Judy – the girl with the balls of her brother

First time I’d heard ‘tomboy’ applied to anyone, and she was a perfect example, always wearing aertex shirts and boys’ shorts, with snake hooked striped elastic belt.

Her body, legs and arms, all gangly, lacking girlhood guile, yet not without grace. Hair short and straight and blondish, face narrow, freckled, smiling; eyes grey, or green or maybe brown – I guess I’d now say ‘hazel’ – their expression always honest.

I found her alien insofar as she was unknown, not conventional, atypical of what I then thought a girl of her age ought to be. But interesting, worthy of attention, to be questioned as to the source of her self-confidence.
And also as to the source of the scarring on her throat, around her neck, to which she answered “Fire, from playing with a light switch.”


[This is, to some extent, second thoughts following my previous post]

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Tags: childhood, tomboy

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Comment by Sandra Davies on October 19, 2010 at 12:54am
@ Mike and Rob - thank you messieurs - praise from you is praise indeed
@ Toby - yes, but only if you treat her nice
@ Julia - Littl'un said he had a navy blue & red belt - so I MUST be losing my memory
Comment by Mike Handley on October 18, 2010 at 11:00pm
See what I mean about recall? You thought that well was tapped out in your last post, and yet you found enough dregs to produce a wonderful sequel. I love your brain, showered or unshowered.
Comment by Toby Tucker Hecht on October 18, 2010 at 8:06pm
Wow! Playing with a light switch, burning her neck, and with great confidence. An amazing character. Can I steal her for a short story??????
Comment by Robert Crisman on October 18, 2010 at 7:31pm
I like this one a lot. "lacking girlhood guile"--priceless!
Comment by Sandra Davies on October 18, 2010 at 2:25pm
@ T - apparently the burning was before she was adopted, but I know no more - and she changed her name from Judy, presumably under the influence of adoptive parents.
Comment by Teresa on October 18, 2010 at 2:04pm
I remember wanting to be a tomboy. I half pulled it off. I looked like a boy for a long time, was mistaken for a boy a few times with my short pixie hair cuts when I was 5, 6, 7, 8. This is so full of imagery. I can see her and now the story of the light switch is haunting me. I hope you remember more. If she was adopted, no wonder what she came from.
Comment by Sandra Davies on October 18, 2010 at 1:38pm
Nope - I don't remember having seen one since my brother wore one ... but am prepared to admit that it might be my memory that's at fault
Comment by jkdavies on October 18, 2010 at 12:55pm
you must have kept one lying around? I'm sure the dearly beloved middle child had a red/blue/red one?
Comment by Sandra Davies on October 18, 2010 at 12:44pm
Hell's bell's Julia - I didn't know you were THAT old!!
Comment by jkdavies on October 18, 2010 at 12:32pm
"the snake hooked striped elastic belt" took me right back to my own childhood. Funny the things you forget, I can't remember when I last saw one...

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