The Hidden Diary of Ophelia Ridley

7

8 June 1988

Dear Diary, 

I can't believe I agreed to this. I must be nutty. I feel sort of bad, like I'm leading Daniel on.

Let me explain. 

Mum and dad are letting me work at the ice cream shop. They really didn't want to let me but I convinced them that it'll be good for me...and I agreed to rethink David's proposal before next Autumn. Joke's on them, I won't be here.

Today was my first day and it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. The boss, Marvin, put Edith in charge of me because he's hardly ever around since he has other businesses to get to. Edith is nice and was very patient with me when she taught me how to use the milkshake maker- even telling an impatient man to "Piss off, ya knob-head!" when he complained about it taking so long. 

I never thought I would hear a ministers daughter call someone a knob-head. She's alright.

Plus, she closed for lunch 10 minutes early when she saw a group of 10 people advancing to the door and then pretended not to hear them. 

"Won't you get in trouble?" I asked, trying to follow her instructions about not looking at the door, even though they were knocking and pointing angrily at the hours of operation. 

"Why would I? Helping them would have cut into my half hour lunch break which I am legally supposed to have since I'm 17. Marvin wants to get funny about it, oh fucking well."

Edith is kind of abrasive but I like it about her. She's not afraid to say what she thinks. 

"I hate my fucking life." She said while eating her tuna sandwich. "My father is always talking about Jesus. My mom either yells or cries all the time, the bloody minger. I can't wait to leave this shite town." 

"You going to college, then?" I ask

"Don't be a twit, O." She laughed. "No school would ever take me. Nah, I'm gonna move to america with my band and be famous." 

I laughed at that, thinking she was joking. She wasn't.

"And what's so funny about that, little miss snob?" She asked angrily. "I play the guitar, I have a nose ring. It'll happen!"

"I'm not a snob!" I replied brazenly. Edith was starting to rub off on me. 

"Oh yeah? Prove it. Come to my band's show tonight. At the docks, 10 o clock." 

So that, diary, is why I am waiting in my loft for Daniel to come and pick me up. There's no way I would be allowed out of the house this late and I really do want to prove to Edith that I'm not a snob. 

Wish me luck,

-Ophelia ♡