this was much harder than i thought...my inner crtic was out of control!

christi's head was low enough to the ground to take in the enormity of the woman's ankles. they looked like a chubby baby's ankles, dimpled and although she knew it wasn't correct, they seemed bigger that the calf that followed and could have even rivaled the thighs, if they hadn't been hiding underneath the soft blue pants that hung sympathetically from her waist.

the woman, the great primeaval goddess of a woman, was actually not as fat as her ankles would have you believe. anyone who was not lounging on the concrete underneath the grocery store's overhang with her hang propped up by her elbow would tell you that that she had just let herself go after a number of bored years or nasty kids. but no, christi looked down at her own 14 year-old body with it's skinny bones and reluctant swelling of fat glands, no she thought, this situation has become dire.

it had begun to rain and from underneath the overhang, christi watched as the woman placed her lone paper bag in the trunk of her car, directly underneath the metal side bar. "pfut" the woman slammed it down weakly, disappointing christi who had always like to listen to thunder and other assorted loud noises.

"god dammit, mother fucker, this fucking thing won't close," the woman shouted, face opened, eyes awake.

christ flipped over onto her stomach and placed her chin atop both palms, avoiding a brown gum patch. this was getting good.

"shit shit shit, i'm going to be late," she said. "he'll be waiting for me." she was angry now, and christi marveled that the other passengers could walks by without taking in the giant woman's angst.

"what are you going to do?" shouted christi with an odd smile on her face.

the woman stomped a ankle, pivoting toward christi and really started screaming. "who the fuck are you?"

"don't you remember?" christi's smile was getting bigger.

"no, fuck, i have to go, fuck, why are you smiling?" the woman had a larger brow, and a face that could have been pretty if it weren't for the immense pressure of the anger. her hair was brown curly and thrown up carelessly. for her size, she moved quickly, only inhibited by the girth of her ankles and the house slippers getting wet in the rain. the cleaniness of her car would have surprised anyone who was walking by, had the careless husbands stopped to notice anything in their hustle to get to their car with the promised missing ingredient tucked inside the plastic bag, like each's own private holy grail.

christi was laughing now. "he told me you would have trouble remembering, but this is crazy. look closer, ramona. it's time to start remembering. start by looking where you put your bag,"

ramona let out a grunt. she didn't want to talk to anyone. she didn't want to know why this skinny little girl on verge of blossoming on the knowledge of everything the world tries to keep from you. she mustered ever big of energy through her wet face, and screamed.

"i'm not ready. i'm not ready to meet you" finally, a passerby turned around, although he took in the scene and increased the time inbetween steps.

"well, truthfully, neither am i," christi sprung up. there was a little hurt in her face that she wasn't old enough to hide well. "i'm actually late for dinner. cheesy chicken casserole with the crunchy crust, your favorite."

christi did not break stride as a white taxi pulled up and she stepped inside. an old man who fine white hair and a down-turned face fiddled with the volume knob and did not glance up when christi opened the door. ramona could see from a glance that it was the dirtiest taxi she had ever seen. then christi slammed the door like the brat she was and would continue to be her whole life, if only in her most private moments. without a word exchanged, the taxi drove off into the rain and through the steam rising up off the strip mall parking lot.

ramona, teetering atop on her giant stems, finally knew what she was doing wrong. she moved the bag to the middle of the trunk, and slammed the door down, shaking her hips for emphasis. no one around her would have guessed that she was a once a beautiful dancer. that was her secret, well....her and christi's.