Mexico Has Splinters

The Proposal

Come on girl! You've been couped up since graduation. It'll be a great time, they said. Bullshit. I hate it here and nobody speaks my language.

Let me go back to the beginning.

*****

A week earlier...

I placed the last bit of groceries on the counter. I had spent my morning battling my mother's grocery list. Do you know how hard it is to find pinto beans? It's like some healthy stuff but they are very hard to find. Imagine looking for a needle in a haystack. 

"Ma, I had to go to three different grocery stores just to find these beans. Then one of the stores was closed today so I had to drive to another city."

"You're point is?" My mother proudly responded. 

"Are you gonna reimburse me for the gas I spent on your list?" I questioned.

Belting out a hardy laugh, my mother quickly shouts "No."

Defeated, I quickly put the groceries away and retreated to my room.

———

High school went by briskly, I forgot how my first day of freshman year went. Then Senior year said bye and I had no clue what I wanted to do afterwards. Frantic was the day of graduation. With everyone trying to get into their gowns and hats, put the finishing touches on their makeup and fit into their too-tall heels; it was chaos. 

I was second in my class, and I made decent grades, but I wasnt exactly sure if I wanted to go to college. Niether of my parents went and they turned out fine. My mom is the retail supervisor of Bealls Outlet. My dad is the First Class Sergeant in the Army, and he's been in the army for most of my life. I think he joined after my mom had my twin brothers. He tells me that I should join because "You lack dicipline and need to straighen out your act." His words, not mine. 

As I lay down on my bed, I scrolled through my old photos on my iPhone. I came across the last photo of my pops and me before he went back overseas. He resembles my grandpa; broad shoulders, strong jawline, and soft brown eyes. I miss him. He's only been gone for four months but I miss him every day.

Every Tuesday, when he was still here, we would go to lunch at this Chinese restaurant in the mall Sesami's.  Then, we'd walk around looking for good deals in the mall, I miss our days. I miss those Tuesdays.

I got up out of my bed and grabbed my poem journal, ready for another entry.

I applaud you,

For what you went through.

For I could never dwell in your emotions to go through what you did,

to see what you saw, to feel what you felt,

I applaud you.

An example.

You are the example that young girls and boys look to,

the example that young boys will run to,

THE example that ALL boys NEED.

I applaud you.

For what you went through.

For I could never dwell in your emotions to go through what you did,

To see what you saw,

To feel what you felt.

I applaud you.

Cause you're here, cause you're not.

(This is an original by me)

-----

"We gone start this thing off right, Duval in the motherf**kin house come on.."

My phone rang.

It could only be one person, Morgen.

"Hey, Tove."

"Do I have an offer for you? What are you doing for winter break?"

Sigh. Morgen has been one of my best friends since middle school. We met in our sixth grade english class. She was sitting in the back of the class passing notes to get Arnold Peterson to go out with her. She needed the note passed to him via me. I was less confident in my middle school years but I thought she was okay and kind of  a romantic. Plus everyone wanted to date Arnold. Not me though, I was less interested in boys and more interested in fictional charaters. "Nothing, other than spending it with family." I responded. 

"Well, that's not happening anymore. We're going to Mexico!"

"What. Why?" I questioned. 

"Because Chica we need this, and plus you never go out at all."

That is not true. I have gone out before with Morgen and it was not fun.

One drink. That's all it took, for me to get white girl Becky drunk. And that's not what behooved me, what behooved me was the fact that Morgen handed me the drink!
After that night I said I would never again go out with my best friend, and I haven't after 6 months.

"Please Pooh I need this and I know your Pops is stationed nearby."

One thing about Morgen is she knew how to get what she wanted. That's why she already has an apartment and a car. Yet she's only seventeen about to be 18 in a few weeks. Plus Morgen is the only girl among her parents. She has two older brothers who are both in the navy.

"Fine let me ease into it with Ma and see what she says."

She knew how to get her way, and I needed some of that energy.

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