Informed by Water~Chapter Two

     The rehearsals for Peter Pan were going OK. I was so pleased to be cast as Tiger Lily.
I had to sing "ugga wugga meat balls" as I did a kind of serpentine dance, wearing gold tights and black leotard, with.a fringed golden tunic, and brightly colored feathers in my braided locks.
Often I'd be dancing barefoot on a leafy rough cement garage floor  at the Young's home.

Stef, the director allowed the production to be more woody allenesque:..
.Letting the actions/movements/words of friends who had known each other their entire lives to inform the script.. more so than any words written down.

     It was for our annual block party. We were the "Bower place" kids. Twenty one homes, twenty one pairs of parents every day of the year.  When I had a fight with my biological parents, (at 14).. I could skip down to the Weidman's, have tea, and sleep on their orange leather couch in the den. Until Mother Hen called my Dad, and he came to get me. "What are you doing here?", he asked...I said, "I was just running from one home to another. 

     Once, after half day kindegarton, I got off the school bus, and followed Marcia home to have lunch. I did not think, (at five) to call my parents. I did not even know my phone number by heart. Now I shall never forget: HAMILTON ONE-5860...My brother drilled me after that horrible afternoon. My mom had the cops after me....I was innocent...Just at Marcia's enjoying a pasta meal!!  I remember how she stood up on the step stool to reach for the pasta, cheese, and olive oil, and placed the oil, salt, and pasta in the boiling water like a professional!!

     My mom did not let me do anything more than butter the brownie pan, do dishes, make salad, stir the soup. Later, the whole family would notice my great love for culinary delights, and allow me special moments in the kitchen. Of course I always snuck in when they were away, and made the place so sparkley clean...even the white glove queen(my mom) did not know I had been there..

     .I'd be making opera caramels, toffee chocolate squares,  tuna salad with extra red onions, celery, horseradishy mayo,  'katalina salad': chopped cukes, carrots, tomatoes, scallions, green goddess dressing,  and grilled monte cristo sandwiches (grilled ham and swiss on rye, with pickles and russian dressing/sauercraut)... for my friends. We'd dine on the redwood table out back, and giggle over the large jar of mayonaise, and crumbs we left for the old crows.

(to be continued)