[DRP/SOLO] Lifestyles of the Fish and the Famous (Jamie)

[saedusk]

a collection of childhood memories

 

[saedusk]

A True Friend

Jamie Delacroix, age five, pet parent to a brand new telescope goldfish. Her name, Glubby. The perfect name for a fish according to a bright-eyed child with his face and fingers pressed to the glass of the fishbowl, watching her rhythmically open and close her mouth. It wasn't even close to the best setup for her, something both he and his parents would learn later, but despite the rough start in life she would go on to live a long ten years.

All Jamie knew now, as young and impressionable as he was, was that he loved fish. They were elegant and beautiful on one hand, they were funny and wiggly on the other. Quite honestly, it was a match made in heaven.  

[saedusk]

The Rainbow Fish

"The one about the fish," Jamie said matter-of-factly, still young enough that he couldn't quite reach higher than a few shelves up. It was in the children's section of the local bookstore that he reasserted his love of fish for what was likely the thousandth time now. "Pleeeeease, mommy?"

With features subtle and soft, even the faintest of smiles was noticeable on his mother's face as she turned to him. "This one?" Thrumming her fingers against the protagonist on the cover, her shiny red nail polish looking as stylish as ever next to shimmering silver scales, she hmmed. Jamie's eyes lit up. It's not as if his choice had been anything but obvious, but he wound up looking pleased regardless.

"That's it!" he nearly shouted, earning a short shh in return. Clapping his hands over his mouth, he looked around wildly. This was no library, but people were trying to read in the plush chairs the store provided.

"Sorry..." It was a whisper between his fingers and no one could hear him but his mother. She looked happy with his apology and that soothed him.

"Alright, Jamie," her voice was as soft as her features. "The Rainbow Fish it is." The excitement he felt over this one simple book he'd never read and could only judge by its cover was palpable. Containing it as they neared the register felt like an impossible goal, but he managed, and was rewarded with his prize as soon as they made it back to the car.

Strapped in the backseat on the way home, Jamie's eyes were wide as he flipped through what, in very short order, would become his new favorite book.  

[saedusk]

Lingering Sweetness

When you're young, you like Valentine's Day. It's an easy holiday, one where even the people who don't like you are forced to lay off a bit, at least long enough to give you a piece of paper with your name written on it. Occasionally, if you were really lucky, they'd even tape a small piece of candy to it. Jamie enjoyed the event wholeheartedly and when he went with his mom to pick out cards and treats for the rest of the class, he put more thought into it than he probably should have.

More than once Jamie recalled receiving a card on the opposite end of the spectrum; a valentine with a gummed up corner or the picture peeling off or even one his classmate had accidentally (read: purposefully) torn and reserved for him because the bullies found it easy to pass their shoddy gifts off on the runt of the litter. That was okay. For each mussed up card he got one that looked beautiful or had his name printed neatly or a smiley face if he was really lucky. Truth be told, Jamie liked all the valentines he got, even the not-so-great few.

It was like a reminder he existed.

A touch too dramatic to think, maybe, but among his fellow students there were a select few who talked to him outside of group projects or other requirements. Peppered among those were the bullies, who only had words for him when they wanted to hurt him. Jamie felt adrift at sea, lonely and unable to find an island to land on, unable to find anyone to reach out to. He was too quiet, too awkward, and nine times out of ten even the kindest of classmates avoided him for fear of putting themselves in harms way, too.

He tried not to blame them. Those were the people whose cards were pristine and friendly.  

[saedusk]

Lingering Sweetness

The older you get, the less you like Valentine's Day. Or that's the case if your name is Jamie Delacroix. Once high school rolled around, handing out cards became an option, not a rule. There was nothing protecting his fragile heart from the re-realization that no one quite cared beyond what was mandatory. Even the ones who'd given him clean, friendly valentines in grade school stopped completely. He watched as they traded them between their friends. He remembered that, unfortunately, he had no close friends to join in the fun with.

He tried not to blame them. Those were the people who, if nothing else, didn't give him dirty looks in the hallway.