by Zamanta R. Triche

4 Sep 2007

This story was written for Dr. Frederick Logan's DE ENGL 294 course Term IV.

I stretched one more time. Okay, now for a shower. I rubbed some of the sleep out of my chocolate brown eyes and opened them slowly. My vision was a tad bit blurred, I blinked. Suspended over my head was a series of vivid colors including hot pink, turquoise blue, and lime green. I could see fuzzy shapes and distorted animals that appeared to be a cow, a donkey, and a goat. They too had these lively colors, and they dangled from little cones that had a black and white swirl.

Okay, this is a little strange, why is there a mobile over me? I tried get out of bed but couldn't.

Am I paralyzed? I could feel my heart pounding hard--and I turned my head to the side and saw vertical wood bars going up high. Past the bars was a rocking chair with a pink throw over the side of it and a teddy bear with bulging eyes and a stiff smile sitting attentively in the chair. I reached up to grab a hold of something, and right before me was a beefy little hand with the nails cut close. The hand was chunky; the knuckles looked like dimples. Wait a minute...This is MY hand! I opened my mouth and shrieked. The strange thing is that although I know I said "mom," the sound my ears heard was more like "WAAHHHH!" I cried out the noise over and over again, taking in a deep breath in between and each time the sound grew louder and louder.

"Aww, mommy's little pumpkin had a bad dream?"

What do you mean HAD? I'm having one as we speak. I wanted to blurt it out but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to really say it. Mom scooped me up under my arms and raised me securely onto her left shoulder. I could feel a fat tear trickle on the side of my cheek.

"Now, now, it's ok. Mommy's gonna feed you. There's no need for you to get so worked up." The wicker rocking chair made crackling noises as she gracefully sat down, pushing the ugly teddy bear off to the side.

I could hear her fiddling with her clothes, then she cradled me in her arms. To my surprise she had exposed her right boob. It was huge! It looked like the size of a watermelon. She pinched her dark nipple between her thumb and her fingers and guided it towards me. What in the... Aw man this gross! She better not... and before I could finish my thought she stuffed the nipple in my mouth, and almost immediately I experienced a warm flow of milk.

My mind began to race. How could this happen? Yesterday had been a normal day at school and I was a normal teenager. I remember meeting up with Ashley during lunch. She's been my best friend since second grade. Everyone used to say we were twins even though we look nothing alike. Ash had a tall, thin frame with black, silky straight hair and the most piercing ice blue eyes I've ever seen. She reminded me of Pocahontas. I'm much shorter with an athletic build, since I was a cheerleader. My hair is mahogany, long and curly. She's always been there for me. I specifically recall us talking about my new baby sister, Chloe.

"How's it going, Ash?"

"Okay. You?" She was reapplying her lip gloss.

"Awful."

"Chloe?"

"You guessed it, Ashley."

"How old is she now?"

"Three months. Three months of hell. Mom and Dad are zombies."

"And nobody pays any attention to you."

"Right again. No mother-daughter days, no shopping together. No nothing."

My cell phone rang. New Message.

"Well, don't worry, Jade, things will get better. It will never be the same, just better."

"Thanks, Ash! Hey, I just got a message from Sasha. She said that everyone's at The Scene, even Dylan!" I would never admit it but I've had a crush on him for the past few years. He was an average looking teen and although he always dressed in the latest fashion, he managed to wear his leather yellow and blue letterman jacket regardless of the weather. I had been waiting for him to ask me to the school dance. But how is he going to do that if I'm a baby again! I started to cry again.

"Does mommy's lil punkin need a fresh diapie?"

Aw man, it did feel kind of heavy down there.

Mom unfastened the Velcro straps to my disposable diaper and the smell of a state fair port-a-potty contaminated the air. She placed an ice cold baby wipe on my bum to clean up the toxic matter and I immediately began to pee.

"Whoa, we have a squirter!"

How embarrassing! She finished changing me and dressed me in the cutest little Old Navy outfit. I had on a pink shirt that said "Rock On" in the front and the smallest cargo, capri khakis I've ever seen. I guess I've always dressed to impress.

Mom gently strapped me in to the carrier that served as a car seat as well and placed me on the floor by the door.

"Oh, I forgot the keys upstairs!" I heard her yell out as her wooden clogs made a pounding sound up the stairs. Click, clack, click, clack. A brown, fuzzy ball of hair was approaching me. What in the...Oh NO! It was Sophie! My Pomeranian came up real close to my and sniffed in disbelief. I guess she recognized my scent because she stuck out her sloppy wet tongue and licked my entire face. I couldn't run, or move my arms. For that matter, I was so tightly strapped in that I couldn't even move my face. Gross!

"Waaahh, whe, whe, waaahh!"

"Mommy's coming! Sophie! Get! Leave Jade alone! Come on , sweetie, let's go."

We arrived at the daycare and mom put me down on a huge, green foamy mat. I looked around at all the vibrant colors and oversized shapes. I turned my head towards the soothing music playing in the background and to the caregivers' voices. There was an overweight caregiver that had on a purple outfit. She reminded me of the seven-foot dinosaur named Barney that sings to little kids. I also noticed the babies. A whole lot of babies. Bald one, crying ones, smelly ones, and they were just all over the place; in highchairs, on mats, in cribs and bouncy chairs. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the fattest little boy I have ever seen in my life crawling my way. He had that permanent drool drop that never seemed to fall and neon green slime smeared under his nose. His eyes were deep brown and somewhat familiar. Why is he leaning towards me? Aaaarrgggg! He planted a wet sloppy kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, a long bridge of drool and snot still kept us connected!

"D.J., you can't kiss Jade! You need to stop being such a flirt!" Barney swooped him up in her arms, and winked at me as she plopped into a gliding chair. She stuffed a bottle in his mouth as I secretly wished someone would come wipe my face. This sucks! Especially since I wanted Dylan to be my first kiss!

The day continued with silly songs, diaper changes and feeding but, my favorite part of the day was the naps. It seemed like the only time that I was left alone. Every time I closed my eyes I would think about how wonderful my life was as a fourteen year old. Many times I wondered if I had turned back into a teenager but every time I opened my eyes I was disappointed. The helpless feeling of not being able to move about, eat what I want to eat, use the restroom in privacy and expressing myself made me think about Chloe and how hard it must be for her.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo," strangers would tell her constantly. Here I was, hating all the attention she was receiving when in reality she probably hated the same thing. I began to think about Mom. She had to play the fortune teller and figure out what Chloe needs.

"Jade, your mommy is here." Barney interrupted with a huge Kool-aide smile. I smiled back.

"Awww, Jade, you are the cutest lil thing!" I recognized Mom's voice. I flashed all my gums. "Let's go home."

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

What is that noise? Could it be? YES! My alarm clock! I had never been so happy to wake up in the morning. I looked under the covers to see my body the way I remembered it. All fourteen years of it! I ran to my bathroom room to stare at my reflection. I'm back! I ran back to my bedside and pulled out my diary from the night stand to write down as much as I could remember from my experience. Once mom had picked me up from the daycare, I must have gone back to sleep because I couldn't remember anything else. I can't wait to get to school!

"Good morning, Jade, I'm surprised you're up so early. Do you want breakfast?"

"Sure, I'll take some." I replied as she whisked around to go to the kitchen. "Mom."

"Yes, dear."

"I love you."

"I, um, love you too. Are you okay?"

"Yup, where's Chloe?"

"She's in her rocker. I have to change her before I can start on your breakfast."

"I'll change her, mom."

"Oh, okay. Are you sure you're feeling fine?"

"Just peachy."

I went over to Chloe. "Good morning, sweetie." She gave me a blank look. I changed her diaper and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "I know what you are going through. I won't let people bother you. I promise to listen to what you really need and help you. You can count on me." She looked relieved and gave me a big endearing smile.

Mom dropped me off at school and Ashley was waiting for me along with our other friends. Ashley had on a purple skirt and blouse. I guess purple is in this season.

"Hey, Jade. You look refreshed today!"

"Hi, Ash, thanks. You look fab yourself"

"I texted you last night and you didn't reply. Are you mad at me for something?"

"Naw, I just went to bed early. It was a crazy night. I'll tell you about it later. "

RRRRIIIINNNNGGG

"Oh, there's the bell, I'll see you at lunch, Jade."

"Ciao Bella!"

After school, we walked to The Scene, as we always did. Oh m'gosh Dylan is walking this way! I wanted to yell it out to everyone, but that would have been extremely corny.

"Hi, Jade. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest, but I had to act cool. "Ash, I'll be right back." She gave me a familiar wink as I followed him outside to the old, weathered picnic tables. "So, what's up?"

"Well, um, you know Friday is the school dance and I was wondering, uh, if, um, you wanted to go with me."

Finally! The question I've been waiting for all my life. Well, maybe not ALL my life. "Of course, what time should I be ready?"

"Me and my mom can come get you around seven. My baby brother will probably be with us. Is that cool?"

"Yup, I'll be ready. I didn't know you had a baby brother." What a coincidence.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I have a baby sister. Was it hard for you to adjust to a new baby in your life?"

"Funny you said that." He replied. "It was at first, but after last night I see things completely different."

"Dream?"

"Yeah, I had the craziest dream ever! Not really a nightmare, just really strange."

"For real? How so?"

"I dreamt that I was a baby all over again. I mean, it was so real. I even went to daycare and there was this huge lady dressed in a purple shirt and pants. The lady kept winking at me."

"Are you serious?" I thought that was my dream. Maybe this happens to everyone that has a baby brother or sister. I looked past him to the window where I could see Ashley talking to our friends. Instantly, she turned around and winked at me. "Um, Dylan, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Does your middle name start with the letter J."

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, for Justin. Why?"

"Was your nickname D.J.?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

He was my first kiss after all.