Chapter 8

My dear brother,

Your last letter got me giggling. You seem to think I'll freeze the first time I'm told to strip naked in front of others. Brother, I do take physical education at school, and while I know a lot of the boys like to smell after class no girl would be caught dead covered in drying sweat in a later class. So I've used the group showers more than a hundred times, and let me remind you, girls can be vicious. I hear way too many comments about my tiny breasts after P.E.

Yes, I know it will be worse since men will be looking and I'll end up looking at men's dangly bits. But that will happen even if I have the score to sponsor, the only difference is I'll get to be like Empress Nympho from Mel Brook's History of the World Part One movie. That might actually be fun.

I still want it to be romantic. But I can accept that the only way to make it romantic will mean study and train. I already started when I showed up for Chin-pa's first Tai Chi class. I told you about him in my last letter when he beat me running one lap around the track. It's scary in a way. He insists that everyone call him Chinpa, which appears to be what his great-grandkids call him. The man always has a huge smile on his face as if he's learned some great secret of life. But at the same time he works at play. I always thought Tai Chi was just a weird slow moving dance, and in a way it is, but if you do it right, and Chin-pa is a tyrant about how all his students must do it perfectly, your muscles feel it. It's about balance and control. Every motion is to be kept slow and even, no jerking, no rushing. You know me; I've done dance recitals that lasted over an hour and been fine. The first Tai Chi class lasted thirty minutes and afterwards I just lay in the grass for another fifteen while my muscles recovered. Only five students returned to try again, and I was one of those.

Marilyn has said that there are some new clubs I guess I should call them, forming to keep people busy this summer. Some are definitely military related and I've found a few brochures lying around. Some I definitely don't find interesting. I can't picture myself carrying a rifle, and I'm too scared of heights and high speeds to be a pilot. I'm still looking though.

You said Atlantisat is a nudist colony. Ick! Just Ick! I mean, I've seen naked girls in the shower and I can appreciate the beauty, but all the time? No clothing or costumes to break up the monotony? I mean, can you see a group performing Les Miserables naked? How would you recognize characters? I'm sure you love it. Don't think I don't remember you sneaking downstairs late at night to watch some of the movies on cable.

I like that you are respected by your sponsor. It sounds like she believes you could do better. Father always did tell you that you were too lazy. It's funny, it's now two weeks since you got picked up and my worst grade on a homework or test is a ninety-five. You being picked up brought home the reality that I test in October, so I have started studying more. It means I'm up until eleven many nights, but Father has allowed it as long as I am studying.

We do have a bit of a problem here though. Remember Grandpa Pickering. He showed up at the house two days ago. I found out when I returned from a dance practice. Heather's mother dropped me off and I saw him standing in the doorway. His back was to me, but it was clear he was demanding that our parents get a divorce. The last sentence was something like. "That useless lump you married can't protect you and will only get you killed. You need to leave him and find a real man." Grandpa scurried away when he realized I was home. I tried to talk to Mom about it, but she refused and begged that I not tell Father. I was hoping to find someone else to talk to, but I can't think of anyone I can trust.

John misses his favorite playmate. I try, but you could throw a football a lot farther than I can, and you know that I suck at baseball. John keeps begging me to hit balls for him to field and I have little luck. I'd ask Oliver or Ben, but Oliver has told me that I have to be his girl if he's going to be around me and Ben vanished. Ben isn't fourteen so he wasn't picked up, but I haven't seen him all week.

I hope you are enjoying everything. Katy sounds a bit passive, and you still haven't told me much of anything about Beth or Holly, or about how you look now. Did Marissa give you a great body or are you still just you.

Your lonely sister

Willow

Chapter 9 »