Odette Parker: My True Self

Chapter 1: Routine

Timeline: 3 months after the Battle of New York aka "the incident"

"Another day, another dollar."
"Smile, it makes your day easier!"
"Never let what you can't control, control you."
"If life gives you lemons, make lemonade."
"If life were easy it would be boring."
"Get up, get dressed, kick ass, and take no shit."

Finishing up my daily morning work out, I always read the motivational and or inspiring quotes painted on my bedroom wall. It is my routine. I never stray from my routine if I can help it. My routine keeps me balanced, focused, in control. You would think not being able to remember the first 10 years of my life would make my anxiety better not worse, but that it not the case. I need my routine to stave off the anxiety. Not knowing haunts my dreams with phantom memories of boogeymen.

My first real memory was walking down the rural road from a forest with a headache and blood in my hair. A gentleman pulled up to me and asked if she was OK. Being unable to answer he took me to a hospital. His name was Bill and he saved my life.

After a week in the hospital and no one to claim me since the woman- who everyone assumed was my mother-in the car was dead; Foster care was my next stop. Janet took me to foster care after spending some time with her alone,. Everyone was hoping my amnesia would subside, but it didn't. We spent Christmas together, she bought me my very own copy of 'The Swan Princess' and 'The Little Mermaid'. Janet then let me name myself Odette and had it legally changed to Odette Doe before I was moved into a group home. After five months in the home, I was adopted by my parents Ben and May on my 10th birthday. Best birthday gift ever am I right?? How do I know my birthday you ask? Well my "birth mother" left a note in my pocket with the date 2/15/1994 and the Russian word for girl written on it.

Back to reality Odette, no time for memory lane, ROUTINE! Shaking my head and walking into the bathroom to shower, I start my 'get ready' routine for my shift at "The Diner". Literally that's the name of my place of employment. Dennis, the owner and my current boyfriend, thought it was catchy and cool to name the diner "The Diner". I think it's lame, but I have never told him that. :)

Finishing up the shower took less than 10 minutes because today wasn't a shaving day. Shaving days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday - I cant stray from routine. Walking back to my bedroom from the bathroom, not paying attention, my younger cousin Peter runs right into me. The collision caused Peter to drop his ancient game boy and fall back on his butt.

 "OWW!! Giant, geezz. That hurt"

"How do you think my elbow feels munchkin? You know, we've talked about you playing that game and walking - you can't multi-task to save your life."

"What can I say? I was practicing?"

 *Yelling from the kitchen*: "Peter, Odette, breakfast - the game stays in your room during meal times - put it back."

 "I was attempting to improve my coordination and peripheral vision Aunt May. Don't you want me to walk down the sidewalk and see everything when I'm older?"

 "He's got a point mom - you need eyes in the back of your head in New York. *whispering to Peter* "You reading the dictionary in your spare time again kid? What do you know about peripheral vision?"

 "My science teacher was testing out our vision in class yesterday. I wanted to see if I could expand my peripheral vision, train myself to see more while doing other things."

"Hmm. Well I think you should save those experiments for after school munchkin, and not 7:00AM. Go eat breakfast I'll be down in a bit to walk you to school at 7:25"

"I know what time we leave Odette, it never changes"

"Routine is everything!"

Peter shakes his head and runs into the dining room to eat the breakfast Mom made. I head into my bedroom. My curly red hair becoming increasingly more difficult to style the longer it dries, causes  to me settle for a classic braid today, and not a french braid. I put on a black cotton polo that had "The Diner" embroidered on the left breast in bright yellow (eww) and my black dickie pants. My non slip shoes were out by the front door. Today's make up routine consisted of Foundation, mascara, eye liner with a small cat eye on the upper lid, blush and my favorite nude brown lip gloss. I always thought the small cat eye helped accentuate my already bright green eyes more - usually always got me more tips when I do it too. Completing my routine by reading my favorite quote before exiting the room 'A Life Without Suffering Means Happiness Is Taken For Granted'. I shut my door and make my way into the kitchen.