Alexa's Room (written 2-9-96)

I hear my name being called frantically, "Zach! Zach!" I rush into Alexa's room. "I dropped my pencil," she wails. "Will you pick it up for me?" I give her the pencil along with one of my I'm -gonna-kill-you-someday looks. She grins and says, "Just kidding. I really wanted you to see my glow-in-the-dark stickers I made." She turns out the lights. Her ceiling light is decorated with stars and comets and so are her walls. "Coo--ool!", I say. She flicks the light back on, and, since I need a break anyway, I flop down on her bed to visit for a minute and start to really look around. Her matching comforter and window curtains are mottled shades of pale maroon, blue, gray, green, and tan. They blend perfectly with the flroal wallpaper and silver-toned carpet. (I'm glad she doesn't go for a lot of pink and prissy stuff or I'd never set foot in here.) Looking around, I realize she has two calendars hanging up. At first this seems strange, but then I understand: they are whale calendars. She also has a poster of Freewilly on the wall beside her closet. Her desk has been straightened up. The book, Hard Drive by Bill Gates and three computer disks are on her desk along with an autograph book with a picture of a cat on it, three pictures of her best friends, and another picture of the same friends at Busch Gardens. If you could look in her closet, you would see a bucket decorated with cat pictures and a cat calendar. On top of her chest-of-drawers and on her bookshelf are her stuffed cats, Sassy, Prissy, Sassyfras, Little Hershey Kiss, Crystal the wolf, a dolphin, Flipper, and Nala, the lioness. A stack of tapes, including Michael W. Smith, Lion King, and Free Willy, sit on her night table with a WalkMan she listens to while she falls asleep at night. Most people like to look at her display of Girl Scout memorabilia she has arranged on her bulletin board. Pinned in the middle is her green Girl Scout vest with all the patches she's earned. All around that are pictures from her Girl Scout troop's trip to Busch Gardens and photos from Girl Scout camps and other trips. Suddenly, I realize I've made a mistake, I've stayed in her room too long. "Zach, get out of my room! What jerk called you in here anyway?"