Sorry it's not porn-y. Maybe I'll do better next time. I'm not really happy with this, but I tried! Again, maybe my next try will be better.
I barely looked up from my homework when Karen stormed in through the front door. She hurled her bright pink Barbie backpack to the ground and stomped over to where I sat, flinging herself onto the couch with such force that I bounced, adding an extra pen stroke to the end of the word "Washington." I'm not a subtle person, but even I knew what I was clearly supposed to do now.
"What's wrong?"
Karen pushed her lips together in what she would have called a gigundo pout and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ricky and I got a divorce."
"Oh, no." I tried to look sympathetic, and I was, I felt for her, but at the same time it was hard not to smile.
"We were using pastels for an art project, and he scribbled all over an entire section of our paper with black, and then tried to scratch it off, but it smeared and was gross, and all I said was he ruined it so he'd have to do the whole thing over, and he said we were supposed to do it together, and I said..." I'll be honest with you. I faded out a little here. I love Karen, but she can be a bit of a chatterbox. "...and now he's going to be Pamela Harding's boyfriend instead, and she told Leslie and Jannie that Ricky divorced me because I'm a big lesbian."
Well. That certainly got my attention.
"She said that?"
"Yes. What is that?"
I thought about telling her to ask Mom or Watson, but it's important to be honest with children. If they sense your discomfort with a topic, they will develop deep psychological issues one day. And as a big sister and baby-sitter, it was my duty to keep Karen from developing serious issues about lesbians.
"I looked it up in the dictionary in Ms. Colman's classroom, but it wasn't there."
"It's a girl who has a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend."
Karen looked thoughtful.
"I think I am a lesbian."
It's very rare that I'm left speechless. But this was one of those times. Luckily, Karen never notices such things. She just kept on talking.
"I don't like boys. They're dumb and gross. I think I would rather have a pretend wife instead of a pretend husband."
I just nodded.
"Will you be my girlfriend, Kristy?"
"Karen, I..."
"Please, Kristy?"
"I think...wouldn't you rather have a girlfriend your own age?"
I should have known Karen would be too smart not to see right through me. She knows me too well. She knows exactly what she's doing when she pokes out her lower lip and stares at me with those big blue eyes.
"I don't think sisters can be girlfriends."
"But why not?"
Karen is a very smart kid. Unfortunately for me, that means she questions everything.
"There's a law, that relatives can't date each other."
I can see wheels turning. I already know she's won. I just hope she hasn't figured that out yet.
"But we're not really sisters."
"And I have a boyfriend."
"You like Bart more than me?"
And when the waterworks start, I'm done. All I can do is sigh.
"Why don't we go to the movies? Just the two of us?"
Her face immediately brightens.
"You mean, like a date?"
Before I can answer her - not that I really had an answer for her - she's running off to change.
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BSC: Kristy Thomas/Karen Brewer, define, G
Date: 2007-06-26 03:08 pm (UTC)I barely looked up from my homework when Karen stormed in through the front door. She hurled her bright pink Barbie backpack to the ground and stomped over to where I sat, flinging herself onto the couch with such force that I bounced, adding an extra pen stroke to the end of the word "Washington." I'm not a subtle person, but even I knew what I was clearly supposed to do now.
"What's wrong?"
Karen pushed her lips together in what she would have called a gigundo pout and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ricky and I got a divorce."
"Oh, no." I tried to look sympathetic, and I was, I felt for her, but at the same time it was hard not to smile.
"We were using pastels for an art project, and he scribbled all over an entire section of our paper with black, and then tried to scratch it off, but it smeared and was gross, and all I said was he ruined it so he'd have to do the whole thing over, and he said we were supposed to do it together, and I said..." I'll be honest with you. I faded out a little here. I love Karen, but she can be a bit of a chatterbox. "...and now he's going to be Pamela Harding's boyfriend instead, and she told Leslie and Jannie that Ricky divorced me because I'm a big lesbian."
Well. That certainly got my attention.
"She said that?"
"Yes. What is that?"
I thought about telling her to ask Mom or Watson, but it's important to be honest with children. If they sense your discomfort with a topic, they will develop deep psychological issues one day. And as a big sister and baby-sitter, it was my duty to keep Karen from developing serious issues about lesbians.
"I looked it up in the dictionary in Ms. Colman's classroom, but it wasn't there."
"It's a girl who has a girlfriend instead of a boyfriend."
Karen looked thoughtful.
"I think I am a lesbian."
It's very rare that I'm left speechless. But this was one of those times. Luckily, Karen never notices such things. She just kept on talking.
"I don't like boys. They're dumb and gross. I think I would rather have a pretend wife instead of a pretend husband."
I just nodded.
"Will you be my girlfriend, Kristy?"
"Karen, I..."
"Please, Kristy?"
"I think...wouldn't you rather have a girlfriend your own age?"
I should have known Karen would be too smart not to see right through me. She knows me too well. She knows exactly what she's doing when she pokes out her lower lip and stares at me with those big blue eyes.
"I don't think sisters can be girlfriends."
"But why not?"
Karen is a very smart kid. Unfortunately for me, that means she questions everything.
"There's a law, that relatives can't date each other."
I can see wheels turning. I already know she's won. I just hope she hasn't figured that out yet.
"But we're not really sisters."
"And I have a boyfriend."
"You like Bart more than me?"
And when the waterworks start, I'm done. All I can do is sigh.
"Why don't we go to the movies? Just the two of us?"
Her face immediately brightens.
"You mean, like a date?"
Before I can answer her - not that I really had an answer for her - she's running off to change.
What have I done?