This is the life…(Part 3) July 4, 2009

The sound of fire engines, ambulances and police cars wailing is not a comforting one. Marlyn opened her eyes, and was confused. The last thing she remembered was the hurricane announcement, and getting pulled by Amber all the way to the underground gym. Wait a minute- had they made it to the gym? How far did they get? She started to take in the scene around her; the busy policemen asking students some questions, firemen running into the building, and paramedics wrapping several students in bandages.Marlyn’s breath caught in her throat and it all came back to her. It was like that feeling you get when you are standing infront of a fan, and the wind is rushing into your face and all you can think about is how much your eyes are watering and that your hair is getting messed up and when you finally pull yourself away from the immense fun that was standing infront of a fan, you can still hear the wind rushing past your ears, blocking out all other sounds.
“Excuse me…miss? Excuse me?” Marlyn wipped her head around to face a young looking man holding a notepad and a pencil. An older looking policeman came up to the boy and said,
“It’s ok,Robert,ask her your questions,” and then to Marlyn, “this is Robert,our top student in the police academy. As part of his training, he has to ask you some questions. Is that ok?” Marlyn nodded, feeling a bit confused.Robert cleared his throat,
“Um…what was the last thing you remember about the hurricane?”
Marlyn stared at him. For a moment, she couldn’t undertand what he was asking her.
“I was in…in the school caf, and I heard the announcement about…about the hurricane, and… Me and my best friend Amber…AMBER! What happened to her?! Tell me! Tell me now!
Robert backed away from the screaming girl as if she was crazy.
“Miss,please calm down! Your friend can’t be helped now. There is nothing you can do. I’m so sorry.”

Thursday 13- week 25 June 25, 2009

This is my first Thursday 13, and I’m really excited! This week I’m listing 13 movies that have inspired me and/or taught me a valuable lesson.

1.  My cousin Vinny (1992). This movie was shown to me by my parents. I was skeptical at first, because this was a movie I thought I wouldn’t like. Just the sound of it made me roll my eyes. My father’s taste in movies is not exactly what you expect a young woman to be interested in. I am really glad now that I was forced to watch this. After 120 of laughter, plot twists and interesting characters, I realized what it meant to be a friend, a promise keeper, a family member. You have to be there for others; when the going gets tough, you have to pull through. Just because things aren’t working out, dosent mean you shouldn’t try again, and again, and again. Vinny couldn’t help his friends, family and clients, he just couldn’t do it. Then, he realized the valuable lesson he thought me, that you have to go on, otherwise, how are you going to get up in the morning?

2. Slumdog Millionaire (2008). One dark, stormy night, my family decided to go see a movie. Seeing as my mother had lived in India when she was a little girl, she wanted to go see Slumdog Millionaire. Seeing this Oscar winning film, was a decision i did not regret. I was there in the slums of India, on the set of the Indian ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ and I was following the characters through their life story. The tears that dripped down off of me face, the moments i forgot to breathe in suspense and the love i had for the happy ending, were all signs of how fantastic this movie really was! This amazing movie opened my eyes at how horrific the slums of India really were. I had never before seen in my life something more horrible, and i guess now i know not to sugar coat life, because it really isn’t what it seems.

3. Billy Elliot (2000). This is a thrilling story of a boy (Billy) who is living in fear of being seen as a ‘poof’ because he takes ballet lessons. When his father finally comes around to the idea that ballet can actually be a boy’s passion, he takes young Billy to an audition at the Royal Ballet School in London. Billy get accepted and leaves home to attend the school. As a fellow dancer, I understood how Billy felt when he was dancing, like he was free. The language was strong, the messages harsh, but the movie was filled with a love you had to dig deep to find. The message was filled with bitter resentment from his family and the harsh community, but if you looked hard enough, what you took away from the movie was a wonderful feeling of achieving dreams, of flying high, and knowing you can do what ever you want to do.

4. Flash of Genius (2008). I saw this movie at the cinema with my parents one day we werent doing anything at all. This true story was excellently portrayed by genius actors who made it seem so real. I was absorbed in the story so much, by the time the 119 minutes were over, i was shocked, for i had only thought ten minutes had gone by! It was so interesting to see what really happened in real life. Usually, I’m not a car fan, but the true story of Robert Kearns, was fascinating as i watched his horrible journey of divorcing his wife, becoming estranged to his children, all because he wanted to win his court case. In the end, his victory didn’t seem sweet, so much as bitter-sweet, because he had lost everything just to win, to get the $18.7 million. Even though, he wasn’t really happy at the end of the movie, i understood the importance of being truthful, and sticking to a story, because one day, when the truth really matters, it will come in handy, and you will win.

5. Apollo 13 (1995). This is a scary, sad, happy, tear-jerking story all in one. I saw this when i was on a plane, flying overseas, on a 7 hour flight (Not the best time to watch a movie about a space shuttle having problems, if you know what i mean!). I loved every second, and even though u wouldn’t admit to my brother of my father i really liked this movie, i couldn’t tear myself away from it, not even to watch my favorite TV show of all time- friends. This, I must say, is one of the best movies i have ever seen. I loved every second, as you can see, because i am repeating myself a lot! I realized something that night, that however old you are, where ever you live, whatever age, sex, religion, race, we all come together when a tragedy has happened. We all help each other get through the tough and sad times, and that is a comforting thought.

6. Hairspray (2007). This feel-good movie is filled with amazing songs, fun dancing, and talented actors/ actresses. Seeing as i love Broadway, i fell in love with this movie the minute i heard it was coming out! Someday i hope to see it on stage (fingers crossed!). The story is about Tracy Turnblad, a large girl who has a passion for dancing, getting discriminated against because she is so large. Finally making in onto the Corny Collins show, she becomes a star, but for her Black friends, it isn’t as easy. The year is 1962, and Tracy’s black friends (MotorMouth Maybelle, Seaweed J. Stubbs and Little Inez) are being racially abused by the community, along with all the other blacks. Finally, at the end, TV becomes integrated and spirits sour. I learnt, as i have learnt from my parents, friends and books, not to discriminate, because, whats the point?

7. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). I saw this with an old friend a few years back, and i loved it! I loved the witty humor, the fun story-line and the classiness. I loved the adventures that Holly Golightly had, and i was mesmerized by the amazing and glamourous lifestyle she had. When her brother died, i was distraught along with Holly. I laughed when she laughed and cried when she cried. I fell in love with Paul along with Holly. I learnt that, no matter what happens in life, wether its a death or no money, you will always have to people you love, and that is what matters most.

8. The wizard of oz (1939). Whoever hasn’t seen this wonderful movie must go out to the nearest Blockbusters right now and rent it! You are missing so much! This is the most classic film, i think, in the history of time! I love it to pieces (as well as all the other films here!), and i think there is so much to learn from it! Firstly, don’t, what ever you do, kill a wicked witch and take her ruby slippers! You have trouble ahead if you do! Secondly,the worst time to run away from home, is when there is going to be a twister! Thirdly, just ask Gelinda the good witch to tell you how to get home, it’s much quicker! I think there are some very valuable life lessons here!

9. Titanic (1997). This is possibly one of the ultimate love stories out there (twilight fans may disagree) and i love the music, the scenery, the actors, everything! This is a very famous tragedy, which killed many people, and this movie dealt with the situation very delicately! This movie filled me with love, sadness and every second i was watching it, i couldn’t take me eyes off the screen. I remember when i first saw it; it was a week after my thirteenth birthday, and although i was mature for my age, I really couldn’t handle sad movies. I think it was the first really sad movie i had ever seen, but after those 194 minutes, i felt like i had changed. My views became more mature, and i became more accepting of sad situations. Now i can watch the news without turning it off whenever something sad, or upsetting comes on. I really realized, that you have to let go, and one day accept reality. This is what i did, and it was one of the best things i ever did!

10. A little romance (1979). This is my mother’s favorite movie, and i just love that she got it out of the library one day, and we watched it together. The unbelievable story of two 13 year olds falling in love, was brought to life by two amazing actors! I loved every second of it, and by the end of the movie, we were both in tears. There is nothing like an adult to ruin young love, and i learnt, that as you grow older, you don’t have as much time as you did when you were younger. You start to rush, forget what life is really about; love, laughing and living. This is a beautiful movie, and if you haven’t seen it, i recommend it!

11.E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). I saw this a really long time ago, so i am going to try and remember what really happened. A little boy (Elliott) meets an Extra-Terrestrial, called E.T, and they become friends, whilst Elliott tries to hide E.T. The two start to form a bond, where what ever E.T does, Elliot does. This takes a turn for the worse, when E.T wants to phone home, and E.T starts to die, which makes Elliott start to die. When E.T makes the call home, Elliott finds E.T gone the next morning, and the story unfolds from there. I won’t reveal the whole story, because if you haven’t watched it, you really should! This is a wonderful story of the meaning of friendship, and when E.T tells Elliott that he will always be in his heart, you really think there is nothing sweeter than an alien telling you that he loves you!

12. Forrest Gump (1994). As it is the end of the year, in school, we just watch movies. My teacher put this movie on, and although most people had heard of it, i had not. We only got about halfway through, but i loved how much you could learn and the irony of the movie. Forrest had been living throughout history, without realizing it, and i guess when i have grand kids, i can say to them i was ___ years old when Barack Obama, our 44th president, our first African-American President got elected! It was such a great movie, and i am going to watch it tomorrow with my friends, as we all want to see the ending! This movie has a clear message of believeing in yourself, and just getting through your tough times, whilst still believing you can do whatever you want! I think that is one of the most important things in the world.

13. The sound of music (1965). This is such a classic, and one of my favorite movies. Knowing all the words, and watching it about 10 times a month, you can see i will never get bored of the truly wonderful film! I love the children, the sights, the costumes, the houses, everything! This true story is brought to life by the wonderful Julie Andrews, and she does a simply marvelous job at being Maria. This is a family classic of true love, sticking together (especially when you are on the run from Nazis). This is a story families can learn from and come together watching! I recommend it greatly!

A computer’s eulogy. June 23, 2009

Bee looked sullen as she was called up to read her speech. It wasn’t easy being at this funeral. She had to be brave though, for her friends, family and most importantly, for Bert. The reverent nodded in her direction when it was time for her to begin speaking. She took a deep breath. Here goes, she thought.

“Bert, from the minute I laid eyes on you, I fell in love with you. It wasn’t just your handsome appearance, but as I got to know you, I fell in love with your personality too. You were fast, easy to like, and you did everything for me. Every time I needed to do a math problem in my head, I would ask you. You knew so much, and I could ask you anything, and just like that, you would tell me the answer. I boasted to friends about you, I took pictures with you, and I told you stories. You would help me organize my life too. You knew when my appointments were, where I was going, and you always reminded me what I had to do! You shopped for me when my feet were sore after work, and I didn’t feel like going out to the mall. You gave me recipes I thought I would never even try. You made me technology advanced and you gave me the power to do anything I wanted. I loved you more then anything. But when they said there was nothing more I could do, I didn’t know what I would do without you. I would never love anyone else as much as I loved you. I hope you know that Bert .You were a friend, a first love, and a kind helper. You gave me memories I thought I would have, feelings I would never experience. But most of all, Bert, you were the best computer I’ve ever had!”

This is the life…(Part 2)

~

Even though nobody mentioned it, Marlyn could tell everybody knew that her dad had been arrested. Faces would turn her way, and hands would cover mouths that were whispering the forbidden words of the event. Teachers would ignore her when she put her hand up in class. She was charged an extra dollar at lunch and was given snooty looks by the lunch ladies. In the bathroom, no one let her use the mirror, in gym, she didn’t have a partner. A stink bomb was put in her locker and a note stuck on her back read: ‘Kick me- I might be dangerous. After all, it runs in the family!’ Marlyn was disgusted by these actions, but there was nothing she could do about it. Her dad, had killed her best friend’s parents, and made her homeless. What could she do?

~

Amber wasn’t having a great day either. All she heard was, ‘I’m so sorry!’ or, ‘This must be hard!’ Couldn’t anybody understand she didn’t want to talk about it? Her math teacher moved their test a week later, and let the students have a study period. Her Science teacher gave out chocolates, and let Amber take an extra one. Card, after card came her way. Gifts, hugs, sad smiles, filled her hands, mind and day. She couldn’t wait to get out of school. Except, she had nowhere to go; her best friend’s dad killed her parents, and made her homeless. What if the Little family wanted to kill her too? He hadn’t spoken to Marlyn once since that morning. That’s it; she thought as she marched over to Amber at lunch, I have to talk to her!

“Hi,” said Amber, her brave feeling evaporating quickly.

“Oh, hi, Amber! How are you? Sorry- that’s a stupid question!” said Marlyn, feeling the hundreds of eyes on the conversation. The two girls looked around, and they suddenly realized, the cafeteria had gone completely silent.

“I’ve had a crappy day, you?”

“Yeah! It’s like everyone knows, but wont talk about it. It’s driving me mad!” joked Marlyn, and the girls laughed. “I want you to know Amber that I’m never speaking to my dad again. He did something unspeakably wrong, and he hurt the most important person in my life- you. I would never do anything like what he did to you!”

“Thank you so much Marlyn! You always know what to say! I’m so sorry that I doubted you and our friendship!” said Amber

“You doub-” started Marlyn but as she started to say it, an announcement came over the PA system.

“Attention students, attention! There is an emergency and we need all teachers to keep the students calm. A tornado has hit Westside valley, and all students, teachers, staff, and visitors need to make their way calmly to the Gym. Further instructions will be given there.” As the announcement ended, there was total silence. Not one person moved. Then, all of a sudden, there was screaming, crying, running, and pushing. There was pandemonium. Amber grabbed Marlyn’s hand and pulled her toward the door. She didn’t seem to want to move.

“Marlyn, move! We have to go to the gym! It’s the only place that is underground in the school! We have to get to a safe place!” screamed Amber, but Marlyn didn’t seem to hear her. Pulling harder, Amber got knocked down by a couple of screaming girls. As she fell, she pulled Marlyn down with her. There was a crack, followed by a loud thud. Pain seared though Amber’s body. Someone had stepped on her ankle. The cracking noise told her it wasn’t good. She looked over at her best friend, and saw that her eyes were closed. That must have been what the thud was. She had hit her head, and blacked out. Tears dripped down off of Amber’s nose, and she realized she was crying. So much has happened to her in the last 24 hours, and if she didn’t get herself, and her best friend to safety, it would be her last 24 hours. She tried to pull Marlyn up, but her ankle was too painful.

“I can’t go on…I can’t go on…I can’t….I….I’m sorry Marlyn,” said Amber, and then, everything went black.

~

This is the life…(part 1) June 18, 2009

Amber looked around her room. Nope, she hadn’t missed anything. Gathering up the twenty pieces of cloth she had tied together, she took one end and tied it to the bed post of her antique bronze bed frame. Tugging on the other end, Amber took a big breath in and let it out. She wasn’t really sure she was ready for this, but reluctantly, she threw the ‘rope’ out of her third story window. Every step out of her window made her even more nervous. 6 feet left, 5 feet left… until her shaking body fell to the ground with only a couple of inches to go. The crisp night air was refreshing. OK, the hard part was over, all she had to worry about now was getting back up; she dismissed that terrifying thought as she slung her backpack over her aching shoulder from grasping the rope so tightly, and ran off to meet the other 17 year old girl who had climbed out of her window.

~

Marlyn peered out of her window. It was hard not to get stuck, as her bedroom was in the basement, and the only light she got came through a tiny window, connecting her with the outside world. The only downside was that the noise the window was infamous for squeaking like a sick parrot. Damn! She had forgotten to sprinkle a bit of d-w40 on it. Glancing at her digital clock, she sighed. 11:48. She had to meet her best friend in 12 minutes. How was she going to get across town in 12 minutes unless she left now? Taking a deep breath, she pushed the window open forcefully and winced at the creaking sound it made. Please don’t hear me, please don’t hear me….she silently prayed to herself as she shoved herself out of the window. Jumping up from the ground, she looked around, to make sure no one was looking, and she silently cheered as she ran across the grass, her mother’s prize roses and across town.

~

“Marlyn! Over here! Over here!” shouted Amber as her best friend bounded over to her.
“Are you ready?” said Marlyn as Amber fake smiled. Amber was really too nervous to smile. The whole thing had been Marlyn’s idea and Amber was silently prying she wouldn’t get caught.
“Yep!”
“OK! Well, I’ve got the stuff in my bag, we just have to find somewhere to go, so we wont get caught,” said Marlyn as she tried to conceal her nerves. This had been all Amber’s idea. Honestly, Marlyn didn’t want anything to do with it. As the reluctant 17 year old girls took the case of beer and the bottle of wine out of her bag, they looked at each other nervously. It was hard to tell who took the first sip. Well, Marlyn took the beer and Amber took the wine, and i think its safe to say, they both felt like they made a mistake.

~

Walking back home, Amber felt strange. It wasn’t the drunkenness, although she was drunk. It was something else. Maybe its that strange smell coming from around the corner…
OH MY GOD!
The smell wasn’t just any smell, it was the smell of smoke, and not just any smoke, the smoke was coming from a fire!
And that fire was engulfing Amber’s house.
The panic swept all over her body, as the flames swept over her home. The sweat dripped down her body as it would have had on her parent’s body in the hot house.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” she screamed as she sprinted up her drive way and attempted to climb up the grand steps until she was stopped by a tall, handsome fireman.
“Excuse me miss, nobody is allowed past this point unless they have a valid reason,” he said.
“But I live here!”
“Not anymore,”
Amber dropped down on the hard driveway. Her home was gone, her family was gone and she had nothing. As she thought about this…..she dissolved into tears.

~

Marlyn woke up early that morning. It was either the hangover or the construction workers building the third Yankee stadium in her back yard. Yep…it was the hangover. After last nights episode, Marlyn crept back to her house stopping only to make sure no one was watching. When she got to her basement window, in the early hours of the morning, she carefully dropped her bag inside and shimmied herself back into the safe, tranquillity of her bedroom and slept for at least two hours. It was good that she left for school early in the morning, long before her parents even woke up; so that the interrogation could begin once she had a chance to talk to her best friend, and partner in crime (literally), Amber. Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on her bedroom door, and when Marlyn jumped out of bed, she was shocked to see her parents, fully clothed, but even worse, Amber, standing right next to them.
“Err……I can explain!?”

~

It was three in the morning and Amber was already fresh out of tears. A kind fireman was sitting next to her handing her tissue after tissue
“Another one?” he asked. Amber feebly shook her head. How she could turn down her 2000th tissue, she didn’t know, but she did know that the feeling of guilt she had was never going to go away. She knew it was her who had caused the immense fire, even if nobody had any proof. If she hadn’t sunk out to get drunk with her best friend, she would have died in that fire that swept away her home, her parents, and her life. She would never forgive herself.
“And here we are with the last remaining member of the Holden family, Amber Holden, only 17 years old. She is next to receive the immense family fortune, which many have had their eye on in the past century. Only 25 years ago, this little girl’s grandparents were killed as a result of arson, unfortunately for the arsonist, the family fortune was then passed down to Mark and Samantha Holden, parents of little Mandi here…” said the news reporter
“I’m not little! And don’t tell everyone about our private family business! Turn that camera off! NOW!!! AND MY NAME IS AMBER!!!!” screamed Amber who had once again dissolved into tears.
“Our thoughts are all with Mandi, and we wish her good luck, and to stay out of the limelight, we don’t want you to get hurt! Now back to you Jimmy for the weather!”
Amber couldn’t believe it! She had kept her family fortune on the down low for so long now! She didn’t want to tell anybody! But now, the whole town, city, state, even country would know!

~

As soon as Marlyn said the words, her body froze. No, she couldn’t explain; she had committed a crime, at least she thought…
“What? What are you talking about?” said her confused mother as she pushed Amber, who was starting to sob, into Marlyn’s open arms.
“Oh, nothing…..Amby? What happened? Tell me!” said the bewildered Marlyn. Then it dawned on her, she wasn’t in trouble, Amber was upset, something had happened…but what?! As her snivelling best friend sobbed in her arms, the story starting forming, as Marlyn caught certain words.
“*sob*…fire…*sob*…house…*sob*…fireman…*sob*…news…,” blubbered the saddened girl. Marlyn looked up at her parents, confused.
“I think this will help,” said her father going over to her wall mounted, flat screen, hi-def, 42″ plasma TV and switching it on.
As the crying girl, the shocked best friend, the awkward father and the anxious mother all watched the news report, Marlyn felt disgusted. How could someone keep a secret like that from her best friend?!?! Slowly, suspiciously, Marlyn turned to face what was in her eyes, a traitor.

~

“How the hell do you think you could of kept this from me, your best frickin’ friend!” screamed Marlyn.
“Mari! No! It’s not what you think,” said Amber feebly.
“YES IT IS!”
“NO IT ISN’T”
“YES IT IS!”
Suddenly, interrupting the dead-end argument that was happening in the basement of the grand house at the end of Yardley Lane was a knock. A sharp, rap. A rap, filled with horror, and the kind of tingles that are sent up your spine and up your neck until they reach your head, and fill your thoughts with terrifying things. Nobody moved. After a few painfully long moments, Marlyn looked at her parents’ terrified faces and said,
“Should I get that?”
Why were they so worried? It was just a person knocking at the door.
“No!” they shouted together, looking at the floor.
Marlyn and Amber exchanged glances. What was going on?
Then, out of the blue, a huge crash came from upstairs. The two 17 year old girls grabbed onto each other, the two terrified adults, guilty as hell, flinched covering their heads. Even Marlyn’s cat shot out from under her bed, from where it was hiding.
Footsteps.
A voice.
No one could distinguish quite what they were saying.
Then the footsteps got louder and Marlyn suddenly realized they were coming downstairs. To the basement, to where it now felt, the family was hiding. Two huge black police officers emerged from the stairs, guns raised and ready to fire.
“Are you Adam Little?” said one police officer pointing his gun at Marlyn’s dad. When he nodded, he and his partner jumped toward shaking man and pinned him to the floor.
“Adam Little, you are under arrest for arson and murder of Mark and Samantha Holden. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present now and during any future questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you free of charge if you wish.”
And just like that, Adam Little’s life had changed.

~