Source
We rounded the corner at Elgina and Southmark. Red and black bandanas covered our noses. Looking up, a blast of cold air penetrated the scarves and stung our cheeks. We shuddered, huddled closer, then quickened our pace. The left sleeve of the coat exposed one arm. The right sleeve had no problem protecting the other. We laughed, imagining we were just regular children walking to school on a normal school day.
We quickened our pace. Glancing backward, we confirmed no one was in close range. We needed to arrive at school early, less one of our classmates spotted us.
It was Monday.
The front door to the school was already open. We quickly pulled off the coat, adjusted our clothing, then placed the coat on properly. This time it fit loosely on one body. But that didn't matter. Our secret survived another week undetected.
Smiling, we looked wickedly at each other, grabbed hands, and headed toward the cafeteria.
We felt blessed that our guardians were able to qualify for assistance. That meant we could arrive early and receive a hearty breakfast to start our day. Not only that, we could choose lunch and a snack later in the day if we had none.
We both had nourishing meals each day the day. At least twice a week, one of us would save our items for after school meals. Our dented, second-hand lunch kits handed down from our older family members served us well.
We celebrated the fact that we were in different grade levels. That way, no one would notice our clothing. We were certain we invented "mix and match" before the term became popular as adults.
To accomplish this, careful planning had to be worked out to ensure at least one day passed before wearing each other's clothes. We were adamant about keeping away from dresses. The stipends our family received for all the children at least afforded each a decent pair of black-and-white Oxford shoes.
By Friday evening, if all went well, we would breathe a sign of relief and relax.
The Weekend. A glorious time. We were among neighborhood friends and in the same social economic predicament. Concentrating on being kids and having fun were our primary goals.
But come to think of it, other problems also required careful planning and execution.
How to have a decent amount of playtime with only one pair of skates, one set of marbles and jacks, and one bicycle occupied our world. Again, my ingenuity surfaced. As with the coat, we'd buckle ourselves into one skate. I felt more comfortable in the left one; she, the right. Off we'd go, holding each other up while pushing off with the other leg. If given the chance to skate solo, time limits were strictly enforced.
We would share one milkshake. I liked strawberry, she liked chocolate. The concoction looked strange, but tasted good. My love of chocolate was born out of this combination.
Thank God we found two Coke bottles and make ourselves fake Barbie dolls with straw as hair. If you've never heard of this, you need a wooden cork to place inside the top of the bottle to hold the straw in place. Crayons were used to design the bottle's face.
We were Lydia and Charlotte. I was the oldest. My sister, Charlotte was a year younger. In elementary school, my sister graciously gave me free reign to decide our childhood. She was so obliging back then.
I loved my sister dearly. But the hardest thing I'd ever done was tolerate with grace her bed wetting. Since we slept together, I had to rise extra early, wipe myself off, wash my clothes to remove the urine smell, then attempt to dry them. A routine I came to place in a category of "no other choice".
You ask "well, where were your parents?" They both were deceased. We resided with relatives who primarily were overwhelmed with so many to care for and remained in the background. We were fortunate they agreed to take us in. To them, we will be forever grateful we didn't have to be separated or go into state care.
Since I was older, I decided, and she agreed, that we would make a game of it. Sharing, I mean.
Sharing was the solution and would solve our extended family's lack of resources. In reality, we had no other choice. Either share or, at the flip of a coin, someone would be left out.
That was our childhood. It wasn't easy the majority of the time, but we survived.
We talked as adults and realized that not only did the experience give us a sense of gratitude and closeness, but also it gave us a sense of the world around us where poverty was entrenched in the lives of so many.
This attitude of gratitude I believe is what drove us to share, no matter how small, as much as we could to those less fortunate. We imagined other sisters and brothers living the life we endured.
We thanked God we were able to make it out.
El arte de compartir
Doblamos la esquina en Elgina y Southmark. Unos pañuelos rojos y negros nos cubrían la nariz. Al levantar la vista, una ráfaga de aire frío penetró en las bufandas y nos picó en las mejillas. Nos estremecimos, nos acurrucamos más y aceleramos el paso. La manga izquierda del abrigo dejaba al descubierto un brazo. La manga derecha no tenía problemas para proteger el otro. Nos reímos, imaginando que éramos niños normales que iban al colegio en un día normal de colegio.
Aceleramos el paso. Mirando hacia atrás, confirmamos que no había nadie cerca. Teníamos que llegar pronto al colegio, no fuera a ser que alguno de nuestros compañeros nos descubriera.
Era lunes.
La puerta principal del colegio ya estaba abierta. Rápidamente nos quitamos el abrigo, nos ajustamos la ropa y nos lo pusimos bien. Esta vez se ajustaba holgadamente a un cuerpo. Pero eso no importaba. Nuestro secreto sobrevivió una semana más sin ser detectado.
Sonriendo, nos miramos perversamente, nos cogimos de la mano y nos dirigimos hacia la cafetería.
Nos sentimos bendecidos de que nuestros tutores tuvieran derecho a asistencia. Eso significaba que podíamos llegar temprano y recibir un buen desayuno para empezar el día. No sólo eso, podíamos elegir el almuerzo y un tentempié más tarde si no teníamos ninguno.
Ambos teníamos comidas nutritivas todos los días. Al menos dos veces a la semana, uno de nosotros guardaba nuestros artículos para las comidas de después del colegio. Nuestras fiambreras abolladas y de segunda mano, heredadas de nuestros familiares mayores, nos servían bien.
Celebrábamos el hecho de estar en cursos diferentes. Así, nadie se fijaba en nuestra ropa. Estábamos seguros de haber inventado el "mix and match" antes de que el término se popularizara entre los adultos.
Para lograrlo, hubo que planificar cuidadosamente que pasara al menos un día antes de que cada uno se pusiera la ropa del otro. No queríamos llevar vestidos. Con los estipendios que nuestra familia recibía para todos los niños, al menos podíamos permitirnos un par de zapatos Oxford blancos y negros.
El viernes por la noche, si todo iba bien, respirábamos aliviados y nos relajábamos.
El fin de semana. Una época gloriosa. Estábamos entre amigos del barrio y en el mismo aprieto socioeconómico. Concentrarnos en ser niños y divertirnos eran nuestros principales objetivos.
Pero ahora que lo pienso, otros problemas también requerían una cuidadosa planificación y ejecución.
Cómo tener una cantidad decente de tiempo de juego con sólo un par de patines, un juego de canicas y gatos, y una bicicleta ocupaba nuestro mundo. Una vez más, afloró mi ingenio. Como con el abrigo, nos abrochábamos un patín. Yo me sentía más cómodo en el izquierdo; ella, en el derecho. Empezábamos a patinar sosteniéndonos el uno al otro mientras nos impulsábamos con la otra pierna. Si nos daban la oportunidad de patinar solos, los límites de tiempo se cumplían a rajatabla.
Compartíamos un batido. A mí me gustaba el de fresa y a ella el de chocolate. La mezcla tenía un aspecto extraño, pero sabía bien. De esta combinación nació mi amor por el chocolate.
Gracias a Dios encontramos dos botellas de Coca-Cola y nos hicimos muñecas Barbie falsas con paja como pelo. Si nunca has oído hablar de esto, necesitas un corcho de madera para colocarlo dentro de la parte superior de la botella y mantener la pajita en su sitio. Se utilizaron lápices de colores para diseñar la cara de la botella.
Éramos Lydia y Charlotte. Yo era la mayor. Mi hermana Charlotte era un año menor. En la escuela primaria, mi hermana amablemente me dio rienda suelta para decidir nuestra infancia. Era tan servicial entonces.
Quería mucho a mi hermana. Pero lo más difícil que hice fue tolerar con gracia que se orinara en la cama. Como dormíamos juntas, tenía que levantarme muy temprano, limpiarme, lavar la ropa para quitar el olor a orina y luego intentar secarla. Una rutina que llegué a situar en la categoría de "no había otra opción".
Preguntas "bueno, ¿dónde estaban tus padres?". Ambos habían fallecido. Vivíamos con unos parientes que, sobre todo, estaban abrumados por la cantidad de personas que tenían que cuidar y se mantuvieron en un segundo plano. Tuvimos suerte de que aceptaran acogernos. A ellos les estaremos siempre agradecidos por no haber tenido que separarnos o pasar a la tutela del Estado.
Como yo era mayor, decidí, y ella estuvo de acuerdo, que haríamos de ello un juego. Es decir, compartir.
Compartir era la solución y resolvería la falta de recursos de nuestra familia ampliada. En realidad, no teníamos otra opción. O compartíamos o, a cara o cruz, alguien se quedaría fuera.
Así fue nuestra infancia. No fue fácil la mayor parte del tiempo, pero sobrevivimos.
Hablamos como adultos y nos dimos cuenta de que la experiencia no sólo nos dio un sentimiento de gratitud y cercanía, sino que también nos dio una idea del mundo que nos rodeaba, donde la pobreza estaba arraigada en la vida de tantas personas.
Esta actitud de gratitud creo que fue lo que nos impulsó a compartir, por pequeño que fuera, todo lo que pudiéramos con los menos afortunados. Imaginábamos a otros hermanos y hermanas viviendo la vida que nosotros soportábamos.
Dábamos gracias a Dios por haber podido salir adelante.
Source
This is my freewrite story for the prompt: "a blast of cold air" presented in this week's Weekend Freewrite.
My story is based on:
Mi historia se basa en:
Single Prompt Option - The Weekend Freewrite - 4/22/2023
SOURCES:
a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins.
b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera
c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use
d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins.
e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines
f) Thumbnail Image created by me in Canva.
g) "Flames." What is Apophysis 2.09. https://flam3.com/
If translation included, I use DeepL to assist my readers.
Thanks for your patience an understanding.
o
That was amazing ... it explains many wonderful things about you ... you took what life gave you, turned it over to the Lord, and became a blessing ...
Thank you for the kind compliment. I'm pleased you liked my story. Yes, it's amazing the survival skills we don't know we possess. What is truly amazing is that, if you're lucky to come through it, you look back with an attitude of "no excused". If I can do it, then others can also. It just takes a certain mindset. Going forward, you have a new weapon in your arsenal treading through life.
Thanks for your visit and support. Take care.
!ALIVE
@deeanndmathews! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @justclickindiva. (2/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. Your childhood experiences may not have been easy, but the fact that you and your sister found ways to share and make the best of what you had is truly inspiring. It takes a lot of strength and resilience to face the challenges that you did, and I commend you for your courage.
It's also heartwarming to hear that your experiences have shaped your perspective and led you to have a sense of gratitude and a desire to help others. Your attitude of giving and sharing is a true testament to your character.
Remember that you are a survivor and a fighter, and your story can inspire others who may be going through similar situations. Keep sharing and keep shining your light in this world.
Hello @old-man-chu58. Thank you so much for your lovely words and kind compliment. I appreciate it. Yes, hardships can shape or break a person. I believe it's the mindset one has. Often a person doesn't realize their inner strength until put to the test.
I do believe when one endures an episode, it changes the way of thinking. It makes on more empathetic. I've always been able to put myself in others' dire predicaments because I understand.
I appreciate your engagement and support.
Take care and have a good start to your week.
!ALIVE
@old-man-chu58! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @justclickindiva. (3/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
