The Story of Me part 25

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August 15, 1996

Harmony had eaten very little in the past couple of days and sleep gave way to nightmares so she tried not to do that either. The Harrisons had brought her home with them but avoided her questions about Grandma Pat and when they could visit her. Mrs. Harrison had not left the house or Harmony since bringing here. At some point Mr. Harrison must have gone to Pat’s house and gathered some of Harmony’s clothes and toys. The items had just appeared in the room beside the bed she was sleeping in with no explanation.

Harmony showered, dressed and went to bed when the Harrison’s told her too because she was afraid not doing so would cause something bad to happen to them. She couldn’t let something bad happen to the Harrison’s. They had been kind to her and to Grandma Pat and she needed to stay with them until Pat was better and out of the hospital.

Harmony sat alone on the bed looking at the used clothes and second hand toys Pat had bought for her and immediately felt the headache she hadn’t been able to get rid of for several days. Whether it was from lack of eating or lack of sleep or just the physical manifestation of the pain she felt in her heart Harmony wasn’t sure but, she couldn’t get over the feeling that she deserved the pain so she said nothing about it to anyone.

The sun had barely risen outside and the sky still held onto the midnight violet hue rather than the light blues it would give way to as time passed. Harmony could smell coffee coming from the kitchen and knew the Harrisons were already awake and moving around. She would have stayed in the bed, but the hope of this being the day she was allowed to see Grandma Pat made her get up. Harmony quietly opened the bedroom door that the Harrison’s closed each morning in an attempt to not wake the child they hoped had finally gotten a good night’s sleep. She stood in the doorway and hesitated a moment before walking over to a shelf and picking up a baby doll the Harrisons had given her the day before. Harmony knew it made them happy to see her with playing with toys and even though she had no desire to play there was no harm in carrying a doll around the house.

Quietly, Harmony walked down the hall toward the hushed voices she could hear coming from the dining nook in the Harrison‘s great room. The Harrison’s were sitting at the table and each had a cup of coffee. They didn’t see or hear Harmony as she entered the room so they saw no reason to stop their conversation.

“How can it be true? How could we have known her for so long and never had any idea?”

“We didn’t know because she didn’t want us to know. She had lived the lie for so long I’m not sure she even remembered it was a lie herself.” Gene Harrison tried to reason.

“But the things the police said she did? I just don’t understand.” Harmony quietly moved closer as Mary Harrison sipped from her coffee cup.

“It all happened so long ago…a lifetime ago…she was probably a different person then.”

“Do you really believe people can change that much? When I think of how long that little girl was in the house with her…the times we were in the house with her…” Mary had to stop talking when the words were blocked by sobs.

Gene extended his arm and placed his hand over his wife’s hand. “I don’t believe we were ever in danger and Harmony wasn’t either. She came here to start another life. She found God and the church. She wasn’t behind bars, but in her own way she was doing time. I mean can you imagine what it must have been like for her all those years. Worrying someone might recognize you. Scared the police might show up on your doorstep at any time.”

Mary moved her hand out from under her husbands and reached up to touch his face. “If anything ever happened to you…”

“Nothing is going to happen to me.” Gene cut her off before she could finish the sentence and grabbed hold of her hand again.

“Those poor people. How could she have done those things. The police believe she killed that whole family...”

The sound of something hitting the floor startled the Harrison’s. Mary spilled her coffee as her husband jumped up to protect her from the unseen danger. Both froze suddenly once they saw the source of the noise. Harmony had dropped a baby doll onto the floor and was standing there with a look of sheer terror on her face.

“Harmony, honey are you alright. Are you sick.” Gene Harrison said he tried to walk toward her.

“I heard you!” The frightened and now angry child yelled. “You said mean things about my Grandma Pat! I heard you!”

“Honey…”

“I hate you! I hate you!” Harmony screamed before running back to the bedroom the Harrisons had said was hers and slamming the door.

Drama, drama, drama!!!

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I'm still having a hard time getting my classroom cleaned. Apparently, it has been decided that my room doesn't need to be cleaned everyday cause it's not like we eat in there or anything. I'm not sure who made that decision, but it means that for the last two days after all of my other work is done I have swept, mopped, vacuumed, emptied the trash, cleaned the sink and the counter and scrubbed toilets. It's no fun, but either I do it or wait until Friday---the magic day when it has been decided that my room deserves to be cleaned.

Summer vacation can't get here fast enough!

87 more days...

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There are 87 more school days until summer vacation and I'm not sure I'm going to make it!

1-24-12

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Photography class

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***Come back tomorrow for another version of this wordart.***

Saturday was my first photography class and I gotta tell you it was kind of scary at first. I had to be at Miami Dade College in downtown Miami at 9am. I knew where the campus was, but I had no idea where the building I needed was.

I got there about twenty minutes early so I had plenty of time to find a place to park (two blocks away from where I needed to be) and to locate the building. I got parked and started walking toward the campus. After asking two different people where the building I needed was I learned that I kind of needed to back track and head west a little.

I finally found the building and followed a large crowd into the elevator. (My first elevator experience since the horrible garage incident earlier in the week.) I got off on the fifth floor since my class was in room 5007. I stopped to orient myself and decide which way I needed to go in order to find the room.

There was an instructor on the way to her class that asked if I was in the right place. I laughed and said, "Well, I'm on the right floor. I just need to find room 5007." I'm sure you probably heard my heart pounding when she stopped walking and said that 5007 was in the basement. Being the blonde that I am I replied, "The basement? But, it starts with a 5!"

Thankfully, she was kind enough to explain the four digit room system to me. The first digit represents the building, the next is the floor and the last two are for the actual class room. So, room 5007 is in building 5 but not on the fifth floor.

I go back to the elevator and head down to the basement. The empty, scary basement! There was no one there except for me. The lights in room 5007 were turned off and no one was hanging around in the hallway. There were lots of noises, but no people. I stood in the hallway and waited. I had my phone in my hand and ready to go in case of an emergency. I figured I could dial 911 or throw it at someone and run screaming in the opposite direction.

Finally, someone else stepped off of the elevator and without hesitating I exhaled loudly and begged him to please tell me that he was looking for the photography class. He was and he was braver than I had been. He walked into the class room and turned on the lights. I followed him in and found myself a left handed desk that was one row over and two seats back from where he chose to sit so that I could keep my eye on him. A girl in a basement needs to be careful!

So, there we were, just the two of us, sitting in this scary class in the the scary basement with no one else around. I started sending text messages to my friend Mary in case I disappeared or something. I wanted her to know where I was and what I was doing so she could tell the police and they could use the information to help find me.

The guy gets up and says that he's going to get some water. I asked if he was planning to leave me in the basement while he went to the real class. He promised that he would be back and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. At this point, I texted my friend that I was scared and wanted my mommy. I'm not sure her "lol" response was appropriate!

The guy came back and another girl joined us in the room. She only spoke spanish. I was thinking that this was going to get interesting ~~~ Three people in the room. One only speaks English, one only speaks Spanish and the other speaks both languages. Then another girl entered the room, but I wasn't sure what language she spoke because she didn't return the "hello" I said to her. She just found a seat and got as comfortable as a person can get in those uncomfortable desks.

Now, there are four people in the room and none of them are the photography instructor. I started checking the ceiling corners looking for video cameras. I was beginning to wonder if we were all unwilling subjects in some sort of science experiment. Four people placed in a basement room to be watched while somewhere in the building there was an actual photography class going on. One speaks English, One speaks Spanish, One speaks both languages and one is too stuck up to speak at all. I sat there checking everyone out and totally planned to sell out the snobby girl in order to get my freedom.

Luckily, the instructor finally showed up (15 minutes late!) and more people drifted into the class. Turns out, I wasn't the only one walking around on the fifth floor looking for room 5007!

Anyway, the class the fun, I didn't disappear or throw my phone at anyone's head and the snobby girl finally broke her silence and was actually nice.

Plus, there's a bonus! Thanks to my experience, if you ever find yourself taking a class at Miami Dade College you already know where room 5007 is and that puts you one step ahead of me.

**Just make sure you respond when the scared looking blonde in the left handed desk says "hi" or you may have a cell phone thrown at your head as she runs screaming out of the room.**

And now you're two steps ahead of the game! Yep. I'm here to help. Just call me any time.

QP contest at CSD!

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I love the quickpage contest at Cool Scraps Digital! Every month we are given a fantastic kit to work with and every month we collect bunches of beautiful quickpages. Some lucky people even win prizes!

This month we were given the kit "Oh My" by Cocotounette. This kit is an amazing mixture of beautiful purples and blues. I have fallen in love with this kit and with all of the awesome quickpages I've collected.

You can grab my quickpage by clicking on the preview below. After you've picked it up make sure you check out the forum at CSD and join in on all the fun!

***Please visit the CSD gallery and leave a comment on my preview. There's a prize for the most comments.***

The week that wouldn't end!

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I know I've been quiet this week, but it's only because I've been really busy and this week was way too hectic!

My week started with an elevator incident---Well, I guess it was almost an incident, but for someone who doesn't like elevators, that's close enough!

I reached the elevator in the parking garage about the same time as another guy so when the door opened we both got on. I pushed the button for the third floor and he did the same for the fifth. The doors were slow to close and another lady joined us. I pushed the fourth floor button for her. One more person made a dash for the elevator before the doors closed and I pushed the eighth floor button for him.

When I pushed that last button the lights on the keypad all went out. I didn't freak out too much. I managed to use a normal voice as I blurted, "Did all the lights just go out?" No one laughed, but I did notice the lady take a step away from me. The two guys just stood looking lost and half asleep as I pressed the buttons again. 3, 4, 5 and then it happened---the button for the 8th floor caused the lights to go out again.

This time, my voice wasn't quite as normal as I said, "Oh my God, it happened again!" The lady took one more step away from me and the guys suddenly looked more awake then they had just moments before.

The last guy to get on the elevator suggested that I try only pushing the first three buttons and I had to agree with him. I mean there's nothing on the eighth level but the gym. Why would anyone want to go there? We were in a parking garage!

Once again I started pushing buttons...3 -- no problem, 4 -- no problem, 5 -- no problem. Apparently, the elevator agreed that going to the gym was stupid and had no intentions of going to that eighth level.

The little elevator bell dinged and the 3 over the door lit up. My level! I was going to go off the elevator and get to my car without totally freaking out in front of these people.

BUT---we were stopped and the doors on the elevator didn't open. We were all standing there quietly just waiting for the doors to open when I finally and completely lost it. There was nothing normal about my voice when I very loudly said, "Oh my God, let me out of here!"

The poor lady tried to move even further away from me. The gym rat, who I blame for everything, looked up in surprize. I'm not sure, but I think he believed he was being pranked for some reality show. The guy I originally got on the elevator with stepped closer to me and pushed the "door open" button.

The door opened and I ran out of the elevator yelling "Thank God!" I turned around expecting to see everyone else running out after me, but instead they were still on the elevator giving me very bewildered looks. I shouted "good luck" to them as the doors began to close. The guys both told me bye and the gym rat even threw his hand up in a wave, but I swear the lady was pressing herself against the back wall in yet another attempt to move away from me.

The whole incident probably lasted three minutes at the most, but I swear it shaved three years off of my life.

So, do you think I over reacted?