{"id":2606,"date":"2014-12-05T08:01:24","date_gmt":"2014-12-05T15:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?p=2606"},"modified":"2014-12-05T22:04:20","modified_gmt":"2014-12-06T05:04:20","slug":"spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ccarlstead<\/a>

ccarlstead<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

I glanced at Jackie\u2019s kitchen clock shaped like a frying pan. Twenty minutes till I had to exit the warmth\u2014literal and figurative\u2014for my unheated house. I wanted to soak up every second.<\/p>\n

Jackie\u2019s Uncle Louie Kistner, only a few years older than we were, shuffled the cards for another hand of Spoons.<\/p>\n

Her mom, Dee, eyed Jackie. \u201cYou know my rule. You can\u2019t date anyone I don\u2019t know. That means Homecoming, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackie clunked down her iced tea glass. \u201cMom, it\u2019s ridiculous for me to only go out with guys you know from waiting tables at Sambo\u2019s or Dar\u2019s [Jackie\u2019s older sister] friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

That explained Jackie\u2019s quirky boyfriends\u2014the one who came up to Jackie\u2019s eyebrows, the one who never smiled, the one who never spoke\u2014this one lasted the longest because Jackie didn\u2019t mind doing all the talking\u2014the one who walked like a Christmas soldier.<\/p>\n

Her mother\u2019s penciled brows arched almost into the large pink rollers in her hair. \u201cAnd what kind of name is Harm Bosma?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/a>

For91days<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Jackie edged the spoons into a perfect line. \u201cHe\u2019s not a nut case. I met him in junior government class\u2014not some bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

I snickered because, at sixteen, the only bar Jackie had ever been in was The Breakers where her mom used to work.<\/p>\n

Jackie kept stacking her arguments in a mini Jenga tower. \u201cHe wants be a cop, for Pete\u2019s sake. He already said he\u2019d be happy to meet you. We\u2019ll come straight home after the dance. Besides, Ann and Joey Hutchison are double-dating with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackie\u2019s ten-year-old sister, Cindy, slapped the table. \u201cWhat? Why did I not know this?\u201d<\/p>\n

I looked up from running my finger through the condensation on my glass to Cindy. \u201cDon\u2019t get excited. We\u2019re going as friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The police scanner on top of the fridge blurted static and something about a speed trap on A1A.<\/p>\n

I glanced at Dee. \u201cI won\u2019t let Jackie out of my sight.\u201d I didn\u2019t think it would help our case to mention that last weekend\u2019s approved date knocked Jackie over in the front seat at the drive-in and stuck his tongue in her ear. I\u2019d banged on the window and Jackie scrambled out of the car\u2014a little shaken, but with her virtue intact.<\/p>\n

\"Laurrrrrr.<\/a>

Laurrrrrr.<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The CB crackled with bits of trucker conversation on I-95 while we concentrated on the game.<\/p>\n

Dee pounced on the first spoon and her frosted pink lips arced into a grin.<\/p>\n

Bedlam broke out as hands grabbed for the rest of the spoons.<\/p>\n

I lunged for the last one as it clinked on the colorless linoleum Jackie swept, mopped, and waxed every Saturday.<\/p>\n

Cindy\u2019s twin, Sandy, ended up spoon-less. She huffed that it wasn\u2019t fair.<\/p>\n

Dee peered at Jackie. \u201cOkay, you can go to Homecoming. I just hope I don\u2019t regret this later. You make him come by on Thursday night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jackie jumped up and hugged her mother. \u201cThanks, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

We didn\u2019t have these kinds of conversations at my house. Sometimes I could have used a little over-protection.<\/p>\n

I downed the last sip of my sweet tea and stood. \u201cI have to be home by seven.\u201d I already felt sad and I hadn\u2019t left the room.<\/p>\n

Jackie smirked at me. \u201cI bet you\u2019re going to eat a second dinner with your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019d eaten tuna casserole with potato chips crumbled on top two hours earlier. It tasted like heaven.<\/p>\n

I inhaled the lingering scent of cream of mushroom soup and noodles, then wrinkled my nose. \u201cYeah, it\u2019ll probably be something good like liver and onions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGross,\u201d one of the twins said.<\/p>\n

Louie stretched and deposited his glass in the sink. \u201cI gotta shove off.\u201d<\/p>\n

I said my good-byes and followed Louie through the living room, past the huge paint-by-number nudes Jackie\u2019s stepfather favored.<\/p>\n

Jackie and her sisters hated the art. But I loved it all. The parade of people playing spoons. Her mom\u2019s claustrophobia that made her take baths by candlelight with the bathroom door flung open. My own CB handle, Featherhead, even though I was too shy to talk on the radio.<\/p>\n

Without looking over my shoulder my mind could see Dee, Jackie, Cindy, and Sandy sitting in the glow of the kitchen light fixture. Tuna casseroles and tea and time added up to my feeling tucked into their family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

adwriter<\/a> via Compfight<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Louie\u2019s tail lights motored down Milford and I threw one last look at the red brick house that captured the elusive ingredient I\u2019d never tasted: home.<\/p>\n

I pedaled toward Faulkner Street, thinking about how Jackie spent her Saturdays cleaning all five rooms\u2014trying to make up for the fact that her family lived in the projects.<\/p>\n

My family loved each other, but our love wore sharp edges, taut wires, and crescendos. We lived in an ill-kept \u201cmansion\u2014\u201d my classmate, Ellen Russell surprised me by calling it\u2014populated by a noisy stepdad, piles of clutter, and a profusion of pets. I would have cleaned like Jackie if I\u2019d shared her hope that the visible could change the invisible.<\/p>\n

Jackie\u2019s mom waitressed. My mom worked at the hospital as an R.N.<\/p>\n

Her stepdad drove a semi cross-country. My dad held a degree in business. My stepfather owned Behrens\u2019 Book Store on Canal Street where A Gift for No Reason is today.<\/p>\n

\"Me<\/a>

Me (top) and Jackie, 1974, age 16<\/p><\/div>\n

Jackie\u2019s family sported one more stepparent than mine and a mix of full and half-sisters.<\/p>\n

Her family attended Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. My family went to mass fifty-two weeks a year.<\/p>\n

But Jackie\u2019s family knew how to make home feel like someplace you wanted to go.<\/p>\n

Jackie rubbed off on me in other ways, too.<\/p>\n

One goal ran down her back, firm as a girder beneath the Flagler Street Bridge\u2014to work her way out of the projects. She wouldn\u2019t drink or do drugs because her real dad drank. She wore dresses to school. She cared about grades. She clung to virginity like most girls would fist a handful of diamonds.<\/p>\n

After my failures in Stuart, I\u2019d learned to listen to my friends who had the gumption to make good choices.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow Jackie and I would rehash all things Harm Bosma, tonight\u2019s victory, and what we\u2019d wear to the dance. Our words would race and climb over each other to dive into every molecule of quiet airspace. Even our letters during brief separations sprinted past ten pages.<\/p>\n

From the vantage point of adulthood I see how God super-glued us together. He knew I needed Jackie\u2019s focus in my untethered life.<\/p>\n

Jackie says I was a cool girl and she was thrilled I chose her for a friend. But all I can see is how she filled my life with laughter. Her resolve kept me from sampling the keg at parties and making inebriated decisions I would have regretted the rest of my life. She gave me home<\/em> for the first time in my life.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by Laurice Solomon<\/p><\/div>\n

In New Smyrna Beach, God slipped me into His pocket\u2014one that might have raised the eyebrows of some churchy folks\u2014the Hendricks-Stegall-Herold house on Milford Place. The family where He kept me safe. Where I belonged.<\/p>\n

[Note: Jackie has spent her career in Volusia County Schools as a principal\u2019s secretary. She also served as research assistant and proofreader for all my New Smyrna Beach Novels.]<\/p>\n

Related posts about New Smyrna Beach:<\/p>\n

Friendless on the First Day of School<\/a><\/p>\n

Beached, Brokendown, and Blessed in New Smyrna<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to leave a comment below, share who your best friend was as a teen and what he or she contributed to your life.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

To get my blogs in your e-mail, just type your address in the empty box on the right and click the \u201cSubscribe\u201d button beneath the box.<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Check out my New Smyrna Beach novels by clicking on the covers.<\/p>\n

\"Avra's<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"Tattered<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"Kicking<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0 \"The<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I glanced at Jackie\u2019s kitchen clock shaped like a frying pan. Twenty minutes till I had to exit the warmth\u2014literal and figurative\u2014for my unheated house. I wanted to soak up every second. Jackie\u2019s Uncle Louie Kistner, only a few years older than we were, shuffled the cards for another hand of Spoons. Her mom, Dee, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2,66],"tags":[174,171,167,175,176,173,177],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nSpoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I glanced at Jackie\u2019s kitchen clock shaped like a frying pan. Twenty minutes till I had to exit the warmth\u2014literal and figurative\u2014for my unheated house. I wanted to soak up every second. Jackie\u2019s Uncle Louie Kistner, only a few years older than we were, shuffled the cards for another hand of Spoons. Her mom, Dee, […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-05T15:01:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-12-06T05:04:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/\",\"name\":\"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-05T15:01:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-12-06T05:04:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1920,\"caption\":\"Laurrrrrr. via Compfight cc\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/\",\"name\":\"Ann Lee Miller\",\"description\":\"Author, Speaker, & Blogger Extraordinaire\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e\",\"name\":\"Ann Lee Miller\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/author\/peabody11\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller","og_description":"I glanced at Jackie\u2019s kitchen clock shaped like a frying pan. Twenty minutes till I had to exit the warmth\u2014literal and figurative\u2014for my unheated house. I wanted to soak up every second. Jackie\u2019s Uncle Louie Kistner, only a few years older than we were, shuffled the cards for another hand of Spoons. Her mom, Dee, […]","og_url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/","og_site_name":"Ann Lee Miller","article_published_time":"2014-12-05T15:01:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-12-06T05:04:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ann Lee Miller","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ann Lee Miller","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/","url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/","name":"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole - Ann Lee Miller","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","datePublished":"2014-12-05T15:01:24+00:00","dateModified":"2014-12-06T05:04:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1920,"caption":"Laurrrrrr. via Compfight cc"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2014\/12\/spoons-best-friends-nudes-wall\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Spoons, Nudes, and Tuna Casserole"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/","name":"Ann Lee Miller","description":"Author, Speaker, & Blogger Extraordinaire","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e","name":"Ann Lee Miller","sameAs":["https:\/\/annleemiller.com"],"url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/author\/peabody11\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/5697303673_43e86ec29b_o-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hftl-G2","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}