She stood on her tippy toes and grasped onto the windowsill with the chipping lead paint.
“Eric, you insisted on moving into your mothers old home, you need remove these lead paint window sills!” She heard her mother holler from the kitchen. The little girl brushed off the paint chips from her hands quickly and ran to the kitchen. Rebecca hauled the seemingly 100 pound stool over to the window, eager to see out of it.
Her dad comes up behind her and picks her up to his shoulders. “One day you’ll grow up, and being the smart little girl you are, you'll probably be looking out a grand castle window. One with majestic horses and a ginormous pool!” She giggles as a response.
******************
The car door slammed and 7 year old rebecca ran from the tv to greet her parents.
“Try to get it inside before she notices.” Her mom failed to whisper to Eric.
“What!?” Rebecca remarked as she jumped up and down in excitement. Her dad pulled a small cardboard box out of the car and quickly went inside with it. The box justled on the kitchen counter. Suddenly a kitten jumped out and leaped into Rebecca's lap! She squealed with excitement while the cat peacefully purred.
When the kitten had got bored with Rebecca it hopped up on the freshly (but not wet) painted windowsill. “She will love watching out the window!” Rebecca said, and quickly assembled a cushion on the windowsill for the cat.
*****************
On Rebeccas 14th birthday she heard a soft knock on the window late at night.
“Jaiden?! What are you doing here at this hour?” She softly yelled, not wanting to wake anyone. Jaiden was a boy in her class, who was very charming if she does say so herself, but he does have quite the peculiar obsession with her.
“I have written a poem for you, my love.” Jaden announced.
“My love?? Im 14.” Rebecca thought to herself.
“The sparkle in your eyes always tugs at my heart when I walk past you in the hall. I am too shy to speak to you but you deserve much farther than my words….” Oh boy. Jaden confidently continued on his cringe rant as Rebecca masked the embarrassment with flustered cheeks and a smile.
*****************
“Please turn your cameras on or you will not be marked as present.” Rebecca has given up on looking good for zooms a while ago. Her eyes followed a rain droplet that swerved and dodged all the other raindrops, racing down the window. Health freak parents plus a pandemic, is a very tedious life. Zoom. Work. Scroll. Sleep. It seems like a never ending cycle. She cant even see her friends! While scrolling through instagram she finds pictures of her friends hanging out, captioned with sarcastic comments about “definitely wearing a mask when together.” As much as Rebbeca longs to socialize with them, she knows keeping herself and others around her safe is more important.
“At least I have you Moe.” She murmured while petting his head, wondering how oblivious his little cat brain is. She laughed at him when he rolles off the side of the windowsill, but of course Moe lands on all fours.
*****************
“Stop crying you baby! It's not like I'm leaving you forever!” Rebecca tries to console her mom.
“I know, but you're not my little girl anymore. Look at you, leaving for college so soon!” Her mom whimpers and puts her arm around Rebecca. She triple checks Rebecca has everything she needs and wishes her last goodbye. Before she can leave though, she walks around to the front of the house. The window stands on the second level directly in the middle of the house. Its green shutters creak from the warm august winds. She spots Moe, who rarely moves from the windowsill due to his age. She watched so much from that window. She watched the seasons go by and she has watched neighbors move in and out. She's witnessed the empty streets during the pandemic and the stray cats roam the foggy road at night. There's even a small chip where a friend threw a rock too hard at the window when trying to get her attention.
Now, the window watches her leave, as she slowly disappears down the road.
“Eric, you insisted on moving into your mothers old home, you need remove these lead paint window sills!” She heard her mother holler from the kitchen. The little girl brushed off the paint chips from her hands quickly and ran to the kitchen. Rebecca hauled the seemingly 100 pound stool over to the window, eager to see out of it.
Her dad comes up behind her and picks her up to his shoulders. “One day you’ll grow up, and being the smart little girl you are, you'll probably be looking out a grand castle window. One with majestic horses and a ginormous pool!” She giggles as a response.
******************
The car door slammed and 7 year old rebecca ran from the tv to greet her parents.
“Try to get it inside before she notices.” Her mom failed to whisper to Eric.
“What!?” Rebecca remarked as she jumped up and down in excitement. Her dad pulled a small cardboard box out of the car and quickly went inside with it. The box justled on the kitchen counter. Suddenly a kitten jumped out and leaped into Rebecca's lap! She squealed with excitement while the cat peacefully purred.
When the kitten had got bored with Rebecca it hopped up on the freshly (but not wet) painted windowsill. “She will love watching out the window!” Rebecca said, and quickly assembled a cushion on the windowsill for the cat.
*****************
On Rebeccas 14th birthday she heard a soft knock on the window late at night.
“Jaiden?! What are you doing here at this hour?” She softly yelled, not wanting to wake anyone. Jaiden was a boy in her class, who was very charming if she does say so herself, but he does have quite the peculiar obsession with her.
“I have written a poem for you, my love.” Jaden announced.
“My love?? Im 14.” Rebecca thought to herself.
“The sparkle in your eyes always tugs at my heart when I walk past you in the hall. I am too shy to speak to you but you deserve much farther than my words….” Oh boy. Jaden confidently continued on his cringe rant as Rebecca masked the embarrassment with flustered cheeks and a smile.
*****************
“Please turn your cameras on or you will not be marked as present.” Rebecca has given up on looking good for zooms a while ago. Her eyes followed a rain droplet that swerved and dodged all the other raindrops, racing down the window. Health freak parents plus a pandemic, is a very tedious life. Zoom. Work. Scroll. Sleep. It seems like a never ending cycle. She cant even see her friends! While scrolling through instagram she finds pictures of her friends hanging out, captioned with sarcastic comments about “definitely wearing a mask when together.” As much as Rebbeca longs to socialize with them, she knows keeping herself and others around her safe is more important.
“At least I have you Moe.” She murmured while petting his head, wondering how oblivious his little cat brain is. She laughed at him when he rolles off the side of the windowsill, but of course Moe lands on all fours.
*****************
“Stop crying you baby! It's not like I'm leaving you forever!” Rebecca tries to console her mom.
“I know, but you're not my little girl anymore. Look at you, leaving for college so soon!” Her mom whimpers and puts her arm around Rebecca. She triple checks Rebecca has everything she needs and wishes her last goodbye. Before she can leave though, she walks around to the front of the house. The window stands on the second level directly in the middle of the house. Its green shutters creak from the warm august winds. She spots Moe, who rarely moves from the windowsill due to his age. She watched so much from that window. She watched the seasons go by and she has watched neighbors move in and out. She's witnessed the empty streets during the pandemic and the stray cats roam the foggy road at night. There's even a small chip where a friend threw a rock too hard at the window when trying to get her attention.
Now, the window watches her leave, as she slowly disappears down the road.
Comments
Log in or register to post comments.