When we started third grade, we were 9 years old and we got a new teacher. A man who was wearing far too much aftershave and gave me headaches every single day if he walked too close to me. I really did not like him and he was our teacher for 4 years, from grade three to grade six; ages 9 to 12.
This teacher of ours was also a super fan of gymnastics. He was some sort of a gymnastic hero and wanted to get some fire in us for this sport too... But it did not work. We had 8 or so girls in our class and I was the only one who was flexible enough to even do a split of any kind so he put his eyes on me. But oh my god I hated gymnastics, I was scared of jumps and bars and hanging. Terrified! I did not have strength on my arms to swing myself nor to climb a rope. He was terribly disappointed to say the least.
We got 2 new girls in our class one year and I remember they were sisters, the older one repeated the year for some reason and the other was... How to put it politely? Well there's no way to go around about it really. She was covered in moles. Dark brown moles in various sizes. And for that reason of course the boys bullied her. Bullied her so badly that the family had to put her into another school completely before we started highschool. Her sister stayed for two years and then vanished. We never heard where she went.
When I turned 9 our mum rented a house for us, it was a green wooden two level house on top of a hill hidden in the woods. It took me an hour to walk to school from there, but if you walked through the woods you could see the lake and the fields. And the camping area that had a public beach on it.
This house has many memories tied to it. Some more, some less significant but memories nevertheless.
Alcohol abuse. Mature movies.
First boyfriend. First Kiss.
Being scared to death.
Big feelings and memories here.
I can't even put them all in writing, some are just pictures in my head.
Do you have those?
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02/04/24
YOU ARE READING
The Life I Almost Lived
Non-Fiction"If you truly wish to be with me, know this..." He whispers into the darkness while holding me, "I will control you, command you and tell you what to do." I remember how my eyes burst wide open and I tried to pull free. I completely freaked out. Who...
