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#Post#: 91--------------------------------------------------
Family of Choice
DIR By: StoryGod
Date: December 30, 2019, 5:49 pm
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Zia was glad there was no line for brunch. She and her
church-mates sauntered into the dining hall and then glanced at
one another. "Do we get something to eat or look for a table
first?" a boy with an extreme side part and thick glasses asked.
"Whatever you want," answered Laurence answered. Zia knew this
was not much of an answer. "I think we should get a table," she
said and they were the right size for a round table in a corner
which felt private and nice. Then it was time to find food. For
some reason, perhaps nostalgia, Zia wished there was just a
simple menu or one item instead of two menus on their twin
easels.
LBD Sunday Brunch I 9/6/20
Main Line (Breakfast)
Pancakes
Scrambled Eggs
Hard Boiled Eggs
Bacon
Cream of Rice
Cold Bar
Apple Sauce
Fresh Fruit
Assorted Pastries and
Fresh Baked Muffins
Specialty Station (Custom Breakfast)
Eggs to Order
Omelettes
Good Morning!
....AND....
LBD Sunday Brunch II 9/6/20
Main Line (Lunch/Dinner)
Cheesy Ham and Pea Pasta
Chicken Guacamole Torta
Veggie Smothered Sea Bass
Melted Italian Mozzarella Sandwich
Broccoli
Okra and Tomatoes
Lattice Fries
Cold Bar
Carrot Money Salad
Curry Slaw with Mixed Vegetables
Assorted Cakes, Cookies, and Pies
Fresh Fruit
Specialty Station (Custom Lunch)
Build your Own Sub Bar
Good Afternoon!
"After the parents are gone, they have to make brunch
barfalonious," commented Laurence
"You really think so?" Zia asked. The question was not
rhetorical.
"Yeah...who dreams up this stuff? Cheesy Ham and Pea Pasta,
Curry Slaw with Mixed Vegetables."
"Curry slaw does sound weird, but I'm not a fan of curry."
"And no burgers or pizza or even chicken nuggets. At least they
served fried fish on Friday."
"So get a sub. You can put what you want on it."
"Look at the line. I'm not the only one who's disgusted."
"Disgusted is too strong a word!" thought Zia. If food names
were unfamiliar, that was what you got for being in the United
States. If there were too many choices, that was not the same as
the food being bad. It really wasn't bad, and complaining would
not make it better or easier.
Zia got in the breakfast line that was also long, but she
realized her usual porridge, tea, and fruit would not keep her
until 4:30pm or later. It would be later because Marion had gone
on that cemetery tour. "I hope that graveyard was interesting,"
thought Zia as she made her way to the bread and junk food bar.
Because this part of the dining hall existed, the food could
never suck.
On the bread bar counter was a multi-slice toaster that whirred
round and round. A red button stopped it. A black button
restarted it. To use the machine, you stopped it, opened one of
the racks and inserted the bread. You then pressed the black
button. It took several revolutions to toast bread or English
muffins. When you thought your bread was brown enough. You
stopped the machine when your bread came around, opened the rack
and removed it. The rack opened with a lever on the side to keep
hands cool and safe, and the bread fell out or you could flip
the hot toast quickly to your plate.
Zia made three pieces of toast and got strawberry preserves for
all of them. Then she picked up two oranges and set her tea to
steep. Finally she got in the hot line for breakfast and got a
bowl of cream of rice to which she added sugar but no milk. She
had a good meal and one that would keep her. She was the last
one back to the big, round table.
The female trumpet player who was eating salad with hard boiled
eggs looked over Zia's food. Zia glanced at the red kidney beans
on trumpet player's salad. "There we are even," Zia thought. She
listened to a plump girl with high color in her florid cheeks
explain about extracurriculars. Put bluntly, the school paper
sucked. She had thought she wanted to be a journalist as a
freshperson last year.A stint on the Dazzlement disabused her of
that notion."This place is boring and the only way to make it
interesting is not getting stuck covering dumb sports and dumber
station parties, art exhibits, dreadful cultural trips, and
informal dances."
"How about Activity Planning Committee," suggested a small girl
in a mini jumper and boots that exposed unattractive, round
knees.
"What do you think," pink cheeks answered.
"You get to plan those godawful station parties and informal
dances." round knees sing-songed.
"And they say our parties are just like clubs in New York," pink
cheeks rubbed it in.
"Have you ever been to a club in New York?" Zia asked.
"During the summer. I went to a club in Martha's Vinyard. I've
also been to teen parties on boats," pink cheeks knew whereof
she spoke.
Zia wondered if she would even like a New York club party. "Of
course," pink cheeks continued "If you play an instrument it's
easy. Join a band.There's one activity."
"What about sports?"asked a very young looking boy.
"Same deal, but how many people play sports after freshman
year."
"I wrestled in middle school. They have that here," small boy
responded.
"Then go for it. You're one of the lucky ones. Colleges look at
those extracurriculars."
Zia wondered once again if she sung well enough for chorus. That
would not just be fun. That would be profoundly satisfying. She
wasn't sure about her second activity. She had no dreams of
being a journalist. There was a chapter of Junior Achievement.
It was not an honor society but it sounded important. It's
meeting was Tuesday at 4pm which meant Tuesday night down the
study hole. Zia wondered what her parents, particularly, her
mother would think.
Zia checked her app. Chorus informational session was on Monday
with tryouts on Thursday. "I planned my whole week," Zia
thought, and then she thought of Marion. "How much are roommates
supposed to stick together?" she wondered.
"So what do you think you'll go out for?" pink cheeks asked Zia
bringing her back to the gripe session. "Chorus and Junior
Achievement."
"Junior Achievement is so gay, and I know that's not politically
correct."
"I know what you mean," Laurence answered. "Are you interested
in business?" he asked Zia.
"Business is important," she answered.
"Yes, but do you find starting a business interesting?"
"My family has a business in construction and real estate."
"Yes, but Junior Achievement is where students start a business
and earn money."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Wow, I'm definitely joining then."
"Yes, but the kids in it..."
"What's wrong with them?"
"Well, they're conservative. It's the boys who can't make
football and are not coordinated enough to play soccer or light
enough to wrestle. They have buzz cuts and there are girls from
small towns. I mean Nairobi is not a small town."
"It's OK," Zia replied. "I'll have to learn to get along with
people from villages if I'm to serve my country and continue the
family tradition. Junior Achievement will be fantastic
training."
"At least it's not Junior ROTC," quipped the trumpet playing
girl.
Brunch broke up a bit after two pm leaving Zia with half an
afternoon. She had sense to run for cover. She emailed her
parents from the Penthouse where she sat in a corner with her
laptop and her print-on-demand Kikuyu coursepack, trying to get
a flying leap on the future.
#Post#: 131--------------------------------------------------
Re: Family of Choice
DIR By: StoryGod
Date: January 14, 2020, 8:49 am
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Zia decided the kids from the liberal Protestant church service
were cynical when it came to school but kind enough to the
broader world that they were true, Christians. Besides she loved
Laurence' voice.
This week, Laurence figured out what activities he would be
taking for tenth grade. "I'm going to do Yoga club and Young
Democrats."
"Do the Young Democrats take people under eighteen?" Zia asked.
"They have to if they operate here. Of course, most of us can't
vote, but we can bring in speakers and talk about the
candidates. I still hate that all we have are old people running
for President."
"Old people are wise."
"Old people can get sick and die."
"We all can get sick and die."
"You look pretty healthy, Zia."
Zia thought about the swimming pool where she would touch base
with her roommate. She could tread water now so could find a
corner of the deep end and just talk or she could practice her
slow, graceless crawl. For some reason, learning to swim really
mattered.
"What activities did you join?" Laurence asked?
"Junior Achievement and chorus. They had tryouts for chorus."
"You're really sticking with Junior Achievement."
"We're going to set up a factory of sorts."
"You want to be a factory worker."
"We'll automate it so we don't have to do heavy labour."
"OK, I guess it's time to be unpleasantly surprised." Zia and
Laurence were about to approach the menu or rather the dual menu
for brunch.
LBD Sunday Brunch I 9/13/20
Main Line (Breakfast)
French Toast
Scrambled Eggs
Hard Boiled Eggs
Ham
Roman Meal
Cold Bar
Canned Pears
Fresh Fruit
Assorted Pastries and
Fresh Baked Muffins
Specialty Station (Custom Breakfast)
Waffle Bar
Good Morning!
....AND....
LBD Sunday Brunch II 9/13/20
Main Line (Lunch/Dinner)
Pork Goulash
Herbed Chicken Tenders
Tilapia with Mango Chutney
Grilled Tofu Sandwich
Creamed Spinach
Zucchini and Carrots
Buttered Egg Noodles
Cold Bar
Cauliflower Gardinera Salad
Vegan German Potato Salad
Assorted Cakes, Cookies, and Pies
Fresh Fruit
Specialty Station (Custom Lunch)
Pageant of Pita Sandwiches
Good Afternoon!
"Well what do you make of that?" asked Laurence
"I'm either getting herbed chicken or a pita sandwich. It's
better than last week."
"If you like goulash or tofu. Where do they dream this stuff
up?"
It took a while for Zia to get her food together. She was
grateful for cucumbers with Thousand Island dressing and a
couple of naked pieces of toast to fill out her meal of chicken
tenders and noodles. She also got an orange for dessert.
It took even longer for Zia to find Laurence and the rest of the
crew who had managed to find two tables at once and then had to
reorganize. "....Your Suite Advisor is worried about you," red
cheeks explained to the ninth grade wrestler who was in one of
the upper divisions and up against boys who were really big.
"That's why all the family meals. My ninth grade Suite Advisor
was like that too. They get tired of it eventually."
Zia could not picture Miella ever getting tired. She would have
made a good Anglican Sister, but she had no vocation. She was
gone all this afternoon anyway, on her way to New York to take
drama club kids to the theater to see one of her friends in a
play. She'd be back for family dinner tonight, but Zia did not
consider that all bad.
"Some kids can't do their weekend schedules," Zia replied to red
cheeks.
"That's odd. I mean, the first time maybe... Shit, you know
there are learning disabled kids here."
"They take everybody," said a boy with a comb over and thick
glasses.
"Why shouldn't they. They need the tuition and they took me,"
Laurence replied.
Red cheeks asked Zia what she was making for Junior Achievement,
and Zia had to confess the group was still deciding. Red Cheeks
who was in both the Rainbow Club and Environment Club said that
they had stuck a poor freshperson with the recycling bin project
that had gone nowhere the year before. Red Cheeks made a sad
laugh, and Zia remembered that her roommate was in the
Environment Club. She seemed to like it well enough. "Next year,
I will be a cynic," Zia decided.
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