I taunted her as she jumped, her short, stocky frame failing to reach my outstretched hand. "Give it to me you prick," She screamed.
I lowered the envelope, waved it in front of her, only to raise it when she lunged. "I already did, and now you're knocked up."
Jenny's beady eyes glowered. Her right foot found its mark. I crumpled to the ground. Laughter erupted as I brought my knees to my chest. I cursed in agony. Jenny snatched the envelope. For good measure, she kicked my lower back and then my ass, before storming off.
From that day on, Jenny was known as The Nutcracker. My new nickname was mouse. Lucas said it was how I squealed after Jenny's foot found paydirt. On a positive note, I only had two months of public humiliation before graduation.
Two months after graduation, world events happened. Our little corner of Cemetery Street would never be the same. August 2nd nineteen ninety isn't an infamous day. But it did begin a downward spiral that twisted through January 16th and March 2nd, nineteen ninety-one and culminated on December 19th, nineteen ninety-eight. How I wish those dates could be just meaningless days in my pathetically petty life.
"Did you watch the news?" Shannie asked on August 2nd.
"No."
"Iraq invaded Kuwait."
"So?"
"There's going to be a war."
"What's the big deal?" As time passed, I understood her emotion. Count was in the middle of the mess. So began our vigil; CNN our alter.
"Trust me, good old Mr. Thousand points of light isn't going to sit by and watch Saddam suck up the oil.
"That's the first step," Shannie proclaimed when President Bush announced an embargo of Iraq. "But that's not good enough!" Days later as the European Community and the U.N. announced like embargoes. Shannie told the Television, "Bush is lining up the dominos, it's a matter of time before he tips them."
What really had Shannie upset was Count not returning phone calls. "He's not getting my messages," she lamented. "Why else wouldn't he return my calls?"
"Maybe he's busy preparing for war," I said. Shannie scowled. "He is a soldier; war is his job."
"You're an asshole!"
I shrugged and returned my attention to CNN. News broke that the Saudi's invited United States military forces into the kingdom. In the days following, Shannie and I watched endless flights of men and materiel head for Saudi Arabia.