The Starfish Sisters: A Novel(21)
More tomorrow!
Love,
Suze
October 31, Halloween, 19—
Dear Phoebe,
I went to school as a Normal Girl today. Joel and your grandma helped me get my costume together, which was the shirt I made in home ec and some jeans I bought at Goodwill with the money I made helping the other girls in home ec finish their projects. And a bunch of bracelets and some moccasins my dad let me buy when he felt bad about the whipping. I found this cool fringed vest in a box of donations some people sent to the church and snuck it out before anybody could see it. Since I couldn’t do anything about the length of my hair, Joel talked me into wearing it down. I’ve never left it loose for school, ever.
I wish you could have been there to see their faces when I walked in! Nancy Gorton about blew a gasket—I thought her eyes would bug right out of her face. One of my teachers was all, this is a good look for you, Suzanne, and I rolled my eyes. It’s a costume, I told her.
Joel went as a warrior, all painted with a leather vest over his chest. We ate lunch and people stared at us all day. We laughed so much.
Then I had to take it all off and go home like a good Christian girl, but for a little while I was free.
Love,
Suze
November 5, 19—
Dear Suze,
I wish I’d seen you in the “costume.” That’s how you should look every day. I bet everybody was amazed at how beautiful you are.
GO ASK ALICE isn’t horseshit! I can’t wait to talk about it in person. Will you introduce me to Joel? Maybe we can all go to a movie or skating or something. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving so so so much. I hate this school and my mom and everything about this city. I hate the rain and the clouds and not being by the ocean. Most of all, I hate that I can’t hang out with you. Do you think your dad would let you come here and visit?
I keep worrying that you’re going to make all kinds of friends at school and then I’ll be the weird girl who lives in Portland and we will drift apart. My mom says that’s what will happen.
My dad says I can spend the whole Thanksgiving week there. He’ll drive me down himself on Saturday morning, and I can stay the whole week until the next Sunday. I know you have to go to school and that’s okay. Amma wants to do some painting things, too, and we’re going to cook the whole dinner.
My comic book is so cool. I love it. It’s the story of two girls by the sea, solving a mystery. Mrs. Gonzales said I can get it copied when I’m done.
Love,
Phoebe
November 6, 19—
Dear Suze,
Today was such a good day! We had a field trip to see a special showing of ROMEO AND JULIET. It’s such a great movie! I cried my eyes out, and most of the girls did. The boys threw popcorn around, but I saw some of them crying, too. You HAVE to see it! Juliet is so beautiful and I love her clothes. Maybe I should take home ec and learn to make velvet bodices. Wouldn’t that be cool?
Gotta go. Mom’s calling me for dinner.
Love,
Phoebe
November 7, 19—
Dear Suze,
I can’t stop thinking about ROMEO AND JULIET. I asked my mom if she would take me to see it again and she said maybe, but she wasn’t very enthusiastic. I have some allowance money and might buy the album of the music.
It’s the saddest story of all time, and these two people died because they loved each other! The parents were fighting over stupid things like adults always do and even though the Prince ordered them not to fight, they kept doing it, and then Romeo and Juliet killed themselves. Romeo thought Juliet was dead and killed himself and then she woke up and saw he was dead and she killed herself, too. I can cry just thinking about it.
Grown-ups are so stupid sometimes. Like war. Like murders. Like all the things they do to wreck the world. We have to change the world. It’s up to our generation to do it. I don’t know what to do, but I’m thinking about it a lot.
Love,
Phoebe
November 10, 19—
Dear Suze,
I haven’t had a chance to write and I’m going to put this back in the mail so you can have it for a while. My dad took me to see R&J a second time, and he said if I get an A in Geography, he’ll take me again, so I’m studying really hard. I wish I could go to a movie whenever I want like a grown-up. I’d go every day.
Love,
Phoebe
November 17, 19—
Dear Phoebe,
The diary took a long time to come back. I thought you maybe stopped writing, and I was so happy when I went over to Amma’s house and she had it waiting for me. She also made me hot chocolate and gave me some socks and I sat on the couch and read all the things you wrote. I wish I could see ROMEO AND JULIET! Maybe it will come here, but the only thing at the movie theater this week is THE FRENCH CONNECTION. Some kids at school are talking about BILLY JACK, and I really want to see that. They went down to Seaside to watch it, but Joel said it’ll show here, too, because his mom says the theater here shows all the movies.
Here is something else: YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND OF ALL TIME! I mean it, Phoebe. I feel like when we met, it was like finding my long-lost sister. Never think I will ever have a friend like you, ever ever ever. Joel is my school friend, and we get along really well, but it’s not like you and me.
I can’t wait to see your comic! Two girls on the beach! Does one have blonde hair and one have brown hair?