Xenia wrote this blog in my voice and did a great job. She declared my rough draft too boring and demanded that I publish her scribble with nothing changed.
Notes: Xenia has been in Ohio for four days and likes her new school and new circumstances. She mentions Kelly in the last paragraph. Kelly is my BFF here in Albuquerque, and Kelly and Xenia are very close as well. Xenia has a flight back to Albuquerque in December for Christmas.
Xenia’s Ohio Adventure a Syra’s Scribbles by Xenia Ruehle
I had told Xenia on countless occasions that we were to stay in Fort Worth for many years to come. When it was time to move to Corrales, she took it rather… ill. Maybe because she is entering those teenage years in which I have no idea what exactly she is going through, maybe because of the new school, probably all three, but she was not doing the greatest and thriving as I hoped she would.
One day, around the start of the school year, Esther called me. She brought up the idea that Xenia could come and stay with them and go to the school at which she and her husband teach at. Xenia jumped in her seat at this news. But after the call had ended, I alerted Xenia that she must not get her hopes up, and Mike, when we got home backed me up. I think she did get her hopes us though.
A few weeks ago, nearing the end of the quarter at Axiom, she complained at fumed at Axiom so much that I called her to talk to her father and me. Over the past while, Mike and I had discussed her temper and the constant rain cloud that she had adorned, the thunderous complaints about school and church, we worried at her multitudes of threats and fights. We had taken Esther’s idea into account.
Esther and I had discussed further about Xenia visiting them this semester, for the rest of the quarter. A long time and since I really didn’t and still don’t like the idea of parting from my daughter for a whole autumn, I detest the idea.
I led Xenia into the office, Mike was sitting in his seat, his feet tucked beneath him, reading a book on his phone. He looked up and sat more suitably in his chair. Xenia huffed and sat down grumpily in the other chair. I took the spinney chair at the desk, and Mike, realizing what it was about, began to tell her, “Xenia, we really love you and want you to stay here, but we have talked it over and decided that if it is really the best thing to do for you, you might be able to stay with Esther in Ohio.”
I started, “Xenia, we really do want you here. You are so precious to us!”
Mike continued, “And even though this may be best, this is just not about you, Esther and John Ben are letting you in their home, even though John ben isn’t even related to you and Esther is pregnant.”
“We hope that you can stay,” I piped in.
Xenia’s face was impassive.
“I love you so much, you’re my little girl!”
At this, Xenia’s face took on a pleased, suspicious, and mostly, a pained look as though I had just told her that I kissed her in public.
Soon enough, the discussion ended with us agreeing that Xenia might go and stay with Esther.
The days have flown past. But soon, tomorrow, Xenia is leaving on a plane to go to Ohio. She, Mike, and Basil are all flying to Dallas and Xenia is going to fly to Ohio to meet Esther and John Ben Berry on the other side.
This day has been hurried, when at her lunchtime, I picked up Xenia and we went shopping after Mike and I filled out a temporary guardianship thingy. Kelly joined us for Target and Albertsons. Xenia was still complaining bitterly of the ugliness of girl dress shoes- Mary Pains she called them from the mall to our third store stop. When we got home, the day and evening ran rugged, enjoyed it with Kelly until she left ☹. But not before a dinner of Sonia’s favorite Chicken and after Kelly went to enjoy eating a dismembered pomegranate and spitting the seeds as far as they could, coming back in with handfuls of grapes.
Syra's Scribbles 