tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66331457227584165122024-02-08T06:10:01.228-08:00Hazel Pierce“It was too much work to remember things you might not have again, and so one by one they opened up their hands and let them go.”
― Ann Patchett, Bel CantoHazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-71828373161395664762015-04-13T15:53:00.001-07:002015-04-13T15:53:21.729-07:007.
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As
I stroll through the streets of the San Telmo district, the familiar sounds and
smells of Buenos Aires surround me. I slow down to snap a picture of the
beautiful tin houses that have been painted a rainbow of colors, and I can hear
my friends laughing and calling my name farther up the road. They stop at a food cart for Argentina’s
famous choripán, and I hurry to catch up. I reach to pay for my food and the
man behind the grill smiles and says “happiness will come from an unexpected
place today". A little taken aback I thank him and soon fall into a lively
discussion about upcoming research plans with my colleagues from the
university. A feeling of content and happiness washes over me. I feel at home
here on these winding streets. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet,
just when I am finishing up my conversation about the new rural outreach
program, my friends suddenly begin to shimmer as if they are no longer made of
flesh and blood. Before I can utter another word, they disappear. In a panic, I
whirl around to see if anyone else saw what just happened before me. But the
streets are suddenly vacant, the only sound I hear is the sizzling of the meat
on the now abandoned grill. I run down the streets, and the houses begin
changing around me. Suddenly I find myself running frantically through what
appears to be Dreamwood Terrace. I come to a grinding halt right in front of
the fountain; the hot tile searing through my shoes. I feel a hand on my
shoulder, and I turn to find myself looking into the eyes of Jasmine Reed. She
reaches her hand out to touch my face, “go back” she says. I reach out to
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One
thing is clear. I need to leave Dreamwood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-57808002372214904762015-03-22T13:59:00.000-07:002015-03-22T13:59:06.479-07:006.
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The
ambulance siren blares above me. The paramedics move rapidly to secure the
oxygen mask over my head, and I see the blurry outline of a man wrapping gauze
around my legs. “Hazel, focus on me.” But that takes too much effort, and the
searing pain in my lungs is enough to make me lose my grip. I feel myself slip
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me. As she talks in front of me I find
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overcomes me. I feel as though an important memory is slipping away from me,
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gone, and all I’m left with is a snapshot image of a woman in a bar and a
chilling sensation that spreads across my body. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-88166634510976152522015-02-22T13:22:00.000-08:002015-02-22T13:23:53.697-08:005. <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-32f672b2-b328-d28e-f85f-5948b563e3ca" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;"></span><br /></span>
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I stood in front
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day. The anniversary of my parents death. I watched the fountain trickle
slowly into the basin. I knew I should probably move. I had to get to work, but
I felt paralyzed. A man to my right jostled me into the street, closer to
the fountain. I peered into the basin, only to find myself staring into the
eyes of a girl I didn't recognize. Her lips looked blue, her hair wild,
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landing on a searing hot tile by the fountain. Before I could even register
what was happening, a blue subaru came careening out of nowhere. Its horn
blaring and its headlights flashing, it was clear I wouldn’t get out of the way
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I woke up
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okay. Today, the very day my parents lost their life, I had faced the same fate
and survived. For the first time since I got to Dreamwood Terrace, I knew I was
going to be okay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-43869923801537656802015-02-01T12:59:00.002-08:002015-02-01T13:05:15.756-08:004. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I
slowly stirred the vat of oatmeal in the kitchen of New Hope, lost in my
thoughts. Jason, one of the younger boys living here, wandered in and asked if
he could help make breakfast. I hoisted him up to the pot and was reminded of
my first few weeks here. It was a blur of tight smiles, sympathetic glances,
and awkward embraces. I was older than Jason is now, but still oblivious to
what was in store for me. After the crash, it took me two years before I could
get into a car again and five years before I could be behind the wheel. I
still can't drive past the pub without feeling the scars burn on my shoulder.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jason
hopped off the stool and scurried away after I doled out the oatmeal and handed
him a bowl. I worked with Christina and Sarah to tear sheets off beds
and throw them in the giant washers before heading out the door to the minute
clinic. I stepped out into the morning air and the world seemed calm, as if
sheltered by the sky and its blanket of dark clouds. The trees loomed in front
of me, completely still. All I could hear was the crackling of a fire to my
right. Then suddenly a women burst into frantic laughter, her face framed by
the dancing light. Eager to avoid an encounter
I tried to walk quickly to my car, but she pulled me into a conversation about
New Hope and her friend Sarah, a volunteer at the children's home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
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time to think about what I've given up to be here, and then I just feel guilty
for even thinking about turning my back on Christina and New Hope. I have to
continuously remind myself that I'm here to give back and to confront the
trauma that has plagued the past fifteen years of my life. But that’s getting
pretty hard to do as the days whip by in a blur of flu shots, oatmeal, and
grubby hands. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-8870059541240194072015-01-25T14:52:00.000-08:002015-02-01T06:12:17.050-08:003. (New Hope Children's Home)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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The
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name being called out, but I couldn't respond. Just when I thought I
couldn't take it anymore, I woke up in a panic. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve
been having a lot of those types of dreams lately. Ever since the accident. I
find the best way to cope is to turn on all the lights, make some coffee, and
go talk to the first person available in the hopes of letting the fear from the
nightmare drift away. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Heading
out of my bare room and out of New Hope, I strode quickly to the Sunnyside up
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self: when you've barely just gotten out of bed, don't show up at a speed-dating
event. You will feel very out of place in sweats and a ratty T-shirt. Just
as I was about to get out of there, I had a nametag shoved into my hand. I
looked up to see who the offending stranger was, and found myself staring into
the "dreamy" eyes of Brian. <o:p></o:p></div>
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here?" I asked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He laughed and pulled me out of the
doorway "I’m trying to represent the minute clinic" he
responded. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I
rolled my eyes as I ripped off the nametag. I wasn't going to have any part of
this, so not my thing. But he insisted I stay and meet some of his friends. As
I wandered around with my coffee, I took in the people in front of me. Could I
really stay in Dreamwood for that long? It feels forced and strange to be in
this town. I don't want to spend my life around people that only remind me of
my childhood and what it was like to lose my family. Standing there alone, watching the room swell in front of me, I began to panic. What was I thinking coming
back here? Does New Hope even really need me? All of the sudden the room
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The
frigid air burned my eyes and my throat as I started running. I needed to get
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ebb away leaving me exhausted and more confused than ever. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-84248302738597702412015-01-05T07:10:00.002-08:002015-01-15T15:52:46.677-08:002. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today I got a job. Working at the minute clinic could never rival the research I was doing in Argentina, but I didn't come back here to make medical history. Im here to help Christina with the children's home. She's been overwhelmed ever since Jasmine died, and since Jasmine practically raised me the least I can do is help New Hope get back on its feet. But that doesn't mean I need to give up my career all together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">You never know who will walk in the minute clinic. Today I treated a spunky five year old with poison ivy, vaccinated an angsty teen against HPV, and diagnosed an eighty year old's bladder infection. The city has been hit with a particularly bad case of the flu, and so the waiting room was packed with sniffling patients of all ages. On the bright side, I get to work with one of my childhood friends Brian. Today we caught up over waffles at brunch. Brian and I have been friends ever since we were lab partners in AP Chemistry. I think just about every women in this city has her sights set on Brian, and he is completely oblivious. It's pretty hilarious, especially since Brian wasn't such hot stuff back in the tenth grade. We were just those nerdy kids that got way too excited about the kidney dissections. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just as I was walking out of the clinic, a man came in with a minor abrasion on his leg. He smelled of smoke, but seemed to be dusted in what looked like pink glitter.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> It all seemed a little strange if you ask me. I had to get back to the children's home, and so Brian checked him out. Looking at his face one more time as I walked out, I was sure I had seen him before. Oh well, let Brian deal with guy. It was time for me to get dinner ready back at New Hope. </span></div>
Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6633145722758416512.post-29964801051824040222014-12-18T13:33:00.000-08:002014-12-18T13:53:56.887-08:001. <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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My day ends with a visit to the last place anyone wants to be at 8:00 at night.The headlights of my car light up the
graves of the cemetery in front of me as I pull into the parking lot. I
step out into the cold damp night and trudge over to the headstone. The
sight of a few empty velvet chairs onlooking a freshly buried plot to my left
gives me the chills, but I continue through the fog to sit down in front of a
headstone. Jasmine Reed: Loving friend
and mother. I tilt my head up to the sky with my back against the stone; it
had been a long flight from Argentina. I touch the locket Jasmine gave me years
ago, before I left for college. She had always known I would leave this place.
Without her I would have never been able to make it through medical school, but
I only wish she could have been there to see me receive my diploma. Before the
sadness can wash over me, I collect my things and head to the car. I take a left out of the cemetery and head to Hubert Johnson road.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br />
Time hasn’t done this city any
favors. I can see the lights in Dreamwood Terrace flicker on and off and the
flow of water from the fountain overshoot the basin and spray into the street.
As I head into the outskirts of the city, I can hear the whistle
of the train on the tracks and the familiar chords of Guitar Red’s favorite
song. Lost in my thoughts, I am jerked back to reality by the lights suddenly
going dark in all the shops around me. I drive a little faster, ready to get
off the road. As I park and walk up to the New Hope Children’s home, Christina
sees me and exuberantly shouts, “Welcome home”, through the upstairs window. I
step inside, and memories of my childhood come flooding back. I’ve spent the
past seven years trying to get away from Dreamwood, from this place. But here I
am, once a child of the system, always a child of the system. <o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Hazel Piercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10617595791563045605noreply@blogger.com0