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“Jessica! Get up; you’ll make us
late!” “Just five more minutes, Daddy,” I
protested. I
should have known better than to argue with my dad. Normally, he’s pretty
loose with me, but he was still a Master Warrant Officer and liked everything
to run with military precision on our moving days. “Jessica. Marie. Smyth.” The full
name. I winced. “NOW!” ~~*~~ I took one last look around my
room. It was completely empty, devoid of any sign that I had spent the last
two years living there. Almost crying, I walked over to
the window. The familiar sight of the rows of houses was almost comforting. It wasn’t fair! Namao and Edmonton
were just starting to feel like home. Now dad’s commitment to his job was
forcing me to leave this home behind. Dad appeared beneath my window. He
tapped his watch and gestured for me. In the driveway, I could see he had
already started the car. I left my room, satisfied that I
hadn’t forgotten anything. I switched off the kitchen light, walked out of
the house, and shut the door on the familiar, venturing again into the
unknown. ~~*~~ This was the biggest move yet for
Dad and I. He had been stationed in America, and this was the first time we
had ever had to move outside of Canada. Everything was so different in the
US. The change in school systems was okay; all the provinces made their own
curriculums, and I moved between provinces all the time. Some of the other stuff I could
deal with, too. Like having no
friends here. Dad was only on temporary assignment here. We’d hopefully be
moving again right away, but it was hard with no kids to talk to, even though
I didn’t really want to make friends I’d leave right away. And Dad wasn’t around much either.
Sure, he’d always been dedicated to his work--that was partly why Mom had left
years ago-- but this was more than that. He was never around anymore. Right
after we had moved, Dad had joined the all-ages club thing, called The
Sharing. What a pathetic name! Anyway, I could deal with Dad not being
around, but I couldn’t like it. But what was the hardest to deal
with were all the blacks. Nowhere I had ever lived had so many of them. It
was, well, kinda freaky. Blacks were so different from whites; should they
really be allowed in our schools, stores, and restaurants? It had never seemed
such a big deal before, back when I didn’t see many of them, but now…. ~~*~~ I still would have preferred to be
back in Canada. But Things were starting to get a little better here. My
computer had finally been unpacked and the internet hooked up, so I could
keep in touch with my old friends. Which really made things easier on me. Especially since
Dad still spent all his time at The Sharing. I was in a chat room when Dad
knocked on my door. I logged off quick, a good idea because Dad stuck his
head in my room without waiting for me to answer. “Come run some errands with me.” I groaned inwardly. Oh boy,
did that sound like fun. “Sorry, I’ve got homework to do,”
I said. Which was a complete lie. “It’s Saturday! Do your homework
tomorrow. Besides, it’s not really a choice. I need your opinion on
something.” I started to roll my eyes, but
reconsidered. At least Dad was paying attention to me. “I’ll be down in a
minute.” He nodded. “Great.” Then a flicker
of…something passed over his face before he left. A distressed, or maybe
pained look, but it was gone so fast I almost couldn’t tell it was there. I know it’s
probably really confusing still, but I’m working on it. And I’m not
prejudiced! Just my character is! There’s more to come soon. Send feedback
to [email protected].
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