I'm back kids.
Not even going to lie, this chapter is weird, and great, and I don't know I really like it.
Chapter 3
I touched a goat
June 21, 2012
We'd been living in the house for a week, and already something went wrong.
"Wrench." My dad ordered from under the sink. I felt like a dental assistant as I handed him the tool.
My dad came out from under the sink. "Did you fix it?" I asked hopefully.
"Nah." He replied. "I just wanted to make myself a sandwich first." He pulled out some lunch meat and bread.
"Dad! Wash your hands first, that's so unsanitary!" I scolded. My father muttered something under his breath and then reminded me that the sink doesn't work.
I sighed. "We really need to fix this sink.."
As a substitute for soap and water, I handed him my strawberry hand sanitizer. Which is possibly the greatest thing on this planet and is essential to my existence. "Ew Katie, I'm going to smell like a little girl." He said and started coughing into his arm. All the more reason for him to wash his hands..
"Better to smell like a girl than have dirty hands and then catch some virus." I argued.
He didn't protest, and squirted a drop of hand sanitizer into his dirty palms. "I'm going to fix this sink once and for all. Why don't you go outside and get some fresh air."
I nodded and took my book of Edgar Allan Poe's writing outside. I sat on the front step. It seemed like an ideal place to sit, it was away from the sun but still comfortable.
I had gotten through a few poems and short stories when I felt breathing down my neck. I jumped and the heavy book went flying into a mud puddle. Travis Stoll picked up my now ruined book and handed it back to me.
"Sorry. You were really into the book.. I didn't want to disturb you." I wanted to scream. I thought I'd gotten rid of the pest, but he still kept coming back!
"Well, you kind of did." I said sourly and ripped by book out of his hands.
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "What were you reading?" He asked as if he didn't already see the cover..
"Edgar Allan Poe."
"What story? I've only read the Tell-tale Heart. But it was for school so I don't think that counts. It was some freaky shit! Like the dude thought he'd get away with killing the guy but-"
"I know what happens." I interrupted, feeling bitter about my damaged book. "I was reading Eleanora."
He sat down next to me. "What's it about?"
"I don't think you'd understand it."
He leaned in closer to me. "Try me. Just use easier words."
"Fine." I sighed and gave my own "easy" explanation of the short story. "I don't know some dude," (I tried using his terminology..) "lives with his aunt and cousin in this secluded paradise or something and he like falls in love with his cousin or some shit and then she gets sick and promises he'll never love anyone else, but he does and then she comes back to life and like gives them 'her blessing?'" I said without even taking a breath.
He frowned. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. He says he'll never love anyone else but he goes off and marries some other girl? That's dumb."
"It's not dumb. Maybe if you could actually understand the words in the actual story you'd be able to appreciate great literature." I said with a sly smile.
He shook his head. "No. I still don't like it. If I was 'so in love with you, Katie' I'd never love someone else after."
I didn't say anything and we sort of sat there for a moment just thinking.
"You're so weird." I finally said.
~0~
June 22, 2012
The next day my dad didn't finish fixing the sink.
I didn't see Travis Stoll.
I ate some cereal.
I bought more strawberry hand sanitizer.
Woot woot livin' it up.
~0~
June 24, 2012
We'd officially been living in the new house for 11 days and since 11 was my dad's favorite number, my dad bought 11 cupcakes. I didn't know how we were going to eat eleven cupcakes, but buying eleven cupcakes was kind of cool.
I ate two cupcakes. My dad ate three. We now had six cupcakes.
"Slow down there, dad." I said as he picked up his fourth cupcake.
He took a bite and put it back down. "I only had 3 and a quarter so you're not allowed to yell at me for having four cupcakes." He said proudly.
"That's still a quarter too many." I said to him. He was getting older and I was starting to worry about his health you know? Heart attacks were common in our family and I didn't want anything to happen to him. He was all I had unless you count my mom. But I didn't even know what she was up to these days. I guess she was on some Mediterranean cruise with her new boyfriend?
"You know you don't have to worry about your old man, Kates. I'll be fine." I gave him a squeeze and headed outside to write.
As much as I loved reading I loved writing. As I sat outside with the summer breeze blowing lightly in my face, inspiration was at it's peak.
Sitting on the steps in front of my house was a dangerous tactic. Sitting outside made myself vulnerable to the neighbor. I wondered why I was out here anyways? No way could I, Katie Gardner, possibly want Travis Stoll to come over? That was completely out of the question.
I was mentally prepared for snarky comments when Travis came over.
I was definitely not prepared for when Travis came over with a goat on a leash.
"What the hell is that!" I jumped up and pointed and the furry creature. I clutched my notebook to my chest. Anyone who knew me at all, new I was deathly afraid of goats. I was ready to go into hypovolemic shock at any second.
"Keep that thing away from me!" I screeched and jumped up in down. I was almost about to cry.
Connor was also there and whispered to his older brother, "You should have told me she had a goat problem."
"That never ever came up in our few conversations." He replied. "What do we do? I she afraid of Georgia?" He asked Connor. He just shrugged and they watched me panic.
"Yes!" I cried out. "To answer your goddamn question, yes! I am seriously freaked out about this goat!"
If you're wondering why I have a pathetic fear of goats, I'm here to clarify that it was because of of traumatic childhood experience. I mean, I actually have a reason okay.
"But Georgia's not scary." Connor said in a voice only used to talk to animals or babies.
"GEORGIA IS MOST DEFINITELY SCARY."
Connor and Travis Stoll stared at me. Their blue eyes were wide as could be. was it really that shocking that I was afraid of their flipping pet goat!?
"Just get the goat away and nobody gets hurt!" I told them. I was completely serious. Connor pulled the goat away, looking more concerned for Georgia's safety over mine.
Travis brought the goat back forward. "I have a different approach." He offered. "How about you face your phobia instead of forever living in fear, afraid to go out into the world, afraid everyday that you might somehow come across a goat."
"Ok! I'm not that bad!" I replied defensively "And this is not an episode of Fear Factor, Travis!"
"You're that bad." Connor said, which did not help matters.
I wanted so badly for them to get off my property, but they clearly did not get the memo.
"so how about it, Katie?" He mused.
I drew a shaky breath. I'm going to die. I'm literally going to die. This goat is going to kill me.
"A goat once bit my ass."
Travis nodded and encouraged me to continue. "A goat once bit your ass, but you're going to pet the goat because-"
Connor finished for him, "Because you're a badass bitch who isn't afraid of anything." Not exactly how I would put it, but it was good enough for me.
I swore under my breath. How did I get into this anyways? I should have called 911 the minute they stepped on our property.
"Ok." I stepped closer to the devil with fur. "Ok, ok, ok, ok." I decided to do it and face my fear. "A goat once bit my ass, but I'm going to pet it because." I let out a shaky giggle, "because I'm a badass bitch who isn't afraid of anything." and I leaned in and touched the goat.
"Oh my God." I almost fell over.
"You did it!" Travis cheered and started laughing his butt off.
"I TOUCHED A GOAT!" I screamed it at the top of my lungs. I didn't care how weird and wrong it sounded.
"I TOUCHED A FLIPPING GOAT!"
~0~
Not even remotely close to being ashamed to admit that I really enjoyed writing this chapter.
Review because if Katie could face her biggest fear, you can take 2 seconds to write a short review, right?
Loooove,
~*DEDEBUG9*~
