Runaway Part VIII

Julie gave me one last sympathetic look and walked out of the room. I looked down at what I was holding in my hand, a crumpled small piece of paper. It was much more than just crumpled piece of notebook paper, though. This note was a portal to the life that I could've-should've-would've had. I guess there was no point in analyzing the note all day, wondering what might be written on it. So I opened it and let my eyes skim quickly over the perfect and precise writing that I wish I had.

The little girl you've been holding is my baby. Right now, I just can't take care of her and I need to get my life back on track. I hope that when I am in the place that I want to be, I will find her or she will find me. I just love her so much....Treat her well, please.

P.S. Her name is Leenor

I could not control the tears that had welled up in my eyes. I let them stream down my face and didn't even try to control them. Before I knew it I was sobbing like I had never sobbed before. Seemed like it had just hit me that I had a mom, a real mom, somewhere, she wasn't just a thing of my imagination. The more I cried questions came to my mind that I would ask my mother if we ever happened to meet. Why did you name me Leenor? What is my ethnicity? What is my real last name? Why didn't you ever call? Then I came to a stark realization. I'm never going to find my mother. I must be crazy!! She has probably forgotten I exist, I mean it's been 11 years, and has some nice family somewhere else. Most peoples lives change a lot in that amount of time.

Hawaii

The flight there makes me oh-so excited.

The humid wind makes my hair fly.

The sun on my skin makes me know I'm getting a tan.

The waterfalls make me happy.

The culture makes me feel enlightened.

The last day makes me wish for more.

The flight away makes me want to go back.

Grease

This year is my first year that I've ever had an elective other than band, at least. I was pretty sure I was going to like drama because I always loved to act. When our class decided we were going to perform the classic play, Grease, I knew it for sure. My friend Nicole and I both got the roles we wanted. She was Danny and I was her best friend Kenickie, it was perfect.

To get our play to performance quality we had to rehearse a lot. Our rehearsals went through many different stages. Our first rehearsal stage, everybody was using their scripts, and there was no acting going on. The second rehearsal stage was a little better, everyone still had there scripts, but they were acting and singing a lot more expressively. Rehearsal stage three was definitely the best of all, though. By then, everyone knew their lines and had good energy on stage. Although we were never perfect , this stage was as close as we were going to get.

One of the biggest challenges we had while preparing to perform the play was attendance. At least one person from the cast was absent every day, so we always had to use and understudy during rehearsals. I mean, Kelsey J. (Rizzo) had walking pneumonia and was absent almost two weeks! We even had to change the person who was to play Mrs. Lynch.

The biggest scare we had with someone being absent, was when Abby (Roger) hadn't come to school for a few days . She still hadn't come back on the day before the play, and when we tried to reach her , no one picked up. We then were going to use Ashley as Roger, but she did not know any of the lines.

It was the day of the play, and I was nervous, not because I didn't know my lines, though. I was nervous that someone else might mess up and ruin a part of the play. I also might have been a little bit nervous about singing "Greased Lightnin'," in front of a lot of people. Also, I was nervous that the "new" Roger might make the play seem a little unreahearsed. Suddenly, in the midst of all this worrying, someone told me something that made me very happy.

One of my fellow cast members, Libya, came rushing down the hall with a very big smile.

"What is going on?" I asked.

"Abby is here," she exclaimed.

I was so happy! Once I told my friend Nicole she was ecstatic. Well, anyways, now that we had the whole cast it was time for the show.

Our play was to start in about five minutes. I had uncontrollable butterflies, I didn't even know why. The main cast all knew that when the song "Grease" came on, it was time for us to run out, into the auditorium. So we were just waiting, and listening intently.

Runaway Part VII

"What did she look like, my mother?"

Julie looked at me, her expression was not a surprised one, she knew that was coming. She let out a long sigh and sat down in the small chair in the room.

"Oh, honey. She was beautiful. Her face looked just like yours and so did her features. With piercing green eyes, exactly the same as yours, you could have been sisters."

Julie had been staring at the chair's armrest, but just then she looked up into my eyes. I felt an incredible loving thankfulness to her. She was the one person who could actually connect me, in some way, to my mother. Even if it was in a small way, what did it matter? Julie continued with her description,

"She had auburn-brown hair, with the slightest curl."

Why couldn't my hair look like that? I guess that is what Julie meant when she said our faces looked alike.

"Did she tell you where she lived?" I was trying to be hopeful, but I strongly doubted the answer would be yes.

"No"

That answer didn't surprise me but yet it still made my eyes start to water with disappointment. I mean the chances of me finding my mother were just so slim. It hit me hardest, then, that I may never know my mother, ever. Julie interrupted my thoughts.

"You know, I'm going to leave and give you some time to process all this and to read the note."

Runaway Part VI

"I wanted to give this to you. It's from your mother."

These words shocked me. How could there be a note from my mother? I had so many questions, how old is this note, does this note mean I can find my real mother?

"How.....how long have you had this note? Did you just get it recently?"

The reply came quickly.

"11 years, or at least how ever since you came to Dwindley's."

This answer made no sense. How many times had I asked, if they had anything from my real family. Countless times they told me I was dropped off on a doorstep with no note, not a thing. This was when I learned that people lie, so they can "protect" you, from harsh truths. I wouldn't call this protecting at all, though. It was just hurting me even more.

"Why have you kept this note secret, for all these years?"

I knew that the anger burning inside of me was translating in my voice. I could tell Julie knew I was mad, that nervous look in her eyes had changed to an apologetic one. Well, what did she expect, for me not to be even a bit angry,to let the constant lie that had lasted over 11 years, to just roll off my shoulder? That was not going to happen, I am not that type of person. Julie answered my question after a long pause.

"I don't know why it was wrong, I know . To keep that one thing from your mother away from you. I....I....just thought it might be better that way. I am so sorry."

I saw her eyes starting to water. She really did feel bad. I couldn't carry an angry tone anymore. At least she gave the note to me now instead of never. The one question I had always wanted answered I asked then.

Runaway Part V

Why am I suddenly feeling that I must escape? You may be wonder. Well, you see, maybe two or three days ago, something happened, that may have changed my life forever.

Oh, it was just another hustle-bustle day at Dwindley's. With all the toddlers playing their games of tag, out in the sun. A few teenage boys playing on the old video game console, in the living room. Their eyes stuck to the screen of the small 17" T.V. Then, there was me, alone in my room listening to my radio, and in a way spacing out. I had started to think about what type of people my parents were. I was hoping they were not people who dropped me off years ago, and had forgotten about me by now. I hoped that they were nice people, that would come to Dwindley's tomorrow and take me "home." Whatever that really is.

Suddenly, my thinking was disrupted, by the sound of the creaking hinges on my door, someone was opening it. I looked towards it. Julie, one of the headmistresses at Dwindley's, was standing in the doorway, holding a piece of paper. She had a slight smile on her face, but a nervous look in her eyes. She walked over to me and handed me the piece of paper.

Runaway Part IV

I looked down at the baby. She looked a lot like her mom with piercing green eyes. Her hair was just a bit darker and more red. I walked to the baby room of the orphanage. She, the baby, stayed perfectly quite the whole time, I was surprised. I placed her in one of the cribs in the baby room. I took the crumpled piece of paper from her hand. I opened the note and read what it said.

The little girl you've been holding is my baby, Leenor. Right now, I just can't take care of her and before I can I need to get my life back on track. I hope that when I am in the place that I want to be, I will find her or she will find me, just we will find each other. I just love her so much. Treat her well, please.
-Mariah

I folded the letter up. When I looked back down into the crib, Leenor was fast asleep. The letter interested me, saddened me, and left with a lot of questions. Should I ever give this letter to Leenor? Obviously her mother wants her to find her someday. Oh, I just didn't know.

Runaway Part III

My name is Julie. I am a headmistress at Dwindley's orphanage. And I'm not sure if what I have just done was the complete right thing to do. You see, I just gave Leenor, an orphan, a letter, from her real mother, that I received when she was a baby. All this rambling probably doesn't make any sense to you, though. Here, let me start from the beginning about 11 years ago.

The doorbell rang, just once, the sound of it rang through the orphanage.

"Coming!" I yelled just in case the person thought no one was home.

When I opened the white door, a woman in between 20 and 23 years old, was standing there. She wasn't an amazing beauty but in a way she was, if that makes sense. Her eyes were bright, bright green! Auburn hair framed her face and her skin had a light golden tan. In her eyes, though, you could almost see a sadness, I did not know why, yet.

In her arms, there was a baby girl, or maybe I should call her an infant, I'd say she was about 2. In the infant's hand was a crumpled piece of paper. The woman, whose name I still did not know, handed me the child. She then turned and started to walk down the steps.

"Wait!" I shouted at her. "Wait, please, wait, what is your name?!" She did not turn around and she did not answer, she just kept walking away.

My Pocahontas Project

Chief Powhatan

Chief Powhatan was a the chief of the Powhatan tribe (located near the York River), you may be able to tell from his name. Since he was the major chief in that area, he had many wives and daughters. Out of all his daughters, his daughter, Pocahontas was his favorite. Thus, she had to do a lot less work than her other sisters. Instead of a sitting on a throne, Powhatan sat on around 11 mats to show that he was the head of the tribe. When the English came, Powhatan had wanted to execute the Englishmen John Smith. Before the execution, though, Pocahontas ran out and saved John Smith. After this, there was a ritual and John was then dubbed a low-rank chief in the tribe. He was also now Powhatan’s “son” and Pocahontas’s “brother.” Powhatan had never seen a gun before in his life, so when first saw an Englishmen use one, he was amazed. He wanted some for himself. He tried to trade corn with the English for guns, but they always refused the trade. They thought it would be very stupid to give guns to someone they may go to war with someday. They also had plenty of food at the time. A couple months after Powhatan’s offer, the English started to run low on food. Suddenly the trade did not seem so bad. They willingly traded two muskets for only three bushels of corn. Through this type of trading, after about three to four months, Powhatan had seven muskets, and some English prisoners. He had what he wanted: guns and the upper hand with the English. Until the English kidnapped Pocahontas and he did not see her for over a year. Powhatan finally made peace with the English in 1614. Powhatan died in 1618/1619, the exact date is unknown.



English Arrival

The English arrived on Powhatan’s land in 1607. The captain of the ship that was first to come in was Christopher Newport. His men admired his name, Christopher, because it made him like Christopher Columbus. Pocahontas’s people spread many rumors about the English before they met them. One of the rumors was that they were magical people, with unheard of weapons. When one of the Englishmen, John Smith, arrived in Pocahontas’s hometown of Werowocomoco she was impressed with him. He was very confident with the intimidating Indians. He was also very bold with his actions. Powhatan was suspicious of the English people. He wonder why they came, and if they wanted his land or his people John Smith and Pocahontas’s Relationship

When John Smith first saw Pocahontas he was interested. She had such a lively spirit among some of the serious-faced Indians. John had become Pocahontas’s brother when she saved him from being executed by her father. Pocahontas served as a messenger between Powhatan, John Smith, and all the Englishmen overall. Whenever Pocahontas would deliver a message John would give her a present. Usually, the present was some type of colorful, articulate glass bead that John had gotten in England. Only did he know that these were very cheap to buy and were common in England. To Pocahontas they were very amazing and looked expensive. Sometimes, as a special present John would give Pocahontas copper kettles. Which were extremely rare to where she lived and they also served a purpose, you could cook with them. When Pocahontas heard that her people were planning a surprise attack on the English, she saved John Smith once again. Hours before the attack came, Pocahontas sneaked through the woods and told the English of the planned attack. The English then, got their weapons ready for battle. The Indians, though, must have heard the English were ready for them, because the attack never came. John soon got annoyed with the way things were going in Jamestown (their settlement), so he left for England. The Indians never saw him leave, so they thought he had been killed. The English never told them any different. When Pocahontas heard this news she was very sad, John was her “brother,” and she had loved him.


Pocahontas’s Kidnap

The English knew the best way to get Powhatan to give up everything he had was to take what was closest to him, Pocahontas. They thought Powhatan would willingly pay the ransom they had in mind to get Pocahontas back. The ransom and/or what Powhatan had to give back to the English was: their seven muskets that Powhatan had gotten from a trade, all Powhatan’s English prisoners, and food/crops, like corn. The English’s first step in kidnapping Pocahontas was to hire (bribe) the Indian man Japizaws. Japizaws was known for making deals with the English so he could get “precious items,” of theirs. Japizaws was to trick Pocahontas into getting on an English ship. With the help of his wife, Japizaws got Pocahontas to get on the boat by saying it was deserted. At first, Pocahontas refused to join them on the ship. Then Japizaws wife cried, yelled, and screamed that she really wanted to go on an English ship, to make her stop Pocahontas went on. Once Pocahontas was on the boat she ate a nice breakfast with the captain, who she found out was actually on the boat. The captain, Japizaws, and his wife convinced her to take a rest after her meal on the ship. Pocahontas quickly fell asleep. That was Japizaws and his wife’s cue to sneak off the boat with their reward of a copper kettle and a few other things. The boat then took off, with Pocahontas in it. And when Pocahontas woke up, she was in Jamestown. All by herself, the only Indian there.



Captivity

Once Pocahontas was in Jamestown, messengers were quickly sent out to Powhatan to tell him of the kidnapping and ransom. Powhatan was very unhappy about the ransom, he wanted to keep his guns! He refused to pay the ransom and planned to secretly take Pocahontas back from the English. Pocahontas herself was sure that she would not be captive for long. For her father cared for her very much. The English hoped to convert Pocahontas to a Christian during her captivity, because converting heathens was very important to them. Shortly after Pocahontas arrived in Jamestown, she was transferred to Rock Hall, a one-acre parsonage, because it was more protected. There was also better religious teachers there. At Rock Hall Pocahontas had many religious teachings with Alexander Whitaker, a teacher/priest. Pocahontas had at least three teachings a day, with many other small talks. The teachings were not really changing Pocahontas though, because she never really listened to them. She was still just waiting for Powhatan to come save her. After around five to seven months in captivity, Pocahontas got lonely. Suddenly, to her, the Christian words were comforting, and she started to listen and comprehend them. She also met someone at church that made her feel less lonely, and his name was John Rolfe.


John Rolfe’s Interest

John Rolfe was a 28 year-old widower who was a survivor of the Bermuda Shipwreck. He was also very interested in making money off of tobacco fields, that he hoped to plant near where Pocahontas was captive. It turns out he made a tobacco plantation in Henrico, which is another English settlement near the York River. He met Pocahontas at church. Since he was so lonely, due to the loss of his wife and daughter in the same year, he started to check in on her frequently. He thought she was very “strange” because she was foreign and not completely Christian, but he had fallen in love with her anyways. Pocahontas studied religion very hard to impress John, because she knew converted to Christianity he would marry her. Soon, Pocahontas could answer every religious question the reverend asked. There was then a ceremony where she denounced Okee, the Indian “God,” and officially was converted to Christianity. After this, John convinced himself to marry Pocahontas. He thought the English would like that he encouraged the conversion. John proposed in 1613. The wedding was on April 5, 1614, in a Jamestown church. Pocahontas wore a long flowing dress. Powhatan, at this time, was ready to make peace, and brought gifts of freshwater pearls and land. In a way, people said, Pocahontas had brought peace to Virginia. About one year after the marriage, Pocahontas gave birth to her first, and only, son, Thomas.






England

Pocahontas arrived in England in 1616, with Matachama, Tomococo, and Thomas Dale’s English party. People in England had heard about Pocahontas. They were very happy about John and her marriage. The English were also amazed at the conversion and thought she brought peace to Virginia. England really surprised Pocahontas, though, it was very loud and full of carriages and large buildings. It was very different from where she had grown up. Pocahontas found out that John Smith was alive in England, which made her very happy, and had just returned from exploring. Soon after Pocahontas arrived in England, Lady de La Warre took charge of her. She made sure she had proper clothes and good manners. She also took Pocahontas around to see the many kings and queens that admired her. After a while, though, England started to get old. The streets smelled, the air was dirty, the rivers were polluted and there were crazy people everywhere. Pocahontas just wanted to go home. Pocahontas also started to feel very sick all the time. During the trip to Virginia that the family went on in 1617/1618 (Pocahontas, John R., and Thomas), Pocahontas felt so sick she made them pull the boat onto the shores of Gravesend. She died there.

Runaway Part II

Aside from the name I’m not the most perfect looking person either. My dark brown-reddish hair has this tendency to be frizzy and poufy and Is extremely hard to tame. I’m also one of those people who don’t tan, so my skin is very pale. One thing that always catches people about my face, though, is my brighter-than-emerald green eyes. In a way I think they kind of scare people because the color is so bright and piercing. I’m thirteen now, and I’ve been at Dwindley’s for eleven years. In all these years I've never even gotten a second look from an adopter. You know, it just gets really old and thats why I am going to escape.

Stay tuned…..