Growing up with Stephanie and spending many days, nights, and weekends at Sharon's has produced quite the collection of the most priceless memories for me, some of which involve tears-tears of joy, tears of sorrow,...and also tears that spawn from witnessing your very best friend(or daughter's very best friend) go through probably the most ridiculous, dangerous, painful stunt in her life.
There were tears pouring from myself of course in this particular event, as I was the brave, tenacious soul who did the "falling"; yes, these tears of mine made sense...I was in pain. However the tears emitting from the witnesses, Miss Stephanie and Sharon Martinez, were simply in a category totally foreign to my understanding at the time. To hear this tale from their point of view may validate uncontrollable laughter in said incident...but for now, see if you can sympathize with the little Joybird we all know and love.
As to the origin of the oh so desperate need for a particular checkerboard, I can not recall ; however the almost crazed need for my very best friend to NOT have it and for my hands to be in possession of it, is as clear as day. This need lead to Stephanie and I chasing each other back and forth at the top of the stairs like our life depended on it, Stephanie with checkerboard in hand, raised above her head, laughing and shouting "NO NO NO YOU CAN'T HAVE IT- IT"S MINE!". And me right behind her, also laughing...but starting to get a little more serious and determined about this damned checkerboard. This scene in itself was pretty absurd, I'm sure. Now, when this little senorita made her way to the bottom of the stairs with her loot, it was game on. In a moment of desperation, I made a quick decision (completely logical and brilliant idea it was, I thought) Stephanie at the bottom of the stairs, hunched up in the corner, watching to see what I would do, would be my target...and I would just kind of "ski" down the steps, yah...it would work...I just needed to lift my heals ever so slightly and get to her, and The Checkerboard, at lightning speed! I must say the first step was a success.
By the second step, I knew all was lost. I did not know, however, what was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. I grabbed a hold of the iron railing, towards the bottom of course. I think this caused me to do some sort of flip or roll that repeated about 3 times. There were times when my hands were completely free of any support and times of grabbing onto the railing. The actual fall is sort of a blur. Oh but that hard, concrete tile meeting the very top of my head is something I will never forget. The sound of two cue balls banging against each other echoed loudly in the air. Even more than that though , I will never forget the utter confusion I had, looking up in pain at two of the dearest people in my life....who were almost hyperventilating with laughter...like NO actual sympathy for me whatsoever. I believe Sharon found the most entertainment watching about a two inch lump grow on my head right before her eyes. And Stephanie! She just kept laughing and laughing!
As wronged as I feel retelling the story(...I am exaggerating slightly for effect...if you haven't already figured that out), I simply tell it because I know it makes all three of us laugh to this day. If you want to see Sharon, Stephanie and myself laugh so hard that we can't even get through the story, and everyone else is kind of standing around uncomfortably..because "you just had to be there", then this is the one.
But truly, I could spend pages and pages going into detail about how Sharon, Stephanie, the family, and the house on Bouziden(including those God forsaken stairs!) significantly impacted my life in a marvelous way. I always felt part of the family. And Sharon has been really the best listener I have ever known. She was able to communicate to me, through sitting quietly on her couch with a glass of tea and not saying a word until I was done, that she thought whatever I was going through, even at the age of 10 or 12 or 16,(or 30) was important.
The house on Bouziden was a nice, warm(clean!) house. But Sharon made the house. I can't wait to share more memories with her and her family......in her new ONE story house!
Love you Sharon!..and Family!
Joybird
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