, I was a little liar like my dad, and I needed to have the evil beaten out of me ... I guess that's how that was supposed to work.
The little girl down stairs from me got the chicken pox and the Elf did her best to make sure I was exposed. It didn't take. I got 5 chicken pox.
One of the last nights we lived at Park Place- right as the end of summer rains began and my closet filled with water through the light fixture - I had all my little yarn hair ribbons in my hair. I was a princess, like in my fairy stories. the girl who lived down stairs told me I looked ridiculous. I thought I looked like Lady Lovelylocks with all those rainbow ribbons in my hair. I just thought I was better than everyone else. I walked away. Okay, so as a five year old I flounced away, but the point is I left.
We moved shortly thereafter to 201 E Eden lane, a two story town house with the washer and dryer in the kitchen. I had my own room upstairs with my own bathroom. The light in that room sucked though. It was an antique lamp plugged into the wall. The thing was hideous. Grotesquely ornate and turquoise on one of those little plastic pop apart patio tables. It didn't light the room very well.
The Elf and Mike's bedroom was to the left at the top of the stairs and my room was on the right. The Elf took the room she did cause it had a balcony.
Downstairs was the coat closet, the front door and the kitchen to hte right. there was a half bath under the stairs to the slanty wall the Elf pinned a David Bowie poster. The living room was done in the same horrid shades of dusty rose and silver as the Elf's wedding. Gawds. looking back at that room in my head, it was hideous. '80's style was soo freaking bad. Esp when some one like the Elf who has really really bad taste in the first place and then no budget.
The Elf was pregnant. I didn't know it till much much later. When the Elf started her Lamaze classes I got put in a class on how to handle having a baby sibling. I told the lady that I was going to have a little sister. Oh if Only.
My baby brother was born while I was in school at Boggy Creek elementary. It was one of the last days of school. The space program had just fired Columbia into the atmosphere when the nurse said "It's a boy!" and Mike said "It's a shuttle".
I'll leave off for now. I know there's a bunch I'm missing and it's four am.
~C
Gerry threw a fit. Called lawyers and friends and was told that unless he had $10,000 he was shit outta luck.
The Elf packed us all into the car, Mike's lil burgundy mustang, with Thunder and Sherlock and we drove. And we Drove. Thunder lay on the dash board and Sherlock under the driver's seat and Thor in the Elf's lap. We drove. I slept. A lot. i learned that I can't read or colour in the car.
The first night we made it to Canada. Yep. Mike took a left instead of a right. We got stopped at the boarder around dawn. Mike turned around and went back south. I don't remember too much more of the drive except stopping in Oklahoma to borrow a bathroom from a family with a rabbit (can't pee outside, remember?).
We got to Florida and it was raining. I had a nose bleed. We moved into the scuzziest apartments in Orlando. The Park Place Apartments. Don't let the monopoly board fool you, this place stank. But we moved in anyway. We spent two days sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor (go Popples!)till the truck appeared.
There was another little girl who lived in the apartment below us. The Elf was insistent that I be friends with this girl. Didn't go over that well, but we played together anyway.
During this time I got my first taste of how uninformed i was supposed to be. After being enrolled in Buena Ventura Elementary, being exposed to other kids, I learned that its a bad thing to hold up just your middle finger. One day while shopping in the dollar store with the Elf i asked her about this. She told me yes it was a bad thing but wouldn't tell me why. She never told me anything.
The apartment complex had a contest that xmas. A raffle for a giant huge bigger than life stocking full of toys and candy. The Elf would not let me enter the raffle. "you're not going ot win it any way, so don't waste your time or get your hopes up". Every time we went through the lobby I stared at that giant stocking over the doors to the pool. I wanted it sooo bad. I didn't get it, obviously. The little girl down stairs from me did though. and she was kind enough to let me play with some of her toys. Though later I would get from her the first "you think you're so great" speech of many many many more that I would receive in my life time.
The spring was better. Summer blew. Summer always sucks in Florida. I know that now. the redeeming feature was the ice cold pool. Gerry having taught me to swim, the pool was my favourite place to play. But I only got to go swimming sometimes. When Mike wasn't working. But during the days when I was running loose with little girl who lived down stairs we'd end up over by the pool. One day I fell in the pool, I remember that. I remember the bruises I got from the Elf for "going swimming without an adult". Not that I did it on purpose, mind, but just the same, I was a little liar like my dad, and I needed to have the evil beaten out of me ... I guess that's how that was supposed to work.
The little girl down stairs from me got the chicken pox and the Elf did her best to make sure I was exposed. It didn't take. I got 5 chicken pox.
One of the last nights we lived at Park Place- right as the end of summer rains began and my closet filled with water through the light fixture - I had all my little yarn hair ribbons in my hair. I was a princess, like in my fairy stories. the girl who lived down stairs told me I looked ridiculous. I thought I looked like Lady Lovelylocks with all those rainbow ribbons in my hair. I just thought I was better than everyone else. I walked away. Okay, so as a five year old I flounced away, but the point is I left.
We moved shortly thereafter to 201 E Eden lane, a two story town house with the washer and dryer in the kitchen. I had my own room upstairs with my own bathroom. The light in that room sucked though. It was an antique lamp plugged into the wall. The thing was hideous. Grotesquely ornate and turquoise on one of those little plastic pop apart patio tables. It didn't light the room very well.
The Elf and Mike's bedroom was to the left at the top of the stairs and my room was on the right. The Elf took the room she did cause it had a balcony.
Downstairs was the coat closet, the front door and the kitchen to hte right. there was a half bath under the stairs to the slanty wall the Elf pinned a David Bowie poster. The living room was done in the same horrid shades of dusty rose and silver as the Elf's wedding. Gawds. looking back at that room in my head, it was hideous. '80's style was soo freaking bad. Esp when some one like the Elf who has really really bad taste in the first place and then no budget.
The Elf was pregnant. I didn't know it till much much later. When the Elf started her Lamaze classes I got put in a class on how to handle having a baby sibling. I told the lady that I was going to have a little sister. Oh if Only.
My baby brother was born while I was in school at Boggy Creek elementary. It was one of the last days of school. The space program had just fired Columbia into the atmosphere when the nurse said "It's a boy!" and Mike said "It's a shuttle".
I'll leave off for now. I know there's a bunch I'm missing and it's four am.
~C