One moment he was listening to her talk about her family the next minute, he was under attack. She laughed as she splashed water at him. He moved towards her and she backed away. Simultaneously, they knew the battle had started and she began to swim away as he lunged for her. It didn�t take long for him to catch her. He held onto her shoulders,
�You better hold your breath and prepare to go under.�
�What? All I did was splash a little water in your direction. You're being a little extreme aren�t you?�
�No, not at all.�
She screamed, �Ok, wait, wait. My hair, don�t get my hair wet.� She whined, �Do you know how long it would take to do my hair?�
In fact, he did know. Hair had always been a cause for serious stress for his sister over the years. However, that didn�t stop him from being a bit evil. He pushed her under and moved away quickly before she had time to resurface.
She re-emerged and wiped her face, running her hands up over her face and over her hair.
�I can not believe you did that. You have a black sister. You KNOW better.�
He nodded, �Yeah, she would be really mad at me for doing that to you.�
She rolled her eyes, �Alright truce. No more, right?�
For a split second, he wondered if she was mad at him but when he saw her smile at him, he was relieved.
�Alright, truce.�
He looked at her and became serious for a moment. His family, particularly his father, meant so much to him.
�Can I ask you a question?�
�Sure.�
�Was it hard for you and your brother after your father died?�
He regretted asking her. The bright look on her face diminished quickly.
�He was my father. I was eight when he died. I was almost twelve when my mother remarried Gary, my step dad. Those four years my mother and I were alone we were the closest ever. We really bonded and took care of each other. But after she married Gary I felt like she didn�t need or want me anymore. I mean I knew that wasn�t the case but being a kid you always distort things in your head.�
She climbed out of the pool and sat on the edge, �Soon after they were married they had Lance. Even though there is a twelve year difference between us we�re so close.�
�How old is Lance again?�
�Lance is fourteen.� She smiled at him, �So that makes me 26.�
He never would have guessed she was 26.
�How old did you think I was?�
She was good, he thought. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
�23, maybe 24 at the most.� He walked towards her side of the pool, �What made you decide to go back to college?�
�Actually, its what made me decide to go to college period. After high school I just worked and had fun. I didn�t particularly think about my future. Besides, I think in the back of my mind, since my mom is a local TV celebrity, I figured I could always do that.� She smiled at him, �Nepotism has its advantages.�
A gust of wind blew through and she hugged herself. She looked around and walked towards the table.
�Anyway, I moved out of my mom�s house and had some roommates. That didn�t work out and I decided I needed a change. I moved into the house my grandmother left me. Being in her house just brought back so many memories and I woke up one day and said I wanted to make her proud. So,� she wrapped a towel around her and sat back on the edge of the pool, �I went to a community college for two years and then transferred to Rollins.�
�How much longer do you have?� He jumped out of the pool and joined her.
�A year and a half. This past semester was my first at Rollins. I�m a junior.�
�Do you know what you want to do after?�
�Not really and since I am a junior that�s a problem. If I�m going to grad school I need to take the tests this summer.�
�You should give yourself a timetable.�
She looked at him and seemed to accept his advice.
�Say by the end of February.�
She nodded, �You�re right. The problem is I just keep pushing my deadline back.�
�What do you like to do?�
�I�ve thought about journalism. I�m not sure; the media is so corrupt.�
�What's your dream?�
�I want to help people. The poor, downtrodden, the ones who the rich and powerful think they can get over on. Every time I see some pompous fat cat politician or CEO, it makes me want to scream. They just get away with it and they know they can.�
She sighed and shook her head, �This is Jamaica. I don�t want to get deep and philosophical. What's your dream?�
�To play for the Yankees and help kids.�
She laughed, �So basically you�re living your dream. What�s missing?�
He thought about it but it didn�t take long. Lately, he felt something was missing and he knew what it was. The only thing is that he�d never said it aloud and especially not to anyone else.
�I just want someone to go home to at night. I share my dreams with my parents and my sister but that�s not the same.�
He looked over at her and laughed, �Like you said, this is Jamaica; not allowed to get deep.�
022 | No Ordinary Girl