Once upon a time in an enchanted fungi forest lived a funny little family...
There were two parents and two broomhilda daughters. 5 1/2 years apart, were born these two daughters... And boy, were they good at bickering. The older of the two pleaded with her parents as they drove by the hospital where the younger was born "Please can't we drop her off there, where you got her..." As the younger daughter learned to talk and understand, the older daughter filled her head with disconcerting thoughts... The older would tell the younger, "Don't get too cozy in this family, you were dropped off by Gypsies and we can send you back any time we want." The younger just listened wide-eyed and fearful. ( I know I was a meanie)
As the older of the daughters grew, she begged and pleaded with the younger sister to play dress up. The older loved to dress up and take photos. But the younger wanted no part of it. At times she would agree, with sufficient bribery payment. Other times the younger girl would simply hide way up high in a hidden nook in a linen closet. A space unreachable by anyone but herself.
The older thought she was in her own private fairytale life. The younger, quiet but mischievous, even though the adults did not notice...
One day when the girls were turning into young ladies, the oldest around 11 and the youngest around 6 or 7, the parents came home one evening and gathered them together for a "talk." The oldest, butterflies fluttering in her tummy, the youngest with her famous wide eyes, stared with questioning looks on their faces.
Their father, a wonderful father, stood beside them, while their mother, a wonderful, warm & chic lady, maker of heart shaped sandwiches, sat and slowly opened the palm of her hand. Showing the girls this funny little notice from the doctor's office, that basically stated "baby on the way." WHAT? A baby. Holey Moley! Is what the 11 year old thought. Mom was having a baby, how weird... The older daughter really thought she was thirty. She was mature for her age, she loved make-up and music... Falling in love was her favorite thing, and dreaming of being on a stage with throngs of screaming fans surrounding her while she played her piano(never happened but she still dreams). Funny enough, she does not know what the younger sister thought about a baby on the way. Maybe she should ring her up now and ask her? Anyhow, all I can say is that mom and dad were pretty much in shock, as this was an unplanned little bambini.
Needless to say, that summer was a wonderful summer for the older girl. It was 7th grade going into 8th grade summer. Tennis lessons, riding bikes with girlfriends into town, giddy for life. And, her mother was as big as a house. With her own set of issues.. So, the older daughter felt free. Noone really nagging her... Like I said, her mother had her own issues. You see, this big baby was sitting in the legs crossed fashion with his bottom to mommies belly button and his face towards mommies spine. His head sad right smack in the most uncomfortable place. It felt to this mom, that this baby's head was right smack in the middle of her chest all of the time. Oh, she howled about it. So uncomfortable. She wore the funniest dress that whole summer, her belly so outrageoulsy huge. It was a long white cotton dress with black polka dots.
This poor mom was given knews that she might need a c-section (not so huge back then) because the baby was breached. So she swam and swam every night, anything to change her fate. Until one day, close to the birth, while at the grocery store, she felt a pain so horrible, so inexplicable, she still cringes when telling the story. This big baby flipped into the perfect position, all on his own, in one fell swoop. The mother thought she might collapse, her body holding on to the shopping cart for dear life...
A couple weeks later, a boy child was born into the family. Little Adam. Joining his older sisters Vanessa and Kristen. Oh how they loved him. Vanessa, the older daughter, would kiss him until he would scream. She couldn't get enough of the heavenily new born baby scent. Oh how the girls loved him. One tragedy almost stole the boy child away. A fall in the swimming pool when he was about 1.5 years old. Social workers picked up the older girl, Vanessa, at school. Her parents were in awful shape at the hospital. He was air lifted to a bigger city. Almost losing the boy. A memory better forgotten. But he lived. And might I say, we believe he may have gone to heaven for a short while, as he came back even brighter and better than ever. And, the unusual things he said...
Oh the stories are never ending, so much laughing, and of course teenage angst, three kids, all with a bag full of stories... Which, of course we will save for later...
However, the point of my story today, is that this boy just turned 20 years old. And he is such a terribly interesting fellow. Intelligent and talented... I feel like I am getting to know him more and more all of the time.. Little doors unlocking here and there. I was in college during his formative years, and now I am learning how alike we are... Alike in the sense, that there is this little place that we both have inside of us, like most of you have... A little place that only we know, a little place we can go to where imagination and creativity flies around, swirling like fireflies...
This place I speak of, is a little place where I think we both have tapped into... He phoned me the other night, and in his deep voice and very straightforward chat, he said, "Hey, I have another song for you..." When I played it, I was beside myself. For a second I thought, "Oh MY GOODness!! He has been there, he visited that secret space in my imagination, deep in my mind..." And then I realized, perhaps the reason our places seem so alike, is that we are brother and sister... Perhaps also the reason I feel he totally gets me, in the artistic sense...
Quite possibly, this moment in time might very well be a girl, living happily ever after. After all, it is simply a matter of perception...
A Peculiar Day, by Vanessa Valencia...
Music, Composed for A Peculiar Day, by Adam Valencia...
I love it! Tugs on my heart strings!! Adam also composed a song for "Strange Beautiful Lady" in July. You can, visit that tune here... Thank you Adam!!
PS: YouTube is giving us some issues with the photo quality. That is why I have placed a photo of the painting above the YouTube link...
PSS: As for what happened to the bickering sisters... Well, I adore my sister Kristen & we get along just lovely ! She is interesting and funny and smart!!! Only I wish her memories of me torturing her would disappear into the wind ;)
