|
  |
Walk Down Memory Lane
“We were born on the same day, can you believe it?” Tink muses as she thinks about her friend Bella, “Our fathers worked together and pregnant at the same time. Bell was due a little later but as luck would have it, we came out on the same day. I think it was fate or something. And because we were born on the same day, we did our birthday parties together every year…Tink & Bella…two peas in a pod.”
“Momma? Why can’t I have my own birthday party?” Little Bella whines to her mother, “I don’t want to share my birthday with Tink.”
“Stop being so selfish Bella,” Sharee, Bella’s mother snaps at her, “Her father is your father’s boss. It’s very important that we foster a good relationship.”
“But Momma…it’s my day. Why can’t I have a day for me?” Little Bella starts crying.
The sharp resounding slap of a mother’s hand on Bella’s cheek reverberates on the metal walls, “Don’t…don’t you ever second guess me Bella. I have gotten your father this far. And you will also live a better life, but it will only happen if you make the right moves. And one of them is to play with the little brat. I don’t care how much you like or dislike her. You be her friend, you smile when you blow out the cake together. I will not be disobeyed on this.”
“Bella and I had all the same classes,” Tink smiles as she remembers always looking and finding Bella by her side, “It’s just a pity though that engineering wasn’t her thing…and not for the lack of trying. I mean Bella studied all the time. And I know her mom put a lot of pressure on her. I just wish she’d see just how miserable Bella is. I tried to help her, we’d do extra studying together but she just wasn’t getting it. And it’s not because she’s stupid. Bella’s really sharp. It’s just she doesn’t have a head for calculations.”
“Bella…Bella you have to do better than this,” Sharee tells her daughter as she looks at the mediocre grades sitting before her, “You’re never going to make it to the next level if you don’t pick up the pace.”
“I’m trying momma…I’m really trying,” Bella tells her mother softly, knowing better than to raise her voice, “But it’s just so hard.”
“What did Tink make on the test?” Sharee asks sharply, “She got high grades on it, didn’t she?” She waits for Bella to nod before making a disgusted noise, “We live in Alpha station Bella. We live there because your father worked hard to get there. And no daughter of mine is landing herself back to Mecha because she can’t do the work! If that bubbly little brat can get good marks, so can you. Just work harder Bella, get Tink to help you on the concepts your slow little brain can’t process. You will figure it out. You hear me Bella? I will not have a daughter to lands in Mecha. You are better than that!”
“Bella and I were so close, I guess I never really noticed the other kids. I mean, sometimes guys would come up to me and we’d chat but nothing ever really sparked for me up there. Maybe it was because I was just going through the motions most days and my focus was on my projects.”
“Hey Tink,” Jonas comes walking up to the pair of them after class.
“Hey Jonas,” Bella offers the greeting as Tink just gives a little wave, “I really liked what you did in there. That idea was top notch. At the end when you said that you were looking for volunteers to help you work on it…” Bella pauses and flushes, “I’d like to help.”
“Is Tink going to help too?” Jonas barely acknowledges the girl as he only has eyes for Tink.
“Hey sorry, I can’t help out. I’m neck deep in a few things,” Tink tells him with a smile, starting to gather her things so she can head out, “Hey but I think Bella’s free.” And then she heads out the door.
Bella turns to Jonas with an expectant look and the guy just mumbles an apology before heading out. Leaving Bella standing there, heart on her sleeve and tears welling up in her eyes.
“I can’t imagine what would have set her off. Made her do something like…” Tink gets choked up and looks down at her scars. “I just wish I knew why she started those fires. What was so horrible that she couldn’t come to me to talk about it? I would have listened. I would have tried to help her.”
“Bella, there’s no question or your hard work and dedication. However, your marks are not where they need to be and it’s pretty obvious that your project input on your team isn’t quality. I know that Tink helps you a lot Bella but you really need to stand on your own two feet. Tink isn’t always going to be there and I need to be confident you can do this without her,” The teacher tells Bella with a firm tone.
“No, please. I don’t want you to drop me from the program. I’ll work harder, I’ll do more independent things,” Bella promises desperately trying to get the teacher to agree to give her another chance.
“Alright Bella but you need to do this on your own. Stop leaning so much on Tink,” the teacher tells her as they wrap up their conference, “Bella, sometimes you have to admit when you have limitations. There’s no shame in it. Just consider that there may be other paths that you want to follow.”
Bella nods, not wanting to argue with the teacher. She gets up and heads out of the class, her blood boiling from the anger and resentment. Like a high pressure cooker, she explodes turns on the panel that she’s standing in front and pulls it, just pulling at the wires, ignoring the little shock that she receives from doing it. Finally, when the haze clears and the fire burns bright in the panel, Bella feels that release. That moment where there’s satisfaction at the destruction she caused. Finally, the pressure inside of her is released.