Disclaimer: You know
the drill. MTV. Viacom. Don't sue me. Thanks.
See Jane Run
Ruthless Bunny
She got to that point in her run where she had to decide how
much strength she had in her, could she go further, or should she turn around
and go home? She felt pretty good this
morning, all things considered. Daria
was accepted to her first choice college yesterday. It was happening, they were graduating, growing up, going
away. Except Jane wasn't going
away. She had made no plans at
all. The Boswell's Shi Tsu followed her
along the cyclone fence, yapping cheerfully at her, as she pounded down the
street. No plans. No future.
Just more of this.
Slowly Jane's classmates announced their admission
status. Jodie got into William and
Mary. Mack was going to Arizona
State. Tom knew that he was going to
Brown since birth. Upchuck was off to
Cal Poly. Even those fools Kevin and
Brittany were going to college. Jane
had no plans. Every time someone
announced his or her acceptance someplace, Jane looked at the floor. Yesterday Daria got her letter, the one that
was taking her all the way to California. How was Jane going to deal with
Lawndale without Daria? Jane sucked in
breath, was it the exertion or something else?
She headed up Maple, passing the same houses she passed
every morning. Why did she run? For a brief moment she was on the track
team, until the joy got sucked out of the sport. Running was about peace, quiet, alone. Running was not something one did for awards or recognition. Thud, thud, thud, her shoes fell against the
sidewalk, the music in Jane's Walkman keeping time with her feet.
She tried to keep thoughts out of her head. Concentrating on her breathing, moving her
legs, feeling the breeze on her damp face.
Familiar landmarks blurred. Was
she going to be running past these same houses forever? She could feel rivulets down her cheeks,
perspiration or desperation?
In a few weeks, after graduation, would she share Trent's
status around the house? Slacker. Even if she did art, even if she got some
crappy part time job, it would be marking time until… Until what? Until she met
a guy to marry? So she could be her
Mom, have a passel of kids, and escape to the basement to make pots? She grunted involuntarily. No!
Okay, she screwed up in the grade department. She screwed up in the activities
department. Hell she screwed up in the
applying department. What were her
choices now? Military. Right. Some service organization? Maybe.
13th Grade? Jane
might have to go to Lawndale Community College. She knew that she was special, she knew that she had talent, but
those damn details tripped her up. Now
she was contemplating Junior College.
It was a logical alternative. Take some classes. Transfer to art school next year. All of her
friends would be leaving, she'd be alone again. Alone with Trent.
When she came through the door, Trent was passed out on the
couch, his arm keeping out the rosy fingers of dawn, or mid-morning as the case
may be.
Jane trudged upstairs to shower and change. When she came back down, Trent had locomoted
into the kitchen for coffee. He was
sitting at the table, sipping at his mug.
"Hey Janey. What's
wrong?" He slurped the hot brew, his
sleepy eyes losing a bit of their glaze.
"Wrong?" Jane stared
into her mug, watching the milk dissolve into the coffee. A whirlpool of creamy
goodness.
"Yeah, you don't seem happy."
"When do I ever seem
happy?" She sighed. "I screwed up. I'm not going away to college like everyone else. I didn't apply."
"Bummer." He patted her hand sympathetically.
"Yeah. I guess I'll
take classes at LCC, but that is so depressing."
"Why? It's nice
there, they just got a studio in their music department."
"How would you know?"
"I was thinking about starting there in the fall."
"Why? What about
Mystic Spiral?"
"Nothing's going to change with that, which is all the more
reason for me to get a skill or something.
I can still play in the band, but damn, I don't want to be thirty, with
no job, still doing Tuesdays and Wednesdays at McGrundy's. Shoot me okay?"
"Deal. Shoot me if I
do the painter's equivalent of that, okay?
So what are you going to study, music?"
"Sort of. Music
education. You know what they say,
those who can't do…"
"Education? Damn, I
never thought of that." Jane thought
about Ms. Defoe, how much she had helped and inspired her. "There are worse things." She said, half
aloud. "Thanks Trent. I feel better now. How do you apply to LCC?"
She asked him, he seemed to know a lot about it.
"You go down there, breathe and give them a check."
"That's easy enough."
And just like that, she got her wind back.