Prompt: Test IV, Free Write

Three minutes on each of these topics.

A memory of bread and butter:
When I was a kid, my mother and I would visit Charlie's Butcher Block after my doctor's appointments. (Charlie's was by the pediatrician's office, and we were never in the neighborhood when I wasn't sick). We would buy loaves of fresh crusty Italian bread. I often had strep throat or bronchitis when we went to the shop. The doctor's office had a "sick" entrance, to keep the ill from the infants in the waiting room, there to be vaccinated. Charlie's did not have a sick entrance so I always went in while we waited for the pharmacy to dispense the thick pink liquid antibiotic I was always prescribed. I once saw my pediatrician, Dr. Peterson, lunching at Charlie's after my appointment. He looked at me strangely, noted my cherry-red feverish face. He said nothing, but from then on I waited in the car on self-imposed quarantine, wheezing and hacking, while my mother purchased this most delicious bread.


A memory of drinking out of a bottle:
A group of 15 students, studying abroad in central Cuba. An ill-conceived game of spin the bottle. (My first game of the spin the bottle). I was 21, too old for a first game of the spin the bottle--I figured it was now or never. We spun an empty bottle of Havana Club Rum while passing a full bottle of rum around the circle. I had to kiss my best friend David--I could barely do it. I had to kiss my good friend Tim, who'd I known since 8th grade--I squealed uncharacteristically loud and gave him a peck on the cheek.


A hill you once knew:
I grew up on Valley View Drive in Elkhart, Indiana. Halfway through our subdivision Valley View Drive became Hilly Lane. The top of Hilly Lane marks the highest point in Elkhart County, one of the flatter counties in the midwest. I played both soccer and softball from grades 2-11. In high school we filled out a conditioning journal in summer. We were to do one 30 minute physical activity per day. Some days I roller skated. Some days I biked. But most days I ran--straight up Hilly Lane. By the top I could barely breathe, but I pressed on and completed the mile loop through the subdivision, stopping at our beige tri-level with scraggly bushes and a rusty basketball hoop. I was not a great athlete. I liked the exercise, had little to no competitive drive. I liked it when we lost away games. I didn't have to fake excitement; I could quietly do math homework or stare out the bus window. I played both softball and soccer in high school, mostly because it was a cool and prestigious thing to do. Also, for the outfits. On game days, we'd wear our uniforms to school. I loved dressing up in jerseys and knee length green soccer socks, letting everyone at school know that I was one of the chosen few, though really I spent most of my time on the bench. And that was ok. Playing was stressful, crouched in front of third base, not knowing if the batter would bunt or hit the ball straight at my head.


A moment in a library:
I'm in the public library at this very moment. My home computer is behaving strangely--freezing, requiring a restart every 10 minutes. I'm behind a large brown bookshelf, but I can hear a librarian yelling. She said, "Leave now if you can't be courteous!" I have no idea who she's talking to, but I think they are young. (And it's 2:00pm, aren't kids at school at 2:00pm?) Now she says, "Leave now. Come back and start over again tomorrow." I spent a lot of time at the library when I was young. My mom checked out mysteries--at least 4 every week, and the library had a large children's section. The young adult section was also part of the children's library, which I found extremely embarrassing when I became a "young adult." Though I'm certain I was embarrassed by most things from ages 7-oh, 28? (I'm 28 now). I remember taking summer classes at the library when I was a kid. I took a quilting class in first grade--I made a potholder. I took a friendship bracelet making class in third grade--I can still make a thick multi-colored friendship bracelet. Perhaps this will come in handy some day. Girl Scouts met in the school library. I was a Girl Scout for years, but mostly for the sleepovers and snacks. I used to sneak into our meetings after school because I knew it was geeky and didn't want to be outed as a Girl Scout. Our troop earned about three badges and were laughed out of Girl Scout Camp. I sold six boxes of cookies a year (to my parents).