First Friend
From Torg Adventure
First Friend Honey-brown hair with red highlights. Pixie cut, heart-shaped face, freckles.
Six years old, the beginning of first grade, new friend, invites her over. It is hard. And she's a little too mature. She accepts Randy too easily. Or she should be more aggressive at Ashley, if she's going to be that accepting of Randy. And probably Ashley should get mad at her about it. I do think Jenny should dump Ashley for Randy. The transition is okay. Not too abrupt. Little kids are like that. The speech is pretty good, but maybe a bit too mature in general. And don't do imvizibul Instead, draw out the word...in..vis..ible Like she's precisely saying it.
“What did ya do this summer, Jenny?” Ashley asked on the first day of first grade.
I was in a new school and Ashley sat next to me. She wasn't at all shy, just talking to me right off the bat. I decided to be just as friendly. “I had a car accident. I slept for like the whole summer in the hospital.”
“Wow, that’s neat. Did you get ice cream? I got ice cream when I got ear tubes.”
“No, no ice cream. I had tubes in my arm that fed me. That was weird.”
“You wanna come over to my house after school sometime?”
“Yeah, but I gotta ask Daddy first.”
Daddy said okay.
"Jenny, this is Mrs. Parsons. She likes her tea with milk and honey," Ashley said as she poured nothing from the tea pot into a tiny tea cup. Mrs. Parsons, the doll in the chair to Ashley's left, had a big head and shiny black hair. I picked up a small spoon and dipped it in a little empty honey pot. I put the spoon into Mrs. Parson's cup, and Ashley poured imaginary milk from the creamer.
As I put the cup in front of Mrs. Parsons, I got cold and my neck prickled. The tea cup across from Ashley rattled. Ashley turned to the empty chair across from her and said, "Miss Violet, this is my friend, Jenny. The usual, Violet? Tea and sugar?" She poured from the tea pot. The prickling cold made me shiver a bit.
"No, you dumb girl!" The voice was clear and gruff -- a boy's voice. I sat still, too scared to move. I looked at the empty chair. The air wiggled a little, like the air above the stove when it’s red-hot. The tea cup rattled again. Ashley spooned invisible sugar into Miss Violet's cup. She picked up the cup and set it in front of the empty chair.
"Here you go, Violet," Ashley said.
"I'm not Violet. I'm Randy, you stupid girl!" I stared at the empty chair, sometimes seeing the wobbly air, sometimes not. I dug a finger into my ear, trying to get the voice out. Nobody was there to be saying these things. My tummy hurt, because he sounded so mad.
"How do you want your tea, Jenny?" Ashley asked.
"Did you hear someone say something when you talked to Randy, er ... I mean Violet?" I said, ignoring the question.
"Randy? Who's Randy? It's just us here." Ashley leaned toward me, cupping her hand next to her mouth. "Violet is in...vis...ble. She doesn't talk either," she whispered with a little meanness in her voice. She thought I was stupid! That's how they talk to stupid people on T.V.!
"Wait! You called me Randy! You can hear me?" I could almost see a mouth floating above the empty chair. "Tell that stupid Ashley I hate tea parties. I hate tea. I want hot cocoa. Tell her!"
Something about how mad he was made me want to do what he asked, even just to get him to not be angry anymore. "It's not Violet, Ashley, it's Randy. He doesn't like tea. Can't you hear him?" She had to hear him.
"Are you okay, Jenny? Nobody here but us. Have some tea." She poured me an cup and then put milk in from the pitcher. "Grammy says tea calms her nerves."
I was so mad at her for treating me like a baby. I know what I heard. I picked up the empty cup. My hands were afraid, so I was glad there was no tea in it. But my throat was sticky like peanut butter, and I really wanted some real tea. I almost dropped my cup when Randy spoke again.
"She never hears me. I tried to tell her."
I took a big breath, brought the tea up to my lips, and sipped loudly. Ashley giggled. Randy laughed. I couldn't help, but snicker into my tea. My tummy felt better.
"Can I have sugar, too? Nana always puts milk and sugar in her tea," I said, ignoring Randy. Whatever was going on, I wanted Ashley to like me, and talking about Nana made me feel better.
"Certainly. One spoon or two?"
"Two." She pretended to put sugar into my cup and stirred it. I sipped again, silently this time.
"Hey, you can hear me. I know you can, so don't ignore me." He sounded angry. "Ashley does that, and I hate it. She can't hear me, so I guess its okay. But you can. You have to talk to me. Nobody else can hear me. Tell Ashley that I hate tea parties. All she does is tea parties and play with dolls. She won't play ball or dig outside or nothing."
I couldn't think what to do without Ashley thinking I was weird. So I just sipped tea for a minute. Then I got an idea.
"Ashley, I like to play ball with Daddy and help him in the garden. What do you like to do?"
"I like to make cookies with Mommy. The kitchen smells so nice then."
"I just wanna eat 'em." Randy smacked his lips. I giggled.
"Miss Violet has finished her tea," I said and picked up an unused pot from the table. "Here, have some hot cocoa. Ashley made it special for you."
"Hey, I'm still not Violet, but thanks for the cocoa." I could barely make out a hand lifting an almost visible cup. He seemed less angry.
"You're welcome, Violet. Thanks for playing with me."
Ashley leaned toward the large doll. "What's that, Mrs. Parsons? You want some cocoa, too? Okay. Jenny, would you pour for her?"
"I'd love to, my dear. Here, Mrs. Parsons. Careful, it's hot."
"Hey, you're all right, Jenny," Randy said. I could just make out his outline. I smiled. "I like when someone hears me. You can even call me 'Violet' once in awhile."
"Well, Miss Violet, I'm glad you like your hot cocoa. I like you, too." I turned toward Ashley and giggled. She grinned and sipped her tea.
"Jenny, can I come over to your house tomorrow?" Ashley asked.
"I'll ask Daddy when he comes to get me, but I'd like that."
"I'm tired of staying with Ashley. Can I go home with you tonight?" Randy said, sounding hopeful.
"Yes, Miss Violet. You can come over too. You should get out more. You're very pale." I saw him smile when I said 'yes'. I couldn't wait to talk to him with nobody around.
"Could you pass me and Mrs. Parsons some cookies, Jenny?" Randy laughed. His transparent arm pointed at an empty plate to one side. I saw his eyes and grinned.
Picking up the plate, I said, "Mrs. Parsons, have a cookie. You can have one, too, Violet." I offered the plate to our guests.
After the tea party, Daddy came to take me home. Ashley didn't notice Randy leaving with me, and Daddy didn't see him sitting in the back seat.
Randy was my first friend to come home to stay with me. Ashley visited the next day.
"Jenny, this is Mrs. Parsons. She likes her tea with milk and honey," Ashley said. She poured nothing from the tea pot into a tiny tea cup. The doll in the chair to Ashley's left had a big head and shiny black hair. Ashley picked up a small spoon and dipped it in a little pot. She put the spoon into Mrs. Parsons cup. Imaginary milk came next from the creamer.
Ashley was the first girl to ask me over after school. Daddy moved us into a new neighborhood after I got out of the hospital. I started first grade knowing no one. Ashley sat next to me. We talked when we should have listened to Miss Troutman. Ashley invited me the first week. I was excited to have a friend. Daddy said okay.
We had lunch. Ashley's mom made tuna salad sandwiches and tomato soup. They tasted great. We played a game of Go Fish upstairs. We played tea party with her doll.
I put the cup in front of Mrs. Parsons. I got cold and my neck prickled. The tea cup across from Ashley rattled. Ashley said, "Miss Violet is here. She's my special friend." Facing the empty chair, she continued, "The usual, Violet? Tea and sugar?" She poured from the tea pot. The prickling made me shiver a bit.
"No, you silly girl!" The voice was clear. I sat still, unable to move. I looked at the empty chair. The air wiggled a little, like the air above the street on a hot day. The tea cup rattled again. Ashley spooned invisible sugar from the other sugar bowl into Miss Violet's cup. She picked up the cup and set it in front of the empty chair.
"Here you go, Violet."
"I'm not Violet. I'm Randy, you silly girl!" I just stared at the empty chair, sometimes seeing the wobbly air. I dug a finger into my ear, trying to get the voice out. No one was there to be saying the things I was hearing. "You can hear me. Tell that stupid Ashley I hate tea parties. I hate tea. I want hot cocoa. Tell her!"
"How do you want your tea, Jenny?"
"Did you hear anything when you talked to Violet, I mean Randy?"
"Randy? Who's Randy? It's just us two here." Ashley leaned toward me, cupping her hand next to her mouth. "Violet's not real," she whispered.
"It's not Violet, it's Randy, and he is real. He talked. Didn't you hear him?" She had to hear him.
"Jenny, you okay? Here, have some tea." She poured my cup and then put milk in from the pitcher. I picked up the cup.
"She can't hear me. I've tried to tell her for months," Randy said. I almost dropped my cup when he spoke again. My hand shook, but I drank anyway. I sipped loudly. Ashley giggled.
"Can I have sugar, too? My grandma always puts milk and sugar in her tea," I said. I ignored Randy. Whatever was going on, I wanted Ashley to like me.
"Certainly. One scoop or two?" Ashley was the perfect hostess.
"Two." She pretended to put two spoonfuls into my cup and stirred it. I sipped again, silently this time. "Mmmm."
Randy wasn't so content. "This is dumb. I hate tea parties. All she does is tea parties and doll games. She won't play ball or dig outside or nothing." He sounded sad, as well as angry.
I couldn't figure out what to do without Ashley thinking I was weird. So I just sipped tea for a minute. Then I got an idea.
"So, Ashley, I like to play ball with my daddy and help him in the garden. What do you like to do?"
"I like to make cookies with Mom. The kitchen smells so nice then."
"I just wanna eat 'em." Randy smacked his lips. I giggled.
"It looks like Violet has finished her tea," I said, picking up an unused pot from the table. "Here, have some hot cocoa. Ashley made it special for you."
"Hey, I'm still not Violet, but thanks for the cocoa." I could almost make out his hand lifting an invisible cup. He was not as angry.
"You're welcome, Violet. Thank you for playing."
Ashley leaned toward the large doll. "What's that, Mrs. Parsons? You'd like some cocoa too. Okay. Jenny, would you pour for her?"
"I'd love to, my dear. Here you go, Mrs. Parsons. Careful, it's hot."
"Hey, I like you, Jenny," Randy said. I could just make out his outline. I smiled. "I like when someone hears me. You can even call me 'Violet' once in awhile."
"Well, Violet, I'm glad you like your hot cocoa. I like you, too." I turned toward Ashley and giggled. She grinned and sipped her tea.
"I like you, too. Can I come over tomorrow?" Ashley asked.
"I'll ask my dad when he comes to pick me up."
"I'm tired of staying with Ashley. Can I go home with you tonight?" Randy said, sounding hopeful.
"Yes, Violet. You should get out more. You're very pale from being inside." I could see a smile when I said 'yes'. I wanted to talk to Ashley's ghost boy with no one around.
Ashley said, "Mrs. Parsons takes a walk every morning with her poodle. The dog sniffs along, and Mrs. Parsons smells the flowers."
"Could you pass me and Mrs. Parsons some of those cookies, Jenny?" Randy laughed. His almost invisible arm pointed at an empty plate to one side. I saw his eyes and grinned.
Picking up the plate, I said, "Mrs. Parsons, have a cookie. You can have one, too, Violet." I offered the plate to our guests.
Randy was my first friend to come home with me. Ashley came the next day.
