Blind Love (GL)

1: Community Service

The summer of 1986 was a time of transformation. As the sun's bright rays woke me up, I reached for the water bottle that I had placed next to me before I drifted off to sleep. Feeling the warm plastic, I took a sip before opening my eyes. "Thank God it's summer!" I yelled with excitement, feeling the thrill of passing my first year of secondary school. Rushing to the bathroom, I thought to myself, "This summer will be different. It has to be."

I sat on the toilet and checked my beeper, feeling a pang of loneliness when I realized I had no one to text. After finishing my business, I stood up and stretched, appreciating my own quirks and sense of contentment. Turning on the shower, I adjusted the temperature and brushed my teeth, then splashed water on my face. Staring at myself in the mirror, I admired how shiny and bright my face looked. With a mischievous grin, I drew a heart on the mirror with my finger.

Suddenly, I burst into my sister's room, feeling more alive than ever. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" I exclaimed, throwing myself onto her bed.

"Nooo! It's too early. Get out!" She yelled, clearly annoyed. But that didn't stop me from teasing her.

"Eew, your breath stinks," I said, laughing as she breathed heavily into my face. "How do you want your eggs?"

"Two sunny side up," she said with a smile.

"I'll call you when they're ready," I replied, grinning to myself. As I walked out of her room, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, even when she was frustrated.

In the kitchen, I heated up the oil and prepared the salt and eggs. I also sliced up the last of our spam. Just as I was getting started, I heard the garage door open. Excitedly, I ran towards the door and hid behind it. When my mom came in, I popped out, yelling "Booo!" She screamed and slapped me, but I didn't mind. I loved seeing the surprise on her face.

"Breakfast?" I asked.

"Sure. I want a sunny side up and fried rice," she said, with a commanding tone.

"I'll make the fried rice tomorrow," I said with a smile, running back to the kitchen.

"Breakfast is ready!" I yelled as I served the plates.

My sister and I had our own unique way of eating eggs and spam, combining them with rice and Knorr seasoning. As we savored our first bites, we laughed and joked around. "Mom, you have to try this," I said, trying to convince her to give it a chance.

"No, I prefer ketchup," she said with a smirk.

"Yuck!" My sister and I said in unison, wrinkling our noses. We hated ketchup, vinegar, mayonnaise, and almost everything that people dipped their food in. Except for cheese, spinach dip, and gravy, but we even hated salsa.

"You two are weird," my mom said, shaking her head. "By the way, I have some great news. Your mommy and daddy are going to stay here."

"Yay! More food!" I yelled, thrilled at the prospect.

"For how long?" My sister asked.

 "Until they cannot get a tourist visa anymore," my mom said, her voice trailing off with a smile.

"Ooh, that would be long," I responded, intrigued by her remark.

I rose from my seat and gathered the dirty dishes, placing them in the sink. "Don't forget to wash the plates, and don't be too loud. I need some sleep," my mom reminded me as she retreated to her bedroom.

I turned to my younger sister and pointed at her. "It's your turn to wash," I said, trying to shirk my responsibilities.

"Can you wash for me? I'll give you a dollar," she countered, trying to bribe me.

"Over my dead body," I retorted, running upstairs and locking myself in my room.

My beeper beeped, signaling an incoming message. It was from Chelsy, a friend from school. "Hey, have you started your community service?" she inquired.

I picked up the phone and called her back. "Not yet, hbu?" I asked.

Chelsy replied, "Nope, but I got a letter from them. Did you get it?"

I checked our mailbox, but there was nothing there except newspapers, ads, and magazines. "No, I haven't received anything yet," I said.

My beeper beeped again. Chelsy had sent another message. "Well, you can come to this one. I know that you're good at servicing the oldies and those with special needs."

I laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment. Can I just go without the letter? I'll go with you," I replied.

Chelsy agreed. "Yes, I think so. It's a freaking community service. They'll need all the help they can get. And besides, I already have like 18 hours," she said.

"How did you get 18 hours? I only have 7, and they didn't even put it up on my report card," I said.

"You know, cheating. Ahaha!" Chelsy joked, but I didn't find it amusing.

"I hate it when people do that, trying to take the easy way out. It's helping people, why do they need to cheat?" I said, feeling irritated.

Chelsy quickly changed the subject. "I bet you'll go," she said.

I didn't reply, lost in thought about the community service requirements. I found the application form that had been given to me years ago and began filling it out.

Name: Sian Marquez Birthdate: 16-07-2007 School: St. Matthew Secondary School

Services that you're interested in: I scrolled down the list and checked off all the options that appealed to me. I wasn't comfortable speaking in front of people or working with groups, but I enjoyed nature, animals, and providing support to those in need.