a single tooth

June 24: Nick has family that he met for the first time this weekend, even though they live only an hour away from every member of the family that he does see. Talking to one of his second cousins, she seemed not to understand this either and was saddened by it. She’s a sophomore in high school and it is already her dream to marry into a big, close family that sees each other every holiday.

June 25: Words were beginning to elude him. He would stop halfway through a sentence when he completely forgot the exact word it was that he wanted to say. It was like how kids would tie a dollar bill to the end of a fishing line and yank it away just as he was about to reach it.

June 26: I don’t think spending all day alone is agreeing with me. Today, I made a Rainbow Sherbet float with Sprite and ended up eating three of them.

June 27: I wanted to do the What The Fluff Challenge to Addie. It’s a video prank where people get their dog’s attention and hold up a blanket in between them. They lower it a few times to show their dog they are still there. Then they throw it up into the air and hide behind something, giving the appearance they have vanished as the blanket falls down. Addie didn’t fall for it. She just immediately ran to where I was hiding in the bathroom.

June 28: She was still in the process of learning Spanish. She came in knowing enough that when she overheard them talking shit on another student, she could glare at them across the room and say, “yo escuché eco” and watch the look of panic flash across their faces. She practiced everyday with free apps on her phone and they taught her helpful phrases like “the monkey with no shadow”, “the police found blood on the floor”, and “I am a cat. Do you want money?”. Apps made it difficult to deal with pronunciation. She either didn’t roll her r’s at all or rolled them way to much, which always left her more bilingual students in hysterics. The kids who grew up with Spanish and were slowly learning English over the school year were quick to defend her.

June 29: The couple next door is moving out. Now with the second kid, they just can’t deal with a one-bedroom apartment even though rent control has saved them so much money. With the apartment nearly empty, they let us stop by and see their place. It was like being in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Everything the same, but flipped around.

June 30: A man with slicked back hair and a thick Brooklyn accent pulled Christiana aside. He leaned in close to her and whispered that a friend told him about the guy that was giving her some trouble. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He opened it up to reveal a single tooth. He handed it to her with a quiet smile. “He won’t be bothering you anymore.”





much love,
hedgie