• I sat on the pew fiddling with the bloodstone that dangled from my neck as Father began the homily. I let out a yawn, I didn’t mind church, in fact I liked it but getting up early in the morning for it was not on my list of favorite things to do.
    He stood up and faced the clergy, “Who here has heard the saying, ‘You don’t know what you have until its gone’?” Small children raised their hands waving them frantically while the older kids slowly raised their hands hoping that Father would chose the smaller ones instead. Father skimmed the pews looking for just the right victim. “How about you?” he said motioning me forward to speak.
    “Uhm,” I said nervously “, I’m not big on talking.”
    “Come on Hai,” my mother said nudging my shoulder, “tell Father.” She stared at me with her Do-It-For-Your-Mommy-Look.
    “I’ll get you for this,” I sneered at her standing up. “You’d better watch your back Mother.”
    I made my way through the jungles of people sitting next to us out to the center aisle receiving a fruitless to make me feel tolerable with the situation smile from Anna behind her auburn pigtails. “You’ve heard the saying right?”
    “Yes,” I grumbled trying to hide the fact that I was pissed off.
    “What do you think it means?”
    I heaved a hopefully silent sigh, “That you should appreciate what you have because tomorrow you might not have it anymore.”
    “Exactly, thank you so much.” The other lay people clapped and thanked me for standing up there as I slid my way back in between my mother and David.
    “I hate you,” I grumbled. I breath with sarcasm plastered to my lips “, Thanks so much for making me go up there.”
    “Hai we are in church! Have a little respect,” My mother scolded not above a whisper.
    “Yeah Hai,” Anna smiled mischievously “, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Maybe you should listen to Father.”
    “Shut up Anna,” I rebuked.
    Father continued to preach as I sneered at Anna, “Now with God you have to appreciate everything because he works in the strangest of ways and you don’t know if you’ll have his gifts tomorrow. So always be thankful.”

    I should’ve listened to Father and to Anna. The next day my mother died.
    “Cana’s back!” Jerri yelled peering in between the blinds that drooped from the windowpane that thankfully shocked me out of the memory. Maureen shook Drea who had (not surprisingly) fallen asleep on top of her history book.
    Drea’s blue-green eyes were foggy with sleep as she wearily aroused and looked up, “What is it Maureen couldn’t you see I was studying?”
    Maureen gave Drea a peevish glare, “You were asleep.”
    “Well do you really expect me to stay awake for this stuff it’s all ancient I might as well be listening to one of my grandfather’s stories of how back in the sixties he was a greaser or whatever.”
    “Oh I don’t have time for your complaining. Cana’s back and I don’t want to spend my time listening to you rant.”
    “Shut up Drea!” Jerri added, “Do you want to see her or not?”
    “Yeah! I might be tired but I’m not stupid!” Drea shouted.
    “Oh sometimes Drea we think you are more than just stupid,” Jerri bantered rushing out the door leaving it ajar with Maureen speeding up behind her.
    “Come on Hai!” Drea pushed me sleepily out the door. “Cana!” she shrieked as soon as we stepped out into the blinding sunlight and deep blue skies. Cana glimpsed at her with the foggiest eyes ever and her wheaten hair being whipped by the autumn wind. She smiled letting go of the suitcase Drea and Jerri brought to her while Drea wrapped her arms around her. “I missed you Cana! My life has been an empty black hole without you!”
    Cana was overcome by confusion as Drea sang the words ‘I’m nothing without you’ over and over. “Uhm that’s really weird Drea.”
    “I know you love it though.”
    “Ok little miss creeper,” Jerri said tugging Drea off of Cana, “it’s my turn to give her a hug.” Jerri gave Cana a quick hug “, I’m sorry Cana but she came free with a pair of shoes.”
    “But you kept me because I was hotter than the shoes right?” Drea swooned as she struck one of the poses a model would use by putting on hand on hip and using the other to flip her brunette hair.
    “No, because I thought I could make money by having people pay to see the ‘Chicago Lunatic Girl’.”
    “My turn!” Maureen sang while Cana laughed at Jerri and Drea’s banter.
    “You’re just jealous because I’m too gangsta for all of you!” Drea yelled.
    “Gangstsa? Since when are you gagsta?” Jerri inquired dully hoping that Drea would remain silent.
    “Since God came to me and said,” Drea deepened her voice, “‘Drea you gotta be so gangsta that everyone will be jealous’.”
    “Oh put a sock in it Drea,” Maureen laughed letting go of Cana. “Hey do you think we should tell John your back?”
    “No,” Drea and Jerri said in unison before sharing the same maniacal glare.
    “I want to see him suffer,” Drea snickered humorously tapping her fingers together.
    “I just want to make him angry,” Jerri said as she glanced at Drea.
    “Yeah that too. Come on Cana lets go inside!” Drea latched to Cana tugging her forward in one swipe and then letting go.
    “Welcome back Cana,” I smiled warmly as I gave her my hug. It was good knowing Cana was back and hopefully for good. I was thankful I knew I had her, that’s why she didn’t disappear. I had learned my lesson the first time.
    “Thanks Hai,” she muttered returning the hug.
    No thank you Cana, thanks for just being here.


    Ok well heres a pointless story
    In my backyard we have these 3 swings 1 yellow 1 blue and 1 red so I decided to give them all names today
    The yellow 1 (the 1 I always use) I named Y-DOGGY-DOGGY
    The blue 1 is SENOR AZUL (its really demented for some reason)
    And the red 1 is CAPTAIN NUETRAL (because red is a nuetral color)