Status: Active - Under Construction
Wonder Years
I
Josephine woke up to the scent of blueberry pancakes and fresh coffee the day after graduation. It was Saturday morning in early June; the suburban town of Lawrence was just waking up after a long night of newly graduated students wreaking havoc upon the sleepy city. Josephine propped herself on her elbows and looked at the digital alarm clock on her night table, 9:34. She stumbled out of bed, putting on her glasses on the way to the kitchen down the long hallway.
"Guten Morgen!," her German born mother, Anna, sang to her as she took a seat at the kitchen island. "My little graduate! How does it feel having nicht mehr Schule?" Anna placed a new plate in front of Josephine and placed two fresh blueberry pancakes on it. "Syrup?"
"Yes, please...danke" replied Josephine and took it from her father, Ben who held it out for her, "and it feels pretty good! I can't wait for the fall and for college." Josephine looked down at her pancakes and began eating quickly, she and her friends were going to lunch later and had planned to go to the pool before.
Ben looked up from his paper, "Are you sure you'll be okay in the fall? I mean, I don't want you to get homesick or miss us too much or be calling us every night." He smiled and winked, "I know it will be hard to get away from all of us!" He took a sip of his coffee and peered at his daughter over the dark blue brim.
Josephine smiled and giggled, "Oh, daddy, how will I live without you?!" Ben grinned and went back to reading the paper. The bolded headline read, Students at local University Charged with Rape and Drug Possession.
"I don't know how you can read such depressing stuff like that, Ben," Anna observed, pointing to the headline. "Especially when we have zwei teenage Töchter of our own."
"Oh, Anna," he said and pulled her down to give her a kiss on the cheek, "our daughters would never be like this. You know them too well, they're such good girls!"
"I suppose you're right," Anna smiled to Josephine. "What are your plans for für huete?"
Josephine finished the last bit of her pancakes and walked to put her dishes in the sink, "Irene, Grace, Hanna and I are going swimming then for lunch at the café. I'll be home around five."
Josephine walked back down the long hallway and turned left at the end into the bathroom, locked the door and turned the water on. Sun warmed the bathroom through the small window high on the ceiling. Steam from the hot water in the shower swirled around Josephine as she undressed out of her too small white pajama shirt from a girl scout camp five years ago and orange shorts that looked more like underwear. She brushed her tangled, shoulder length copper hair and watched in the mirror as her arm moved across her body.
I should really work out more. But she wouldn't. Josephine knew that being healthy was last on her mind at this time especially. I'll start running again before college. But that, too, was an unlikely statement.
The shower was quick. After all, spending too much time wasted water and she was going swimming anyway. She walked briskly to her room and pulled out her only bikini, a simple pink halter with triangle cups and a matching bottom. It was the first time she would be wearing it and felt oddly uncomfortable to put on. Josephine had bought it with Grace a week before graduation while Grace looked for something cute and revealing for a party. Grace was determined to lose her virginity before the ceremony.
"Jo, you don't understand. I have to lose my virginity!"
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Grace. Why?"
Grace stopped suddenly and turned to look at Josephine, "Because we cannot go to college being virgins."
Josephine laughed and kept walking, "I just don't get it. I'm a virgin, you're a virgin, Irene is a virgin. The only one of us who isn't is Hanna, and that's because her and Georgieboy have been together for, like, three years now."
"So?" Grace skipped to keep up with her. "I didn't say I have to lose it with someone that I like."
Josephine tied it carefully to make sure it wouldn't fall off in the water. Unlike Grace, her main priority was not getting laid. She finished putting on her bikini and pulled on jean shorts and a purple tank top. After grabbing her keys, purse and a towel, Josephine yelled goodbye to her parents as she walked to her white sedan.
Once in the car, Josephine pulled out her cellphone called Grace, speed dial number 3.
"Where are you?" Grace's voice sounded annoyed and peeved. "Come to Hanna's."
"Is Irene there yet?" Josephine started her car and began to pull out of the drive way.
"No you need to pick her up," Grace returned. "Hanna and I are sitting in the hot tub. Georgieboy and the boys are coming over, too. No – I don't know who yet. I suppose you'll see when you get here," with that the line went silent.
"What's her deal?" Josephine muttered to herself and pressed speed dial 6, Irene.
"Are you picking me up?"
"Yes, I'll be there soon."
"How soon?" her voice was suddenly anxious.
"Five minutes," that was a lie, it took fifteen to get to Irene's house.
"Okay, bye."
On her way to Irene's, Josephine never once sped down the long stretch of road and constantly checked her surroundings carefully. Last year she had almost hit a jogger and it was one of the most traumatic experiences she's ever encountered. After twenty minutes of driving in silence, she finally got to Irene's. Honking the horn, she turned of the car's engine and waited. Irene always took a long time to come outside.
Five minutes later, Irene rushed outside with her giant shoulder bag and oversized sunglasses.
"Hey!" She exclaimed, out of breath as she opened the door and got into the passenger's seat. "What's up?"
"Not a whole lot. Grace is in a bad mood." Josephine replied, turning back on the car and driving back the way she came to Grace's house.
"I know, I was talking to her and she got irritated with me because apparently it's my fault that my car broke down."
"Well, isn't it?" Josephine smiled and looked at her friend, "Weren't yo–"
"No! I was driving and all the sudden my engine started gurgling or some shit. I can't explain it. Whatever, can I smoke in here?" Irene grabbed her pack of cigarettes from the purse and began to light up without waiting for an answer. "Do you want one?" she asked, holding out the open pack.
"No," Josephine returned, and rolled down all the windows.
"Guten Morgen!," her German born mother, Anna, sang to her as she took a seat at the kitchen island. "My little graduate! How does it feel having nicht mehr Schule?" Anna placed a new plate in front of Josephine and placed two fresh blueberry pancakes on it. "Syrup?"
"Yes, please...danke" replied Josephine and took it from her father, Ben who held it out for her, "and it feels pretty good! I can't wait for the fall and for college." Josephine looked down at her pancakes and began eating quickly, she and her friends were going to lunch later and had planned to go to the pool before.
Ben looked up from his paper, "Are you sure you'll be okay in the fall? I mean, I don't want you to get homesick or miss us too much or be calling us every night." He smiled and winked, "I know it will be hard to get away from all of us!" He took a sip of his coffee and peered at his daughter over the dark blue brim.
Josephine smiled and giggled, "Oh, daddy, how will I live without you?!" Ben grinned and went back to reading the paper. The bolded headline read, Students at local University Charged with Rape and Drug Possession.
"I don't know how you can read such depressing stuff like that, Ben," Anna observed, pointing to the headline. "Especially when we have zwei teenage Töchter of our own."
"Oh, Anna," he said and pulled her down to give her a kiss on the cheek, "our daughters would never be like this. You know them too well, they're such good girls!"
"I suppose you're right," Anna smiled to Josephine. "What are your plans for für huete?"
Josephine finished the last bit of her pancakes and walked to put her dishes in the sink, "Irene, Grace, Hanna and I are going swimming then for lunch at the café. I'll be home around five."
Josephine walked back down the long hallway and turned left at the end into the bathroom, locked the door and turned the water on. Sun warmed the bathroom through the small window high on the ceiling. Steam from the hot water in the shower swirled around Josephine as she undressed out of her too small white pajama shirt from a girl scout camp five years ago and orange shorts that looked more like underwear. She brushed her tangled, shoulder length copper hair and watched in the mirror as her arm moved across her body.
I should really work out more. But she wouldn't. Josephine knew that being healthy was last on her mind at this time especially. I'll start running again before college. But that, too, was an unlikely statement.
The shower was quick. After all, spending too much time wasted water and she was going swimming anyway. She walked briskly to her room and pulled out her only bikini, a simple pink halter with triangle cups and a matching bottom. It was the first time she would be wearing it and felt oddly uncomfortable to put on. Josephine had bought it with Grace a week before graduation while Grace looked for something cute and revealing for a party. Grace was determined to lose her virginity before the ceremony.
"Jo, you don't understand. I have to lose my virginity!"
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Grace. Why?"
Grace stopped suddenly and turned to look at Josephine, "Because we cannot go to college being virgins."
Josephine laughed and kept walking, "I just don't get it. I'm a virgin, you're a virgin, Irene is a virgin. The only one of us who isn't is Hanna, and that's because her and Georgieboy have been together for, like, three years now."
"So?" Grace skipped to keep up with her. "I didn't say I have to lose it with someone that I like."
Josephine tied it carefully to make sure it wouldn't fall off in the water. Unlike Grace, her main priority was not getting laid. She finished putting on her bikini and pulled on jean shorts and a purple tank top. After grabbing her keys, purse and a towel, Josephine yelled goodbye to her parents as she walked to her white sedan.
Once in the car, Josephine pulled out her cellphone called Grace, speed dial number 3.
"Where are you?" Grace's voice sounded annoyed and peeved. "Come to Hanna's."
"Is Irene there yet?" Josephine started her car and began to pull out of the drive way.
"No you need to pick her up," Grace returned. "Hanna and I are sitting in the hot tub. Georgieboy and the boys are coming over, too. No – I don't know who yet. I suppose you'll see when you get here," with that the line went silent.
"What's her deal?" Josephine muttered to herself and pressed speed dial 6, Irene.
"Are you picking me up?"
"Yes, I'll be there soon."
"How soon?" her voice was suddenly anxious.
"Five minutes," that was a lie, it took fifteen to get to Irene's house.
"Okay, bye."
On her way to Irene's, Josephine never once sped down the long stretch of road and constantly checked her surroundings carefully. Last year she had almost hit a jogger and it was one of the most traumatic experiences she's ever encountered. After twenty minutes of driving in silence, she finally got to Irene's. Honking the horn, she turned of the car's engine and waited. Irene always took a long time to come outside.
Five minutes later, Irene rushed outside with her giant shoulder bag and oversized sunglasses.
"Hey!" She exclaimed, out of breath as she opened the door and got into the passenger's seat. "What's up?"
"Not a whole lot. Grace is in a bad mood." Josephine replied, turning back on the car and driving back the way she came to Grace's house.
"I know, I was talking to her and she got irritated with me because apparently it's my fault that my car broke down."
"Well, isn't it?" Josephine smiled and looked at her friend, "Weren't yo–"
"No! I was driving and all the sudden my engine started gurgling or some shit. I can't explain it. Whatever, can I smoke in here?" Irene grabbed her pack of cigarettes from the purse and began to light up without waiting for an answer. "Do you want one?" she asked, holding out the open pack.
"No," Josephine returned, and rolled down all the windows.