dialogue with my inner child
A conversation with my 12-year-old self (meme courtesy of sage_theory who got it off hikariblue in a f-locked post)
So I shall be Ari and my 12-year-old self shall be Ruth Ellen.
Ari: *waves*
Ruth Ellen: Um, hi?
Ari: I'm you, only six years older.
Ruth Ellen: Oh... so you're in high school?
Ari: Nope, I'm a junior in college.
Ruth Ellen: *blush* You're smarter than I am.
Ari: I am you. In just a few years, you'll be applying for college.
Ruth Ellen: First I have to survive middle school.
Ari: It's not so bad. Just wait until eighth grade. *winks*
Ruth Ellen: What happens in eighth grade?
Ari: Well, let's put it like this. You know Mrs. A?
Ruth Ellen: *starry-eyed* Yes?
Ari: What if I said you'd meet someone even better?
Ruth Ellen: NOT POSSIBLE... except Jeane.
Ari: Um, about that.
Ruth Ellen: Please tell me what happens! Are you still friends? I really like Jeane. I don't know why. But I really like her.
Ari: Can we talk about something else?
Ruth Ellen: But is she really gay? Is she really in love with L?
Ari:... you'll find out soon enough.
Ruth Ellen: What about me? Am I a lesbian? I really think I might be, you know.
Ari: Well, it's not too much of a spoiler to say that yeah, you are.
Ruth Ellen: Huh. Well, that's not that surprising. Did I ever get baptized?
Ari: Yes. Yes, I did.
Ruth Ellen: Was Jeane there? What did Jeane think? Did she do the ceremony? God, where did she go to seminary?
Ari: Do you ever think of anything other than Jeane?
Ruth Ellen: Well, there's Mrs. A.
Ari: I'm hopeless.
Ruth Ellen: So do we have a girlfriend?
Ari: Yeah, we do.
Ruth Ellen: What's her name? Is she someone I know?
Ari: Nope, no she's not. In fact, I don't think I'm still friends with anyone you know right now.
Ruth Ellen: Not even Alyssa??
Ari: Alyssa...oh, right. No, not even Alyssa.
Ruth Ellen: So is Lauren still obsessed with Derek Jeter? What happened to the rest of the PV kids? Do you still hate Melissa?
Ari: I don't know, I don't know, and not really. I really haven't kept in touch with anyone from elementary school.
Ruth Ellen: Do you still miss Massachusetts?
Ari: ... we moved back.
Ruth Ellen: We did? But that's great!
Ari: No, not really, actually. I was already in college when we moved back. I hate it there now.
Ruth Ellen: I don't believe it. But that's who I am!
Ari: I know. People change. I curse now.
Ruth Ellen: Wash your mouth out with soap! How could you?
Ari: I grew up.
Ruth Ellen: Will you tell Jeane I love her?
Ari: Tell her yourself. Never be afraid to tell anyone you love hir. Read lots. Apply to PEG. Understand that friendships come and go.
Ruth Ellen: You're acting like my mother now. Hey, did Mom finish seminary? Did she get a job?
Ari: Yes, and yes.
Ruth Ellen: And I'm going to be a minister just like her, right?
Ari: Maybe not. Being a minister is harder than it looks. You will preach your first sermon in just two years, though.
Ruth Ellen: Really? Will Jeane be proud of me?
Ari:.... I'm sure she would have been. I mean, I'm sure she was. Will be. Tense is weird.
Ruth Ellen: Yeah.
Ari: You do get a copy of What is the Name of this Book? though.
Ruth Ellen: Really? Cool! Can I have it now?
Ari: You'll enjoy it more if you wait the extra two years for it.
Ruth Ellen: Look, I want to get back to my book now. It was nice talking to you.
Ari: Yeah... you too. Take care of yourself. Love lots. And, um... tell Jeane I love her. Mrs. A, too.
Ruth Ellen: *starry-eyed*
Exeunt.
Note: this dialogue is set ~March, 1998, before I realized that the starry-eyes were actually the beginnings of some pretty intense crushes, but when I was well on the way to realizing. I hadn't yet started keeping a journal, but I would start in just about a month. I was almost done with sixth grade. I imagine that this is what I cared about at this time, only I probably wouldn't have been this talkative, even with myself.
So I shall be Ari and my 12-year-old self shall be Ruth Ellen.
Ari: *waves*
Ruth Ellen: Um, hi?
Ari: I'm you, only six years older.
Ruth Ellen: Oh... so you're in high school?
Ari: Nope, I'm a junior in college.
Ruth Ellen: *blush* You're smarter than I am.
Ari: I am you. In just a few years, you'll be applying for college.
Ruth Ellen: First I have to survive middle school.
Ari: It's not so bad. Just wait until eighth grade. *winks*
Ruth Ellen: What happens in eighth grade?
Ari: Well, let's put it like this. You know Mrs. A?
Ruth Ellen: *starry-eyed* Yes?
Ari: What if I said you'd meet someone even better?
Ruth Ellen: NOT POSSIBLE... except Jeane.
Ari: Um, about that.
Ruth Ellen: Please tell me what happens! Are you still friends? I really like Jeane. I don't know why. But I really like her.
Ari: Can we talk about something else?
Ruth Ellen: But is she really gay? Is she really in love with L?
Ari:... you'll find out soon enough.
Ruth Ellen: What about me? Am I a lesbian? I really think I might be, you know.
Ari: Well, it's not too much of a spoiler to say that yeah, you are.
Ruth Ellen: Huh. Well, that's not that surprising. Did I ever get baptized?
Ari: Yes. Yes, I did.
Ruth Ellen: Was Jeane there? What did Jeane think? Did she do the ceremony? God, where did she go to seminary?
Ari: Do you ever think of anything other than Jeane?
Ruth Ellen: Well, there's Mrs. A.
Ari: I'm hopeless.
Ruth Ellen: So do we have a girlfriend?
Ari: Yeah, we do.
Ruth Ellen: What's her name? Is she someone I know?
Ari: Nope, no she's not. In fact, I don't think I'm still friends with anyone you know right now.
Ruth Ellen: Not even Alyssa??
Ari: Alyssa...oh, right. No, not even Alyssa.
Ruth Ellen: So is Lauren still obsessed with Derek Jeter? What happened to the rest of the PV kids? Do you still hate Melissa?
Ari: I don't know, I don't know, and not really. I really haven't kept in touch with anyone from elementary school.
Ruth Ellen: Do you still miss Massachusetts?
Ari: ... we moved back.
Ruth Ellen: We did? But that's great!
Ari: No, not really, actually. I was already in college when we moved back. I hate it there now.
Ruth Ellen: I don't believe it. But that's who I am!
Ari: I know. People change. I curse now.
Ruth Ellen: Wash your mouth out with soap! How could you?
Ari: I grew up.
Ruth Ellen: Will you tell Jeane I love her?
Ari: Tell her yourself. Never be afraid to tell anyone you love hir. Read lots. Apply to PEG. Understand that friendships come and go.
Ruth Ellen: You're acting like my mother now. Hey, did Mom finish seminary? Did she get a job?
Ari: Yes, and yes.
Ruth Ellen: And I'm going to be a minister just like her, right?
Ari: Maybe not. Being a minister is harder than it looks. You will preach your first sermon in just two years, though.
Ruth Ellen: Really? Will Jeane be proud of me?
Ari:.... I'm sure she would have been. I mean, I'm sure she was. Will be. Tense is weird.
Ruth Ellen: Yeah.
Ari: You do get a copy of What is the Name of this Book? though.
Ruth Ellen: Really? Cool! Can I have it now?
Ari: You'll enjoy it more if you wait the extra two years for it.
Ruth Ellen: Look, I want to get back to my book now. It was nice talking to you.
Ari: Yeah... you too. Take care of yourself. Love lots. And, um... tell Jeane I love her. Mrs. A, too.
Ruth Ellen: *starry-eyed*
Exeunt.
Note: this dialogue is set ~March, 1998, before I realized that the starry-eyes were actually the beginnings of some pretty intense crushes, but when I was well on the way to realizing. I hadn't yet started keeping a journal, but I would start in just about a month. I was almost done with sixth grade. I imagine that this is what I cared about at this time, only I probably wouldn't have been this talkative, even with myself.