Paul Farnsworth didn't look or act like the other boys. While the others were discussing baseball players Paul kept to himself and you'd never catch him without a book, even at recess. He was scrawny and wore thick horn rimmed glasses, and on the playground the only thing he'd interact with was himself and his books.
One day I walked over to him as he was sitting with his back up against the wall engrossed in a text book covering some kind of mathematical sequence. I sat down next to him and asked what he was reading. He couldn't believe that anyone, a girl no less, would take any interest in him at all. But wow, when he got started it was hard to get him to stop. I hardly understood anything he was saying but was amazed at how many scientific facts he knew and truly fascinated with the scope and depth of his knowledge.
I learned that Paul only lived a couple blocks down from me and we started to hang out. Before long we became fast friends. Annette, Paul and I were like three peas in a pod. We did everything together.
In ninth grade the three of us decided to go hiking up into the bluffs. Paul was busy identifying a very large beetle and was going on and on about its eating habits and taxonomy but this was one of those days where I just didn't feel like listening. Annette appeared interested for once and was really eating up his 'lecture'.
I decided to sneak away and walk ahead. It was foggy and I noticed a small wooden bridge between bluffs that I'd never seen before. I started to cross over, and without warning the bridge gave way. I managed to grab on to a plank still attached to the edge, and there I dangled, screaming for my life.
Paul was the first one to reach me and hooked his feet against a thick root and grabbed my wrists seconds before I lost my grip. I looked up at him with terrified eyes.
"Don't let me go!!!"
"You'll be alright," he said, but I could tell he was scared.
A moment later I heard Annette's frantic voice.
"Hang on!"
Paul yelled up to her, "See the knapsack I dropped?! There's some rope in there. Tie it around that tree and lower it down. Hurry!"
Paul's grip weakened as the end of the rope came down to my level. I reached up quickly and caught hold of it. He locked his fingers and told me to dig my heel into his palms to get a footing much like a climber looking for a protruding rock. As soon as my heel was positioned it was much easier to pull myself up, and eventually, with Annette's help, I made it to the top. We turned around and immediately grabbed Paul's legs and pulled him up to safety.
I never forgot the day Paul Farnsworth saved my life.
Annette and I had a special bond. Dad didn't see eye to eye with her on many things yet he allowed me to spend as much time with her as I desired. He could sense that Annette really cared for me, much like a sister. She was almost like an older sister in demeanor even though we were practically the same age. Dad knew that when he wasn't around to look out for me, Annette was there.
I idolized her. She was alluring, outgoing, confident, in control and sophisticated. She definitely had a wild side and knew how to have a good time.
She was everything I wished I could be.
I found it very difficult to start even the simplest conversation with anyone else but with Annette I shared my innermost fears, desires, and dreams without fear of being judged or ridiculed. I often wondered why someone like her would care about me. But somehow I knew, deep down, that in a strange way she needed me as much as I needed her.
Boys described me as "cute" which became tiresome in my late teens. I looked young for my age and always wore my hair short to try and give me an older appearance. I longed to have Annette's classic beauty. She loved to tease and often times called me Judy because I suppose I'd be a dead ringer for Judy Garland if my hair was made up like Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz.
Up through my teen years I often wondered if Dad and Annette had a secret pact because whenever I really liked a boy and made efforts to get him to notice me Annette would sabotage any chance I would have to date him. I wouldn't talk to her for a couple days swearing our friendship was over but could never stay angry at her for long and besides, she would never date a boy if she knew I was interested in him. Whenever I confronted her as to why she would do such a thing I'd always get the same answer with a wink and a smile.
"He's not good enough for you, trust me on this one."
Annette, however, always seemed to be dating someone but it usually didn't last for more than a couple months at a time before she grew tired of him and moved on to another one. Her boyfriend never got in the way of spending time with me. We would go out in groups - Annette, her boyfriend, Paul and our circle of friends. We'd go to malt shops, movies, and clothing stores. Regardless of the location it would always be the same seating arrangement- Annette next to her boyfriend, Paul next to me and whoever else was with us either in another booth or seated further down.
Annette smoked and loved alcohol (a secret she kept from her parents). She offered me some but was never pushy. As much as I loved Annette I never touched the stuff. Dad had made it a point to instill in me that alcohol was of the devil and that if God had wanted us to smoke, He would have attached a chimney to our heads.
Instead, I spent hours and hours tirelessly practicing on our upright piano. Why was I so obsessed? I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something that Annette, could not.80Please respect copyright.PENANA5zHYgqyCXN