1987
Trillium
“Go out and don’t come back ‘til dinner time”, her mother said. This was the usual routine for the summer months. Between June and August, right after lunch everyday, Lucy and her older brothers were sent down the street to play. Their yard was not quite big enough to contain the chaos that was her brothers so they ended up at the field at the end of the street. This area, which divided her neighbourhood from the high school and sports centre on the other side of a large copse of trees, had yet to be developed with houses, save for the bike path which ran east-west under power lines.
The boys jumped on their bikes and rode off before Lucy could click on her helmet, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears, and climb onto her bicycle. Though she peddled as fast as she could she was left behind, yelling, “Wait up!” as her brothers pulled away. They were already off their bikes and tossing around the football when she arrived at the end of the block. As usual, Lucy was excluded from any game that David and Michael were playing. Michael was twice as old as six year old Lucy and only sixteen months separated the two boys. Lucy was thought of as a nuisance to the boys who were not only brothers but also best friends.
The boys would toss a ball around the field or play soldiers in the forest beyond, while Lucy sat in the tall grass. She loved to lie listening to the boys and stare up at the clouds racing by in the wind. Or watching an ant crawling across the dirt between the blades of grass, pulling crumbs from the crunchy cookie she had been eating. Or observing the butterfly which lit on a dandelion and as she turned to examine it more closely, flew off into the sun. She felt safe here hidden from the world in the tall grass but connected to her brothers by the sound of their laughter. Her father could not find her here.
She heard Michael’s laughter stop abruptly and she sat up to watch his breathe go out of him as he was hit by David’s flying tackle. David didn’t outweigh his younger brother by much even though he was a couple of inches taller. Michael was a chubby kid and he often used this to his advantage in fights with his older brother. This made the hit all the more satisfying for David as he drove his brother to the ground with his shoulder in his brother’s flabby belly. The football rolled away toward Lucy as Michael clubbed David in the back to get him off. Soon they were rolling around in the grass, arms flaying, though neither gaining enough leverage to badly injure the other. Eventually David was able to disentangle himself from his brother long enough to get to his feet and make a run for the forest. Michael yelled, “Stupid idiot, I’m gonna get you!” but laughed as he pursued his brother into the trees. Lucy removed her shoes and slowly followed the boys into the forest, enjoying the feeling of the grass between her toes, stepping lightly to avoid hurting her feet. As she stepped in the sunlight-dappled cool forest she could hear her brothers had banded together to fight invisible ninja who were apparently attacking from the trees above.
Whenua
He sat in his mother’s lap as she chanted defiantly with the other university students: “Hell no! We won’t go!” His mother had organized this sit-in to stop the razing of their campus pub to make way for a Double Double coffee shop. The corporate behemoth Double Double had negotiated a partnership with the university, which consequently allowed the pub to be pulled down and replaced by a coffee shop. The university was also trying to clean up its image after a student died of alcohol poisoning during last year’s frosh week. None of these factors concerned his mother or the students who followed her. This was their pub and nobody was going to tear it down. The labourers and their huge machinery which had arrived early in the morning had been greeted by jeering protestors.
Taonga’s mother was in the first year of an Arts degree when he was born. With plenty of difficulty and with plenty of government financial assistance, she had completed that degree in only five years and was now beginning a Masters degree in Political Science. Taonga’s mother successfully integrated motherhood with academia. He had grown up on campus, spending the time when his mother had class in the on-campus day care, and he was even successfully breastfed for the first full year of his life between classes. His mother was always involved in student politics and was always accompanied by her son.
Although she had her suspicions, his mother was never sure who the father was and none of the potentials stayed around long enough to find out. His darker skin and hair and larger size, even shortly after his birth, relative to his age-mates, hinted at his father’s identity and led his mother to choose a Maori name for her son. Taonga translates into English as “most treasured person”, and this relationship was evident to all who knew Taonga and his mother.
They lived in a house with three other girls who helped out with his care when the need arose though Taonga’s mother was devoted to her son and seldom left his side unless absolutely necessary. Taonga was loved by his mother more than anything and although his upbringing was far from average thus far he was a very happy boy. Taonga laughed with pleasure as he waved a sign above his head which read “Double Double is Double Trouble!” His mother lead the troops in “We shall overcome”, and Taonga joined in.
As campus security arrived to break up the protest, Taongo joined arms between his mother and another protester. At 6 years of age he was already well experienced in protest activities.
Staedelin
Brushing his dark brown hair out of his eyes, Jimmy turned the page of his story book. Jimmy had learned to communicate in sign language when he was 9 months old. He could speak English in full sentences when he was 24 months old and shortly after could add bilingual English/French to his resume. His parents had taught him to read and write before he turned four. At six years old, Jimmy could read almost anything, though he preferred to read fairy tales.
…clippety-clop, clippety-clop, clippety-clop.
“Who’s that crossing over MY bridge?” growled the troll. “It is I the youngest billy goat gruff and I am going up the mountain to eat lots of grass to get fat for winter” replied the young goat.
“Oh, no your not,” snarled the troll, “I’m going to eat you for my dinner!”
“You should not eat me,” replied the goat “I am much too small to fill your belly. My older brother will be along soon and he would make a much better meal.”
“Hmmm…alright” said the troll “SCRAM!”
The youngest billy goat clippety-clopped away up the mountain to get fat for the winter.
The sound of his parents speaking in the kitchen caused him to pause his reading.
“Jimmy is such a big boy, isn’t he? I am so proud that he is growing up so quickly. If we keep this up, I’m sure he’ll get into any university we want him to.” his mother said. “He’ll be a doctor before we know it.” responded his father proudly. “He has such an advantage over his peers who are out rabblerousing in the street while he’s in here developing his mind.” his mother added.
Jimmy went back to his reading, pleased to know that his parents were proud of him.
“Go out and don’t come back ‘til dinner time”, her mother said. This was the usual routine for the summer months. Between June and August, right after lunch everyday, Lucy and her older brothers were sent down the street to play. Their yard was not quite big enough to contain the chaos that was her brothers so they ended up at the field at the end of the street. This area, which divided her neighbourhood from the high school and sports centre on the other side of a large copse of trees, had yet to be developed with houses, save for the bike path which ran east-west under power lines.
The boys jumped on their bikes and rode off before Lucy could click on her helmet, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears, and climb onto her bicycle. Though she peddled as fast as she could she was left behind, yelling, “Wait up!” as her brothers pulled away. They were already off their bikes and tossing around the football when she arrived at the end of the block. As usual, Lucy was excluded from any game that David and Michael were playing. Michael was twice as old as six year old Lucy and only sixteen months separated the two boys. Lucy was thought of as a nuisance to the boys who were not only brothers but also best friends.
The boys would toss a ball around the field or play soldiers in the forest beyond, while Lucy sat in the tall grass. She loved to lie listening to the boys and stare up at the clouds racing by in the wind. Or watching an ant crawling across the dirt between the blades of grass, pulling crumbs from the crunchy cookie she had been eating. Or observing the butterfly which lit on a dandelion and as she turned to examine it more closely, flew off into the sun. She felt safe here hidden from the world in the tall grass but connected to her brothers by the sound of their laughter. Her father could not find her here.
She heard Michael’s laughter stop abruptly and she sat up to watch his breathe go out of him as he was hit by David’s flying tackle. David didn’t outweigh his younger brother by much even though he was a couple of inches taller. Michael was a chubby kid and he often used this to his advantage in fights with his older brother. This made the hit all the more satisfying for David as he drove his brother to the ground with his shoulder in his brother’s flabby belly. The football rolled away toward Lucy as Michael clubbed David in the back to get him off. Soon they were rolling around in the grass, arms flaying, though neither gaining enough leverage to badly injure the other. Eventually David was able to disentangle himself from his brother long enough to get to his feet and make a run for the forest. Michael yelled, “Stupid idiot, I’m gonna get you!” but laughed as he pursued his brother into the trees. Lucy removed her shoes and slowly followed the boys into the forest, enjoying the feeling of the grass between her toes, stepping lightly to avoid hurting her feet. As she stepped in the sunlight-dappled cool forest she could hear her brothers had banded together to fight invisible ninja who were apparently attacking from the trees above.
Whenua
He sat in his mother’s lap as she chanted defiantly with the other university students: “Hell no! We won’t go!” His mother had organized this sit-in to stop the razing of their campus pub to make way for a Double Double coffee shop. The corporate behemoth Double Double had negotiated a partnership with the university, which consequently allowed the pub to be pulled down and replaced by a coffee shop. The university was also trying to clean up its image after a student died of alcohol poisoning during last year’s frosh week. None of these factors concerned his mother or the students who followed her. This was their pub and nobody was going to tear it down. The labourers and their huge machinery which had arrived early in the morning had been greeted by jeering protestors.
Taonga’s mother was in the first year of an Arts degree when he was born. With plenty of difficulty and with plenty of government financial assistance, she had completed that degree in only five years and was now beginning a Masters degree in Political Science. Taonga’s mother successfully integrated motherhood with academia. He had grown up on campus, spending the time when his mother had class in the on-campus day care, and he was even successfully breastfed for the first full year of his life between classes. His mother was always involved in student politics and was always accompanied by her son.
Although she had her suspicions, his mother was never sure who the father was and none of the potentials stayed around long enough to find out. His darker skin and hair and larger size, even shortly after his birth, relative to his age-mates, hinted at his father’s identity and led his mother to choose a Maori name for her son. Taonga translates into English as “most treasured person”, and this relationship was evident to all who knew Taonga and his mother.
They lived in a house with three other girls who helped out with his care when the need arose though Taonga’s mother was devoted to her son and seldom left his side unless absolutely necessary. Taonga was loved by his mother more than anything and although his upbringing was far from average thus far he was a very happy boy. Taonga laughed with pleasure as he waved a sign above his head which read “Double Double is Double Trouble!” His mother lead the troops in “We shall overcome”, and Taonga joined in.
As campus security arrived to break up the protest, Taongo joined arms between his mother and another protester. At 6 years of age he was already well experienced in protest activities.
Staedelin
Brushing his dark brown hair out of his eyes, Jimmy turned the page of his story book. Jimmy had learned to communicate in sign language when he was 9 months old. He could speak English in full sentences when he was 24 months old and shortly after could add bilingual English/French to his resume. His parents had taught him to read and write before he turned four. At six years old, Jimmy could read almost anything, though he preferred to read fairy tales.
…clippety-clop, clippety-clop, clippety-clop.
“Who’s that crossing over MY bridge?” growled the troll. “It is I the youngest billy goat gruff and I am going up the mountain to eat lots of grass to get fat for winter” replied the young goat.
“Oh, no your not,” snarled the troll, “I’m going to eat you for my dinner!”
“You should not eat me,” replied the goat “I am much too small to fill your belly. My older brother will be along soon and he would make a much better meal.”
“Hmmm…alright” said the troll “SCRAM!”
The youngest billy goat clippety-clopped away up the mountain to get fat for the winter.
The sound of his parents speaking in the kitchen caused him to pause his reading.
“Jimmy is such a big boy, isn’t he? I am so proud that he is growing up so quickly. If we keep this up, I’m sure he’ll get into any university we want him to.” his mother said. “He’ll be a doctor before we know it.” responded his father proudly. “He has such an advantage over his peers who are out rabblerousing in the street while he’s in here developing his mind.” his mother added.
Jimmy went back to his reading, pleased to know that his parents were proud of him.
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