I'm not sure what the medical term for it but she always had a problem
speaking. I think it's a learning to speak disability.
Thoughts and Memories
The day after Brina told me we were relocating to New York, the house was in a flurry. Alice was overseeing that every object was cleaned and put into different boxes or trunks. Brina and I helped as much as we could by packing the books and objects in our room. By nightfall, our room was the only one that was absolutely done and had the boxes in the front hall. All the other rooms still needed some packing or cleaning.
When Brina and I had finished, we decided that we would go and say farewell to our friends. We had sent word out that we were going that morning and asked all our friends to meet us at our favorite restaurant. We tidied up and left the house to say our good byes. We arrived and saw that most of those who we had asked to be there had shown up. Andrew and Michael even showed. (They were the boys who had teased me so long ago but have ended up becoming two of my best guy friends.) Everyone talked and mingled. I mingled but barely talked. I still wasn't comfortable talking in front of people. The only ones I would talk frequently were Andrew, Michael and Brina. As I mingled I said my hellos and gave some hugs but never stayed long at one group of people.
Watching Brina talk with her different friends, I sat down in a near by booth and starred out the window. I guess Andrew and Michael noticed that I was alone because the next thing I knew, Andrew was sitting beside me and Michael was sitting across from me. I smiled at them and was about to say that I was really going to miss them, when Michael put a package on the table.
"Wh. what's th.. this?"
"Well we figured that you were going to need something to remember us by so we put this together." Andrew said as he pushed it closer to me. I gave them looks of confusion, shrugged my shoulders and began to unwrap the gift. I slowly took the wrapping paper off and neatly folded it. Brina had always teased me about being a neat freak but I liked to save the paper for the future. Setting the paper aside, I lifted off the lid to the box. Inside was a leather book with a blue ribbon tied around it. By now everyone had noticed our little gift gathering so they crowded around the table. Brina was sitting beside Michael and leaning forward on the table trying to see what it was that they had given me.
Andrew pulled the box aside so that I would have more room to look at the gift.
"Th. Thank." I was trying to say but Andrew interrupted me.
"Look at what's inside it." I untied the ribbon that held it closed and the first thing I saw was a picture of my mother, father and I. I flipped through the pages and saw that there were different pictures of me as I grew up. There were articles that I had mentioned were my favorite in the past. The last page I came to that had a single picture on it. I looked closely and saw that it was a picture of Andrew, Michael, Brina and I. We had gone to the photographer's a few months back for a group graduation photo. We sort of went against what the normal straight-faced pictures were like and all smiled. I looked up from the picture and felt tears run down my cheeks.
"Th. Thank you. Th. Thank you so much." I wrapped my arms around Andrew and gave him what would be probably our last hug till we met again. I scooted out of the booth and hugged Michael as well.
"I'll always h. have fond memories of you guys."
~*~*Two hours later~*~*
I look up from where my best friends and I have finished eating our good bye meal and notice that if we are to leave early the next morning, then we had better get home soon. I told Brina and we said our final, final farewells to those who had stayed. Andrew and Michael walked us home and at the door we gave the guys one last hug.
Brina and I hurried up to our room to quickly change for bed. I crawled into mine and pulled the sheets up to my shoulders. As I stared at the wall waiting for sleep to overcome me, I thought about the future yet to come. Would I make new friends? Would they accept my stuttering and my quietness? Would Brina stay by my side like she said she would when we were younger or would she once we arrived in New York abandon me? As I thought these questions, the sandman did his job and brought sleep to me though it was a dreamless one.
Thoughts and Memories
The day after Brina told me we were relocating to New York, the house was in a flurry. Alice was overseeing that every object was cleaned and put into different boxes or trunks. Brina and I helped as much as we could by packing the books and objects in our room. By nightfall, our room was the only one that was absolutely done and had the boxes in the front hall. All the other rooms still needed some packing or cleaning.
When Brina and I had finished, we decided that we would go and say farewell to our friends. We had sent word out that we were going that morning and asked all our friends to meet us at our favorite restaurant. We tidied up and left the house to say our good byes. We arrived and saw that most of those who we had asked to be there had shown up. Andrew and Michael even showed. (They were the boys who had teased me so long ago but have ended up becoming two of my best guy friends.) Everyone talked and mingled. I mingled but barely talked. I still wasn't comfortable talking in front of people. The only ones I would talk frequently were Andrew, Michael and Brina. As I mingled I said my hellos and gave some hugs but never stayed long at one group of people.
Watching Brina talk with her different friends, I sat down in a near by booth and starred out the window. I guess Andrew and Michael noticed that I was alone because the next thing I knew, Andrew was sitting beside me and Michael was sitting across from me. I smiled at them and was about to say that I was really going to miss them, when Michael put a package on the table.
"Wh. what's th.. this?"
"Well we figured that you were going to need something to remember us by so we put this together." Andrew said as he pushed it closer to me. I gave them looks of confusion, shrugged my shoulders and began to unwrap the gift. I slowly took the wrapping paper off and neatly folded it. Brina had always teased me about being a neat freak but I liked to save the paper for the future. Setting the paper aside, I lifted off the lid to the box. Inside was a leather book with a blue ribbon tied around it. By now everyone had noticed our little gift gathering so they crowded around the table. Brina was sitting beside Michael and leaning forward on the table trying to see what it was that they had given me.
Andrew pulled the box aside so that I would have more room to look at the gift.
"Th. Thank." I was trying to say but Andrew interrupted me.
"Look at what's inside it." I untied the ribbon that held it closed and the first thing I saw was a picture of my mother, father and I. I flipped through the pages and saw that there were different pictures of me as I grew up. There were articles that I had mentioned were my favorite in the past. The last page I came to that had a single picture on it. I looked closely and saw that it was a picture of Andrew, Michael, Brina and I. We had gone to the photographer's a few months back for a group graduation photo. We sort of went against what the normal straight-faced pictures were like and all smiled. I looked up from the picture and felt tears run down my cheeks.
"Th. Thank you. Th. Thank you so much." I wrapped my arms around Andrew and gave him what would be probably our last hug till we met again. I scooted out of the booth and hugged Michael as well.
"I'll always h. have fond memories of you guys."
~*~*Two hours later~*~*
I look up from where my best friends and I have finished eating our good bye meal and notice that if we are to leave early the next morning, then we had better get home soon. I told Brina and we said our final, final farewells to those who had stayed. Andrew and Michael walked us home and at the door we gave the guys one last hug.
Brina and I hurried up to our room to quickly change for bed. I crawled into mine and pulled the sheets up to my shoulders. As I stared at the wall waiting for sleep to overcome me, I thought about the future yet to come. Would I make new friends? Would they accept my stuttering and my quietness? Would Brina stay by my side like she said she would when we were younger or would she once we arrived in New York abandon me? As I thought these questions, the sandman did his job and brought sleep to me though it was a dreamless one.