Britney Marie Speights

Let's fast forward to my 8th grade year for this one.

Why are we stopping? The bus doesn't normally stop here.
I look outside the window to see what's going on. Apparently some new girl rides this bus now too. She looks kinda funny. She has nerd glasses and she's wearing her socks pulled up high with capri pants. She has an instrument in her hand, or at least I think that's what it is. Her hair is about the same color as mine and it's up in a ponytail.
I relax in my seat again and doze off until we reach the junior high.
"You sing really great," I hear someone saying as I get off the bus. I turn around. Oh, it's just New Girl.
But then I listen in.
And oh my goodness, she is an absolutely amazing singer.
Then the bell rings.

* * *
(Walking to 2nd period)

"Have you seen her yet?"
"I hear she came from California."
"She's in band...a saxophone, I think."
This is what can be heard in the halls as I make my way to the office.
I set my stuff down and the nurse walks in.
"Can you take this to this girl for me?" she asks. "I need her immunization records."
I look at the yellow slip of paper. It was for Britney Speights, whoever that is. I check the schedule binder and head toward the gym.
When I get there, I only see one person whose name I don't know. And that's New Girl.
I approach her. "Is this you?" I ask.
She looks kind of taken aback...she seems so shy.
"Yah...that's me," she says and takes the paper.

Little did I know she would be my best friend a year and a half from that day.





I miss you like crazy, Britney.
Why haven't you been talking to anyone???
We all miss you so badly.
Please don't be a stranger...
You will never be forgotten..so please don't forget us.

Backyard Park

So here we all are, at the church with no playground. Some kind of meeting is taking place in the Sunday School building, so we are left outside. We look across the street to the Backyard Park. My dad had already made it clear to me that I was too young to be crossing that street with no adult supervision, so going over there never really crossed my mind. But, of course, that didn't mean a thing to the boys.
I'm eight years old now, and by this time we have acquired two new members to the church. Chris and Cody. Ugh, still no girls.
"Let's go over there," suggests Chris.
"But we aren't supposed to..." I protest.
"And that's why you aren't going to tell anyone," says Aubrey as they take off without me.
I really wanted to go with them, but the goody two shoes part of me felt like that wasn't such a good idea. It occurs to me that maybe, since they are already gone, I could just ask my dad if I could go over there. If he said yes, then I could go over there without doing anything wrong.
I go inside and tap my dad on the shoulder. "Can I go to the Backyard Park with the boys?" I whisper.
My dad throws me this look which seems to imply that I have lost my mind.
Aubrey's dad, Fred, overhears my question. "The boys are across the street?!" he asks.
I felt trapped so I just nodded.
Fred marches outside and yells for the boys to come back. I didn't stick around to watch them get fussed at. Instead I just sat in front of the side door to the church.
They finally walked over to where I was.
"What'd you go and do that for?" Chris wanted to know.
"I just wanted to go to the park..." I muttered, hurt.
"You shouldn't have even said anything," Aubrey said, annoyed.
I still remember how upset their faces looked. They made me want to crawl under a rock.
And so began the falling out with the church boys.

August 1997

There's really nothing special about Texas. It's just hot. And I hear that it never snows here. How do the children build snowmen if there is no snow?!
So now I am sitting here in St. Luke Lutheran Church, being told that I will be stuck here for the next 15 years, at least. St. Luke is pretty blah if you ask me. They don't have a playground, and there are pretty much no other kids here.
Someone is ringing a bell now, that means it's time to go sit down. I sit in the pew next to my mom.
"See that boy over there?" she asks me.
I look across at the pew to my right. I see a blond little boy, he doesn't look much older than me.
I nod to my mom.
"He goes to this church, too. You two are going to be friends."





--------------------------------
Those were my mom's exact words. I even remember that he was wearing a shirt that was kinda tan/beige colored and it had some kind of pictures on it...something weird like fish or birds or something.
I'm just cycling through my memories as a 3 year old and that is the first thing I remember about Texas.

Daddy's Little Girl

I gaze up at my father, his face so much resembling mine. He pulls me onto his lap and hugs me. He looks into my eyes, smiling.
"I always wanted a beautiful little girl," he whispers to me.
I was three years old then.
It was not until many years later that I realized he was actually talking about me.