A Splash Of White, A Yellow-Ochre Wash

Years Ago

January 2002 

A horn from outside of the front door got mummy rushing us to put on our new ballet flats, home made scarves from our granny who we call ‘Oma’, coats and hats.

“Auf wiedersehen!” Mummy called from the front porch as Carla and I jogged to the mini white and blue school bus waiting for us.

I hopped on the bus first and greeted our bus driver with a big smile.

“Good morning!”

He smiled back pleasantly at me.

“Mornin’ Ceres, nervous for your new year?” He asked me in his nice little accent I call a cowboy accent.

I shook my head hard and replied cheerfully “I’ve got my friends, that’s all I need”

It was 8:45 AM that meant I had to get to my new classroom now and meet my new teacher. I was so relieved when I found out I’d be in next year’s classes with Isobel, Marianne, Elle and Kimberly. They are my best friends ever and they’re totally cool and they’re Barbie doll-like. Just that Kimmy would be a Barbie doll with chocolate skin, I remember envying that so much last year.

I burst into the room at the end of the second floor’s corridor and spotted Isobel right away at the other corner of the room. She didn’t see me though; she was doing something with her bag so I made my way over slowly saying hello to all my other classmates.

“Hi Ceres!” “Hello!” “Ceres, Hey!”

I responded to every one of them just as cheerfully as they had, although all I wanted to do was get to Izzy, she was my best friend after all and I think everyone was secretly a little jealous that I was Izzy’s best ever friend.

I tapped Isobel’s shoulder and she turned around, her red mermaid-like hair flicking as her head goes. It was a lot straighter than it was last year, I wonder how that had happened.

“Hi Izzy!” I exclaimed.

She gave me a little smile and stood up, pulling her white dress at the hems.

“Ceres, stop calling me Izzy, call me Isobel only”

I tilted my head to the side, a little confused. Wasn’t she going to say hi back?

“Oh okay, but why?”

“Because it sounds so lame!” She explained with a big hand gesture

Now I was even more confused “What’s lame?”

She sighed and started tapping the floor with her right foot, making noises on the ground. Was she wearing heels?

“Lame means stupid dummy! I can’t believe you don’t know that.”

At this point, something started turning inside of me, I always got that when something not too good would happen, mummy once told me it was called instincts. They’re annoying.

“Sorry?” I mumbled hesitantly, playing with my fingers.

“Stop saying sorry for everything you dummy!” 

“Why are you calling me dummy? And why are you shoes making so much noise?” I blurted out before I could help it.

“Don’t be so weird Ceres, I’m wearing heels duh!” Her voice was so mean.

I didn’t want to ask what duh meant because I was too scared to be called a dummy again or worse ‘lame’.

“But… Why are you wearing heels? Only the mummies wear heels”