in Illinois
October 1st, 2001
Angie moved past the other choir members to get to the corner where she always put her backpack. She took off her backpack and opened the big pouch, removing a folder that was clean and well cared for. On the front was a big, blue, music note. Angie studied the quarter note as she stood up. Above the music not was a label that read,
Angie Winter
Choir Music
Angie turned abruptly, moving toward the other singers. She got to her music stand and set down her music folder, gently running her finger over the clear, white cover. She smiled inside, but she kept her face straight.
"Angie? Hey! I haven't seen you in a while," Angie turned at the sound of her name. She saw an unfamiliar face staring back at her, with a fairly unpleasant grin. Angie studied the girl, quietly observing her. She noticed that the girl was wearing her shoulder length hair in pigtails tied with a rubber band and her tangly locks were positioned crookedly. Her feet were adorned with muddy, worn out sneakers that had a hole in the toe. The clothes that the girl was wearing were even worse. Her sweatshirt, once gray, was now dark brown with dust and dirt. Her pants had holes in the knees, and the bottom of the left leg looked as if it had been ripped off. Angie stared.
"Hello? Anyone home in there? Angie?" The girl asked, waving her hands in front of Angie's face. Angie smiled, timidly.
"Do, do I, um, know you?" Angie asked, trying not to sound impolite. The girl threw her head back and laughed. Angie held her breath and bit her top lip. Did she find that insulting or funny? Angie couldn't make it out.
The girl stopped her fit of laughing abruptly. "You really don't remember me? Well, I guess it HAS been a while, then, hasn't it?" The girl suddenly seemed older than before. Angie suddenly realized who it was.
"Aunt Marinda! How are you? I'm sorry that I didn't recognize you!" Despite the tangly hair and dirty garments, Angie ran over and hugged her aunt. Angie had not seen Aunt Marinda since she was three years old. Angie noticed that Aunt Marinda had changed a lot over the past nine years. Aunt Marinda used to dress her best, even if she was just going to the grocery store. Now Aunt Marinda looked like she hadn't got a new outfit in months!
Aunt Marinda stayed to watch Angie and the rest of the choir sing. She looked very impressed when they were packing up for school to begin. "Bravo! Bravo!" Aunt Marinda clapped her hands together so hard that they stung. She smiled and bounced up and down in her chair. Angie smiled but she was a little embarrassed. Angie waved good-bye to her aunt when she had to leave for class. She hummed to herself under her breath as she went to class. She giggled to herself while she hummed, "It's a Small World After All".
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