Entry 16

5/27/2017

Kitchens always soothe me. I love the messy organised jumble of it all. The smells and the memories of baking cookie pies an cakes.

I love the ability to turn simple ingredients into melt-on-your-tongue chocolate chip cookies, into fudge and hot apple pie. Into soups and spaghetti, pizza and pancakes and scones.

Some of my dearest memories are of tea in the kitchen with my eldest sister Abi, listening to instrumental music and soundtracks with my second eldest sister Ellie, arguing good naturedly and goofing around with another elder sister Mia.

Singing Fidler on the Roof and Les Miserables with my sisters and best friends.

Chatting and occasionally crying to mum.

Scrubbing floors on my hands and knees.

Washing dishes till my hands are pruned.

Singing to my hearts content like I'm the only person around- which is usually the case.

The kitchen is my little haven. Its yellow and white and wooden.

Clean counters, cluttered spice cabinets, flour covered aprons and licking sugar off fingers.

Mixing and testing making omething beautiful.

The magic of a kitchen.

Getting to know a kitchen is much like getting to know a person. Its always a bit messy, you never remember where things go and end up opening drawers and cupboards best left unopened.

But once you know a kitchen, it is amazing. A friendship is born and good things are made. Delicious foods and some not-so-good-mistakes happen, but no matter what, the kitchen and that person are your friends for life.

Even if you leave the kitchen and come back a long time later, having forgotten where everything goes, the mistakes are more amusing than awkward, as they were before.

As I sit here, basking in melancholy and nostalgia, counting the hours till I see Mia again, anticipating the surprise of my siblings at her unexpected advent, I feel supremely happy. Happy and also sad in a way I simply cannot express.

Oh what to do with me?

Mum comes downstairs and says,

“Sometimes I think you belong in a bakery in Paris. Sipping your tea and lookin out over- whatever river or lake they have in France.”

We laugh at this and I turn up the soundtrack to Amilé that I have been listening to. Its Parisian sounding music thrumming and twinkling around the kitchen making my feet itch to dance.

I sit on the barstool and look out the window to the dusty street and smile.

“One day…” I murmer. “One day I will.”

Entry 15

5/23/2017

I’m supposed to be organizing the bookshelf as my after supper job.

It's a mess. Maybe if I make the kids take care of their own books and stop looking at it, it will magically clean itself up?

“Aaanniieeee!!!?!” I yell.

“Guys!” Bridget wails, her tone rising in pitch. “Help!”

“What is it?” I ask.

“There’s a daddy-long-leg on my wall!” She says.

“Oh good grief, just get rid of it.” I say, annoyed.

“I can’t!” She whines

“Then find someone else who will!”

She shudders. “Beeeckyyyyy??!?”

“Bridget, I let daddy-long-legs crawl on me arm!” Rachel informs her. “I let tarantulas- well, not tarantulas. But I let bugs crawl on my arm!”

“I’m not you!” Bridget protests.

I go back to the bookshelf. It's still a mess.

I'll do it later.

I go to my bed to finish math instead.

“I remember Abi never liked spiders.” Peter says, passing through. “It was the only thing I could do to scare her.” He laughs. Then: “Hey where’s the mosquito stuff? I just had it out!”

I shrug and return to decimals.

Ew.

Decimals were invented by bored old men who used to be presidents.

They wanted to leave calling cards for their unwilling successors to remember them by.

Except no one remembers them now because decimals are so complicated and boring everyone is too busy sleeping or banging their heads on trees to pay attention.

And thus the Society of Concerned Tree Lovers was born and all math abolished until the end of time,

The End.

“Oh yeah the mosquito stuff is in the window sill!” I yell at Peter.

“Which one?”

“The one closest to the kitchen I think!”

“Oh yeah, I see it.”

“Sorry for losing your charger.” Isaac exclaims in a moderate tone.

Ish.

“You didn’t lose it, it was upstairs!”

Isaac opens his mouth and eyes wide. He actually looks cute

BUT DON’T YOU DARE TELL HIM I SAID THAT.

“I don't know how it got up there. I didn't do it,”

“I didn't do it either!” He exclaims.

“I know. And thanks, Izy” (pronounced eye-zee) “for letting me beat you up! It was the highlight of my day.” (don't worry, I didn't actually beat him up. mostly. I'll let you figure it out)

He lean against the bed with an air of self-importance.

“You're welcome.” He says.

(The following is a snippet of conversation from my siblings. If you can understand it, you have earned my undying respect.)

“Ask you may I please. Okay I did it!” Isaac whines.

“Can you ask me to waeheaha!”

“Werherherherheeeeeer!” Isaac whinily exclaims.

“Can you ask me to waeheaha?” Bridget says.

It goes on like this for a looong day.

“Ophelia you are a skug! You know how to escape from our legs now.” Rachel says.

“Yeah Cyrano is a skug too!” Exclaims Isaac.

“You kitty-cat! She’s falling asleep!” She pulls the cat into a standing position with her paws. “Believe! I know it sounds like a kitty poster, but it’s true.” She says

I literally LOL.

“What?” Rachel demands.

“You actually quoted that.” I laugh.

Something hard bumps my arm and flies into the yellow bowl.

Cyrano promptly tries to eat it, and it flies away.

It bumps around the room quite a bit before landing on Becky's arm and Peter notices it.

He kills it.

“Peter, can we play the Peter Game?” Isaac asks (in exclamation).

“No.”

“Hey Esther, can we play the Esther game?” He ask.

“Nuh uh.”

“Its called the Womans Game.” Bridget says.

“Hey Esther can we play-”

“You mean the Daddy Game?” I ask.

“Yeah!”

“Women can’t play the Daddy Game, only Daddy’s.”

“Then play the extended version!” Bridget yells brightly.

“No.”

“How about the Game Esther Plays With the Twerps?!”

“No.”

“Anne what are you doing?” Peter asks.

“Getting ready the movie mom said we could watch.” Anne replies.

“Are you grumpy?” He asks

“No,” Anne says, in a normal voice.

“Are they done talking yet?”

“No.” She says in a grumpy voice. “I didn’t hear everything they were talking about. Why does this top one not work?!”

“Because it's cheap and terrible like everything in Nicaragua.” Peter jokes. “Including this family. Just kidding.”

He and Anne laugh.

Entry 14

5/18/2017

Mum is rubbing the knots of tight muscles out of my neck. Gosh they build up quick.

Meg is talking non-stop.

“This is nineteent, mom.”

“Nineteent?”

“Yeah.” She wanders over to me. “What is thirty-ninety?” She asks

“Um.. I don't know.” I tell her, to which she says

“Its sixteent!!” As if its obvious.

“Oohh.” I return. “Of course.” Then she points to my shirt.

“Whehw is it on thehw? Find it.” She demands, just like a proper school teacher. I glance down at my shirt.

Its black with the eleventh Doctor’s silhouette and the words he says to Amy:

“All of time and space, anywhere and everywhere, every star that ever was- where do you want to start?”

“Uhhhh, I dunno.” I say, just like a proper(ly bored) student.

She points to the swirly S in start.

“Thehw!”

I frown, and then nod sagely.

“Oh yeah!”

Isaac runs out to the bread man.

“Hola chiquito!” He says, “¿Como estas?” (hello, little boy! How are you?)

“Bien! ¿Y tu?” Isaac exclaims. (Good! And you?)

Then Rachel comes out with a drink of water for the man.

“Buenas!” He says, followed by “Gracias.”

Rachel, Meg, Isaac and Dad are all buying bread- ten cordobas (about 30 cents) a loaf. We usually buy six loaves for French toast in the morning.

“Adios!” is exchanged and the bread man leaves.

We are eating dinner- watermelon, stinky feet cheese, homemade tortilla chips, guacamole, leftover rice with eggs and bacon. I am in the midst of putting guacamole on chips when-

The power goes off.

“Well, would you look at that.” I say, amidst groans and other exclamations of annoyance.

“I'll get the candles.” Rachel says.

I fumble in the dark till I reach my phone and then I go back to eating.

I dislike stopping in the middle of anything, but especially eating.

The kids return soon after with candles and flashlights.

“Heh!” Becky laughs, “We all run around and Esther just sits there and eats!”

“Nuh uh! I got my flashlight first!” I laugh back.

A while into dinner and the lights return.

“Well would you look at that.” I say.

Meg is singing a mournful dirge now, and I don't remember what happens next, as I forgot to write it so that is where this will end.

Entry 13

5/19/2017

(Note: No animals or ears were harmed in the writing of this entry…

Mostly…)

(also, this is more of a collection of random events from the day instead of a story)

I frantically write down the story idea I just got from my dream.

“I’m Jess, pleased to meet you.” He says, sticking out his hand.

“Pleased to meet you too.” Alisha says, and smiles slightly. His hand is cool, he has a firm grip. His fingers are long- just like the rest of his limbs. Heavens he’s tall.

Mira smiles sweetly,

“Well, I think-” her phone starts ringing. It's the theme song from Poldark. “Sorry guys.” She says and then walks a few feet away and starts talking into her phone.

“Hey Brody! I-”

Jess clears his throat, and Alisha turns her gaze up up up to his face, letting Mira fade into the background.

Alisha pushes her bangs behind her ear and hopes this isn’t as awkward for Jess as it is for her. She bites her bottom lip and makes her eyes go wide and loop around the room just for something to do.

Jess laughs outright.

“I know, right?” He says genially. “I don't know what to say either.”

I am just getting back to my prayer time when I look up at Annie on her bunk bed. She is grabbing Ophelia by the scruff of her neck.

“Anne!” I yell, “Be nice to Ophelia!”

She looks at me and says,

“She needs to know that we- that us- that the Eckstine's are bosses, not cats.” She leans in close to Ophelia’s face.

“We’re the boss!” She says. “Okay, Ophelia? We’re the bosses!”

“Anne, it's like Fin: ‘I'm in charge now! I'm in charge, Phasma, I'm in charge!’” I laugh.

She shakes Ophelia gently,

“Yeah Ophelia, I'm in charge now!” Then she sets her down on the barstool by the bed on the floor.

As Anne passes gets down and passes me, I hold my breath and pretend to be dead.

She doesn't notice.

“Anne! I was being dead over here and you didn't he notice!”

“Oh.” She says over her shoulder. “Woops.”

“I do that a lot. I just pretend to be dead. If I really died just randomly you guys wouldn't notice for 24 hours.” I observe somewhat blithely.

“I know!” Anne says.

“No, nachamama! Nachamama, Ophelia! Hey, will you be still, or do  have to hold you and kiss you. And call you Ophelia?”

Ophelia mews.

“Okay! I guess I have to hold you and kiss you and call you Ophelia.” I hear exaggerated kissing sounds.

“Oh look a cockroach.” Anne says.

“Where?” Becky says, looking down from her bunk bed.

“Is it alive or dead?” Mum asks from the kitchen.

Isaac comes in to exclaim and get rid of it.

“Aw Anne look!” Becky says, “She's being so cute! Get up here and look! She's just laying in my hands! Ophelia, are you tired now? Tired from all that running around? And sleeping in the morning?! Bazooka Jane would never do that.”

Ophelia mews in protest.

“Say please. Say please Ophelia.” Then to Anne: “I make her meow and then I put her down.” She then sets Ophelia down.

“There’s only a slight malfunction.” Bridget says in her fake British accent.

Oh goody.

Playing Star Wars yet again.

Not that that is a bad thing.

It is Star Wars after all.

Peter comes up to Meg on the top bunk, growling and roaring.

“Noooo!!!! Petehl you're scawing me!”

“Oh I'm sorry.” he says.

“Yo sowy?”

“Yes, for scaring you.”

“Fo scawing me?”

“Yeah.”

She leans down and hugs Peter around his neck.

“I wuv yo!” She says and then answers herself. “I wuv yo too!  Can I kiss yo fowhead?”

“Sure.”

I glance over just in time to see her pucker her lips and kiss Peter's forehead.

I nearly died of adorableness overload.

I go to the living room where greetings are thrown this way and that in proper spanglish fashion.

“Morning!”

“Morning.”

“Buenos dias!”

“Buenos dias.”

“Hey!”

“Buenas.”

“Cywano! Do not escape!” Meg say sternly.

“Run for your life!” I call

“Quick Cyrano, bite ‘er then run!” Peter says.

“Stawp escaping!” Meg says.

“Hey Cyrano! Password!” Peter grins and Cyrano promptly licks Meg’s leg.

“There Margaret, now you have to put him down. He did the password.”

Meg doesn't answer us and gets off her chair holding the bunny. She puts the furry animal on the chair and picks up the chair and carries it away.

“Meg, he's gonna escape.” I tell her.

Then Cyrano escapes.

Meg chases him around for a while and gets extremely annoyed when he goes behind a chair.

“Cywano!” She cries.

“Be nice to that bunny.” dad says.

Peter and Becky laugh quietly as they watch Rachel play with Ophelia. Mum listens as Paul talks about a priest in a nearby town. Bridget lounges and frowns as if thinking very hard about something. Dad is getting his praise and worship songs ready for prayers. Meg sits with Cyrano, Isaac is playing something in the corner. Paul and Ms. Bing sit with their baby in a stroller, Douglas and Ninoska share a couch, and I sit in this corner, rocking and writing this all.

I see Ezekiel going to Isaac with a scorpion.

“Isaac!” He says it like ee-sack.

I swat at a fly by my head.

“Look he has a scorpion!!” Guess Who exclaims.

“Isaac, anything he does is not cool, just because he does it.” Peter says drily and we laugh.

“Hey Isaac, make it bite him!” I tease.

“It can't sting it can only bite.”

“I know, that's why I said bite not sting.”

Just now Meg runs up.

“Petehl! Thews a scohpian!!”

Peter gasps in mock astonishment.

“Its ginowmus!”

“That big??”

“Yeah!”

Then she tells me almost the same thing. I add a few screams to make it scarier. Then she keeps walking slowly to me and whispering “scorpion” while I flourish a new scream at the end of each.

“Esthew!! We found a fwog!”

I scream.

“Do you wike baby fwogs?” She ask,

“No!” I yell.

She walks off, as if I’m a lost cause.

Probably am.

Peter and Rachel are gutting and scaling fish.

“I don't want to get cwoser to dose scawy eyes.” Meg says.

“Are you gonna do a fish?” Rachel asks.

“Dunno. I’m gonna have to cook ‘em so hopefully not.”

“You?” Rachel and Peter ask incredulously.

“Well I am lunch person. Aaand I’m a perfecook. Rachel sighs, partly annoyed and partly amused.

5/20/2017

We’re watching the Lego Movie- MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER BTW.

For some reason my siblings don’t see t as that great.

“Come with me if you wanna not die!”

(just had to add this tiny entry. BECAUSE THE LEGO MOVIE HELLO.)

Entry 12

5/17/2017

-It is literally and figuratively raining cats and dogs around here.

-We got a cat from church, and almost took on six more puppies till mum said no.

-We were all devastated.

-As if eight dogs were a lot!!!

-Ophelia is actually sleeping on my lap now. (the kitten)

-This is probably a bad idea, since it will be me she wakes up to play with at  midnight : thirty-five  yet again.

“Where's Ophelia?!” Isaac exclaims just now, running in the room.

“Here!” I yell over the thunder.

“Where’s Cyrano?!” He exclaims again.

“Dunno!” I yell back.

-He checks under my bed, pulls the little rabbit out and plops her on my lap.

(Note: at this point in time everyone thinks she's a girl. I give up.)

“Can you take care of her?!” He exclaims.

“Fine!” I yell.

-Then he runs off to exclaim at other people.

-Cyrano climbs off my lap and tries to find a way down. I put him on the ground.

-Kids come in and out, all yelling over each other and the rain.

-Every once in awhile Ophelia will wake up and then go back to sleep in a curled position.

-Rachel comes in and tells me:

“Isaac's like: ‘I really want to sit in this water!’ Then a few minutes later he slips in it!”

“Heh!” I laugh in appreciation.

-I think I will write some more now.

later...

-I have a terrible headache. My stomach wants to empty lunch all over my bed, and also it begs me to eat supper.

-I lay in the semi-darkness of my room and tell it to shut up.

-Cyrano messes with something under my bed, and Ophelia growls, purrs, and eats the rest of my toast simultaneously.

-I thought she was fighting with Cyrano at first, but I think she was growling at the flies actually.

-We have so many flies.

-I don't know where they came from, but gawsh they are annoying!!

-We are now waging war on the living flies and the dead flies that accumulate on floors, counters and the dining room table.

-But my head hurts.

-I'm going to read now, since I have nothing better to do and I can’t sleep.