Fact or Fiction? You decide!

 Memory 1:
My mind begins to wander as I sit cross-legged in the waiting room.  This has been the most excruciating 4 hours of my life!  How is a girl supposed to just wait patiently out here without ripping the hair from her scalp?  Watching loving family members embrace as they receive the news that their relative is out of danger should be inspiring, but it only makes me wonder if there is a "quota pattern" at play... Since all those people are going to be okay, does that mean she will be the statistic that evens out this positive equation?  God I hope not, I can't imagine my life without her!

I've been the rock for this whole day and it begins to wear on me... one can only be strong for her family for so long.  No longer able to sit, I unwind my legs and stiffly get to my feet, thinking that pacing the room might satisfy my mind for a bit.  Minutes sluggishly pass by, and although the urge to visit the cafeteria is getting devilishly close to a necessity, I can't leave the room until I know.

The doctor couldn't have joined the party at a better time, I just chewed off my last fingernail.  "Hi, I'm looking for the Jonas and Martinez family.  She's just fine, wonderful, in fact!  The surgery went beautifully, I have tremendous faith that she'll be back to her old self in just a few weeks.  You can see her soon."  The tears of fear, relief, and joy soon begin to stream down my cheeks.

Memory 2:
"Really Mom? You'll let me?! Thank you, thank you!!"
"Okay, but you have to listen! Got me?" My head rattles in agreement. "Alright sweetpea, lets go."
"Yeahhhhh!" Scampering to get my tennis shoes on before she can change her mind, I try to contain my excitement.  Driving a tractor at the innocent age of 12 can be an amazingly important experience, especially with an older sister that always gets the cool chores!

I race through the back door and sprint to the tractor's side. Maybe she'll let me mow the lawn by myself next time? Hmm... Finally, mom has instructed me in the ways of driving... Mom was right though, this is a bit difficult, and I'm more nervous about driving than I expected! Now it's time to move the trampoline.  Okay, I can do this!

Mom hooks up the rope to the back of the machine, and I slowly move this way and that, hearing as much as I can hear the strain of the rope. Feeling extra confident, I give it a little more gas.  Suddenly I hear mom shouting from a distance, but am too busy celebrating my newly found skill to actually make out the words.  Seconds too late, I glance to my left just in time to see the leg of the deck I am headed straight for!  Oops! Smack!!!

  "Are you alright?" she questions.  "I'm fine," I sheepishly squeak out, "I'm sorry Mom! I really didn't mean to-" I'm cut off by her waving her hand between us. "Get off the tractor.  You're cut off.  Thanks for your help, but I have it from here." she bites out.  I reluctantly make my way up the lawn, glancing back at my Mom to see her laughing.  Man, so much for driving by myself!  At least she's laughing, I can't believe I ran the tractor into the deck post!! Who does that?!

~ Alexis

The King of Characters

When you work in retail you have a lot of opportunities to people watch, but you never really think about how these people can affect your life.  While running a merchandise stand for the Super Bowl recently, I met hundreds of people I may never have met had I not been working there, and how just meeting some of them changed perceptions and notions I have; this is also true of the many friends I've made while working with the company!  This makes me think of an element King discussed about developing characters, and how they grow on their own as he writes them.  He also wrote that if they change the course of the story, then he knows he has succeeded.

My co-workers have become part of my family, especially because when we work together we are literally spending day and night with the same group of people for various lengths of time. King's writing strategies on character development was the thing that stood out to me the most, because I write my characters the same way.  I've always looked at the people in my life as having a major effect on where I go and the choices I make.  For example, had I not been friends with Jaime, I never would have started my job working for sporting events, never would have traveled as much as I have or had the experiences I've had, or met all the wonderful people I am now so close to!

Just thinking about these "characters" in my story and how they have shaped the course of my storyline, which I can't imagine it any differently! There's always the question of whether or not life imitates art or vice versa, which in my opinion King seems to use life as his inspiration based on my experiences.  Sometimes we don't really think about this because it is just a habit or routine to go to the friends we have, but what if they hadn't been your friends?  How would your life be different? 


~ Alexis