It is a tropical themed tween birthday party and the Beach Boys' Kokomo is dreadfully looping from a boom box in a distance. Prepubescent girls are gathered around the music dressed in oversized New Kids on The Block shirts and neon scrunchies. They are making up dance moves as Mar, 10, is dressed impeccably in a sundress and slumped next to Mom. Mar sighs.
MOM
Baby, you should go play with them.
MAR
They aren't playing.
Mom looks.
MOM
Ok...so go dance with them, looks like fun!
MAR
Nah. I don't really have any professional training.
MOM
(laughs)
Well neither do they.
MAR
(matter-of-factly)
No, those kids are probably twelve or thirteen and if they've been training since they were five then...(beat) that's about seven years! They could be training for seven years already!
Mom laughs.
MOM
I see you've thought about this thoroughly. See the kid in the rainbow bright t shirt?
They both look. Rainbow Bright kid -MIMI, 11- is at the butt end of the conga line.
MOM
(cont'd)
That's the birthday girl, she's eleven. I'm sure she hasn't had seven years of dance training. She takes swimming lessons.
Mar looks furtively studying the group at the corner of her eye. She notices a tree house beyond them and for a moment her eyes sparkle. An older kid catches her glance and whispers to Mimi. Mar growls.
MAR
(mortified)
Mom! Why didn't you put me in ballet or hula when I was five?!
Mar has struck a nerve.
MOM
Oh for pete's sake! Why am I having to force you to play with other children? This is a child's birthday party! If you don't want to play then sit there, bored but behaved. Don't start questioning my parenting decisions-
MAR
(interrupts)
I thought you said she was eleven?
MOM
What?
MAR
(affronted)
I'm only ten. If she's eleven and this is a (mockingly)child's birthday party, then what does that make me? A baby? You think I'm a baby?
Mom is ruffled, casting a stern look at Mar before joining the grown ups.
MAR
(mumbles)
Swimming lessons? It takes all of twenty minutes to learn how to swim, what a waste of money. (looks at her mom) You guys didn't teach me anything!
OS MIMI
What do you want to learn?
Mimi now stands inches away from Mar overhearing the last part of her rant.
MAR
What?
MIMI
What-do-you-want-to-learn?
Mar is unable to respond but feels like she must.
MAR
How to write cursive without my hand cramping up, how to get on level 6 of Super Mario Brothers, how to french kiss -most things that don't require lessons.
MIMI
(awkwardly)
Um...okay. Anyway, my mom told me to come get you. So... you want to learn how to hula?
MAR
Not really. Can I check out your treehouse though?
MIMI
That old thing? (laughs) I guess, if you want.
MAR
What is that, like almost a hundred square feet?
MIMI
I guess...
They make their way into the distance.
*****
I always wanted a tree house. I always envisioned going through life with a husband, kids, puppy -and a cozy little tree house in the backyard. The tree house was a symbol of a simple life. I didn't have ANY idea a simple tree house would entail cost of materials, labor, design and most importantly owning property to build it on. It's such a simple dream -tea parties with my daughter and playing pirate's captive with my son - with such an intricate protocol. Where's my house? Where's my wood? Heck, where's my zoning license? Dreaming something simple isn't simple or free.
The kids are starting to grow up and they still don't have the things I dreamed for them and it breaks my heart. I don't know when it'll happen and I'm sure in retrospect they probably won't care about the tree house, or puppy or painted room, but I would. I'd know what was missing and in what way I might have been lacking.
Its enough to motivate me further to write and write well. Writing isn't just a 'talent' it can be a means to an end. Though when I'm writing I try to refrain from thinking about it in that way, so as not to allow delusions of Rocafella money get in the way of my love for story telling...but making this writing thing work is the only thing keeping me away from the next meticulously lined up desk job.
God, Family, Friends, Tree House and then Oscar.
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