Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon

Author:Kalisha Buckhanon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-12-15T16:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

October 11, 1990

Dear Natasha,

I know it’s only been about two weeks since the last time you wrote me, but in here, two weeks seem like two years. Time means nothing cause contrary to popular belief things don’t get better with time in here, but time means everything cause when it’s finally over things will all be better. Sometimes I feel like the only thing I have to do is wait for you, like a kid waiting for Christmas or a dead tree waiting on spring. I count the days til I see your smile again, til I can poke my middle finger in that dimple on your left cheek and make you laugh, when I can see what kind of hairstyle you rocking or what color you painted your toes. Work is cool although it’s boring as Sunday school. Well, maybe not as boring as Sunday school cause that shit is pretty damn boring. Few times my mother did make me go, I fell asleep and was snoring and slobbing till she slapped me awake. But it’s just a little bit repetitive cause I’m responsible for the same wing. It ain’t hard really, just mopping up the floors and wiping down the showers. Not as nasty as I thought it would be cause we always do a pretty good job of keeping things up. I got my books. I finished the Malcolm X book and now Mohammed got me reading Soul on Ice by this man named Eldridge Cleaver. Ms. Harris like my Catcher in the Rye paper so she gave me a bunch of other books she thought I might like, The Outsiders which I was supposed to read for Mr. Cook and this book called The Jungle about these poor warehouse workers in slaughterhouses and shit.

Thank you for all the Fresh mags you been sending me. Benito made me put Janet and Lisa Lisa and Salt on my wall (Benito got Pepa cause he like her thighs). But anyway I got my classes, which is going pretty good. I’m learning about all that shit I never bothered to pay attention to in school, like the Boston Tea Party and the Constitution and whatever. I wanna get my GED by January so I can start some correspondence courses and get a college degree. Ms. Harris really like me a lot, bringing me all these pamphlets and shit from different schools cross the country. What you think about me being a veterinarian? You think I could do that baby? It would be long and hard, but I think I could do it. I ain’t told nobody I was thinking about it but you and Ms. Harris. Well, Benito’s crazy ass, but what he know?

I told him, Benito I like science. I was always feeling it in school but I wasn’t trying to be a nerd or no shit like that. Benito was like, What you know about working with animals? I told him I live with you, don’t I?

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