part 1: the wooden bench.

The Wooden Bench

The sound of our minivan being loaded filled my ears. Naomi cocked her head and then went to investigate the scene.

            “Let’s get this show on the road!” I heard Papa call. He opened the side gate. He found me watching the hummingbirds chirp and suck the pollen out of our tulips. Papa sat down next to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, kissed my forehead, and whispered, “How would you like to move where there’s wide open space, not the big city with the sound of transportation everywhere?”

            Papa’s remark perked me up. Space sounded delightful at the moment. I nodded my head awkwardly and followed my father to the minivan. Naomi jumped in. I got in the back seat next to her. I never liked sitting in the front or middle where I could be seen. I liked staying hidden where only Naomi could discover me. She was my only friend. I still talked to Luella sometimes. She was busy with her father, though. I felt as though I didn’t matter to her anymore. Then a feeling jumped up and down in my insides telling me, “Luella loves you and watches over you every second of the day.” I sat back. There was nothing wrong. As long as my best friend was there, I was happy.

            “We packed up your things. You’re set to go.” Ma smiled when Papa started the car. He backed out of the driveway, and soon we were off to great adventures.

            The drive to wherever we were going was scenic and phenomenal. We passed through prairies, wet land, forests, flat grasslands, and steep mountains. It was like there was a whole world out there still to be discovered.

            We stopped in a small town a little while later. In front of us was a little house in the middle of wide open land. Papa got out of the car and pulled the “Sold” sign off the lawn. He threw it in the dumpster, wiped his hands somewhat clean, and strolled back to the car to get our luggage.

            “This is our new home, Shelly,” declared Papa as he ruffled my greasy hair. “Good old Nevada, this place is.” He helped me out of my seat and had me carry my things inside the small, simple cottage.

            When I entered a strong fragrance filled my nostrils. I inhaled it deeply, and soon I couldn’t stop taking whiffs. I already liked this place.

            “Where is my bedroom?” I asked Mama who was sorting out our dinnerware. She stopped working and turned to look at me.

            “Downstairs in the basement,” she replied with a grin. Before I could leave the small kitchen, she stopped me and asked, “How do you like Nevada so far?”

            “This place is okay.” I lifted my shoulders and slumped them down again in a casual shrug. I dragged my things down the rugged steps and set them down in my bedroom. I felt like I was in a pantry. There were canned foods on the shelves, probably left over from the previous owners. The bed was small, but this was fine, because I was only 4’6” and ten years of age. I looked out the puny window and spotted nothing but grass. I went upstairs and exited the cottage into the backyard. There was only green with some weeds now and then, but then I eyed a bench – a brown wooden bench.

            It looked old and chipped. I could tell that it would fit only two people. I brushed off the wood shavings and took a seat. It was a little uncomfortable, just like any other bench, but there was this feel to it that kept me nice and cozy.   

            Naomi approached me with a loud yip and jumped onto the bench next to me. She crawled around my lap and soon curled up in a ball. I kissed her head various times with a warm feeling that I was loved. I stared into the distance, Naomi keeping my legs comfy.

            I stayed in this position for a long time. The windy breeze caused my cheeks to turn a rosy pink. I didn’t care, though. This bench was now my permanent mind wandering spot, just like the picnic table back in New York City.

            My mind wandered toward several random topics. It started with the salt and vinegar I smelled inside, which I guessed was a part of my supper. From that I changed the subject to Naomi who was shivering from the wind. I held her close as we huddled for warmth, although I didn’t feel very chilled. Then I thought about a small museum I’d passed by on the way to our new home. It was the size of a large restaurant, and paintings of dinosaurs were spray painted on the concrete wall near it. I guessed it was a museum where fossils of dinosaurs were displayed.

            My mind wandering went on and on until I heard Ma call my name. Without hesitating, I jumped off the bench with Naomi close behind and sprinted inside. I opened the screen door with a strong push. I sat with my family in the kitchen as we said a short prayer. After that we ate silently. Only the clangs of forks hitting plates and spoons banging bowls were heard.

            “You were out there for hours, Shell,” spoke up Papa. “We were worried you would never come back inside!” He smiled and began to chuckle. He added, “Oh, we’re silly, aren’t we, Anna?”

            Ma laughed as well and replied, “We sure are, Christopher.” Then the kitchen became silent once again.

            After washing the supper dishes I walked downstairs to my pantry bedroom. I flopped down on my bed and got comfortable in my quilt Grandma Alisha had sewed when she was a little girl. She then passed it onto Ma, and when it got too small for her long legs, she passed it down to me. I was just a newborn when Ma would tuck me into the warm quilt every night. It’s stuck with me ever since. It’s still big enough for me, so I’m planning on keeping it for a long time.

            I felt sleepy all of a sudden. The depression was kicking back in after a long day, I guessed. My thoughts wandered to Luella. I felt tears in my hazel eyes. I groaned, trying to hold them back.

            “Why now?” I asked myself. “I’ve just moved into a place where all is well, and now Luella has to butt herself in to force tears.” I was angry at my best friend. I thought she would leave me alone when I didn’t want to feel bad. That’s how it was in preschool. Whenever I was fired up, she’d back away and let me cool off for awhile.

            I started sniffling. My nose started to stuff up. I snatched a tissue and blew my nose as the cold, wet tears fell down my cheeks like an avalanche and dropped dead on my legs. This went on and on until I felt as though there was no reason to sob.

            I threw the last tissue in the waste basket and listened for any unfamiliar sounds. I could tell that this house was old, because mice scurried from time to time and there were dents, marks, and enormous holes in the walls. In case there was a huge tarantula or a garden snake slithering around, I sat with my aware ears turned on. They would have to be extra careful in the night, because that’s when most animals scurry to collect food, and they might find something in my suitcase that they want.

            I decided to go on a bedroom search to look for any miscellaneous crumbs, food, and left over beverages that creatures might long for. These canned foods would be a problem as well, for the rats might try to chew off the lids and eat all they want, and the next morning the shelves would be a mess.

            Snatching a nearby garbage bag and protective gloves, I hurried to my bedroom to clear out the clutter.

            I started out with the canned foods. I wouldn’t throw them away; I would just deliver them to the kitchen and have Ma take the responsibility. I grabbed them one by one and dumped them into the black bag. Once the bag was filled and the shelves were bare, I trotted upstairs for delivery.

            “What’s in there?” asked Ma as I dropped the heavy bag on the countertop. She hurried over and started taking out the food. “What is all this? Where did you find it?”

            “It’s canned food,” I began, “and I found them on my bedroom shelves. It’s like a pantry in there. I didn’t want them to attract creepy crawlers at night, so I brought them up here. Maybe we could use them for a Thanksgiving feast or something.”

            “Maybe so,” Ma agreed. She opened the cupboards and started loading them with the canned foods. Soon they were jam-packed. With a sigh Ma stated, “The people who last owned this house sure are pigs, or they thought they were and bought a year’s supply.”

            “Who knows?” I shrugged. “Well, enjoy your experimenting of soups!” I waved and ran back downstairs. There was plenty of work to be completed.

            Since the canned foods were now out of the picture, I started on something a little more difficult: capturing the critters that were already making home in my bedroom. Being a girl who dislikes spiders and snakes, this would be challenging. I grabbed some Kleenex tissues, a fly swatter, a mask − just in case of some stink bug − and bug spray. I decided to fish for the anti-spider spray, too, for I was positive there were several spiders living in my room. Ma gave me some mouse traps for the mice and rats that lived in the fairly large holes in my room. After they were finished we would cover up all the damage done to the creamy vanilla wall.

            “Need some help there?” I turned to see an unfamiliar-looking boy. He looked about a year older and had some kind of invisible magic to him that made me want to drool. I wasn’t into boys, though, so no matter how hard I tried, all I could do was stare intently at his royal blue eyes. He smiled the most gorgeous smile despite his buck teeth. I felt like fainting in awe when I saw the smile, but I managed to keep my balance.

            “Err, um…sure.” I attempted to smile back but failed miserably as my so-called million dollar smile turned into something creepy-looking. The boy tried to keep his smile, but I could tell the weird face I was showing was making him regret coming to my room, whoever this boy was. Without thinking I blurted, “Who are you?”

            The boy didn’t seem to mind. His smile had completely faded, but his high spirits stayed strong. “I’m Peter Kelly. I’m your family’s neighbor from down the street and decided to stop by and say hi. When your mother told me you were doing some kind of cleaning business down here I thought I might as well join you.”

            What a voice he had. It was clear and bold and had me begging for more Peter talk. I’d never felt this way before, and I thought I never would until my teenage years. I never expected for the butterflies to appear at ten years old. I threw that thought away, though, and nodded with interest, hoping this would get Peter’s mouth to move even more.  

            “So what are you trying to clean down here?” he asked.

            “I want to get these spiders and snakes out of my room,” I replied. “This house is pretty old; it deserves some repairs and teeny changes.”

            “Awesome. When my family and I first moved into our house it was a mess. It could almost be a replica of the town dump.” He burst out laughing all of a sudden. I giggled along. Then he cleared his throat and got serious again. He went on, “It took us almost a year to fix up the major problems and even longer to fix the minor conflicts there were so many of them.” I liked this boy already, no doubt about it.

            With the statement trailing around the room we began our work. I found out he loved to keep animals such as spiders and snakes as pets, so the clever traps I’d created were now out of the picture. I set up mouse traps as Peter dug deep into the holes trying to fish out animals. This boy was brave, bold-voiced, friendly, funny, and pretty handsome for an almost sixth grader. I learned all this in five minutes? This wasn’t a coincidence or a miracle. This was what heaven had sent me.

            When we finished up work for the day and Peter had gone home I went outside to sit on the wooden bench. It was almost my bedtime: 10:00 PM. I decided to spend my last few minutes of the day listening to the calm breeze and being alert for any suspicious sounds.

 I liked my first day in Elko, Nevada. I knew life here was going to be okay.