ray and his royal ragdolls

 ray and his royal ragdolls

 Ramin "gaming" radliv was deeply sleeping. he was almost 12 years old, and his "stash" was already shading his upper lip. When he awoke friday morning, he quickly glanced, toward his left, at his hanging calendar and he felt so near to his birthday. he swiftly turned his eyes back and  gazed at the calendar where he had circled "26"... now was the date above and touching 26.

his room was on the front corner of the home. one window was facing the narrow suburban street and the other, on his ryt side now as he lay in bed, was facing the roof of the neighbors low house. his bed was in that corner along the wall, and his head was between the two windows. he only had about two feet between the bed and the wall of qali's room, where the calendar hung. each month had a different photo of shiny cars or motorcycles. the room had literally "no room" for anything... it was barely a room... the word room did not accurately describe it. beside the bed was just an aisle to get to the dresser with drawers at the foot of his thin bed. 

he was hoping for a nice birthday party. However,  he felt that a week  was too long before it, to ask his parents about the party. his birthday would be on friday, and that nyt would have a full moon. the one nearest the equinox in 2021. also this "week" had not ended so he decided to wait until sunday to ask. 

he stood from bed and from facing the calendar, he walked slowly to his dresser and yanked a drawer, stepping backward toward the door of the narrow room.

he pulled out launderd leafy-green briefs, a neon-green sock, a pale-blue sok and his fave, his dark blue shirt with a soft collar and two buttons by the collar... no pocket. he felt good recalling this was a gift.

then he looked in the mirror hanging on his door. he saw his blond hair. He used his hand to push it towrd his ryt side. he did not need spectacles but most of his classmates wore lenses on various glasses frames. his eyes were blue... like the nazis. not like luke skywalker the famous blue-eyed jedi in star wars... but he had black hair. the contrast made that actor ugly. pale with pale matched better and that was the reason he chose pale blue for his soks, to match the bryt green one... and his eyes.

his lips were too thick. for ladies that is considerd sexy but he did not like thick lips neither for himself nor for a chik.

his pale blond stash was barely visible. he thout "no way i woud shave that off, nobody can see it yet and when they do, it will show i am already a man." he also thout about the gross talk his pa had told him, about waking up wet... not urine but a small amount of white liquid... so ray would not fear that he was bed-wetting like a toddler. still, despite his stash indicating physical maturity, his pyjama was as dry as ever. adding more reason not to shave so people would THINK he awoke wet... and hide the fact that he awoke dry.

under his fat swollen pale red lips, which were not red enuf, were yellow teeth. he knew that was the natural color and felt joy they were not wyt. despite the stash, the skin around his mouth was as smooth as his sister-the-toddler's cheek.

just as he yankd down his pyjama pants, to his ankles, the door of his room opend... his little sister barged in yelling "happy birth... oops". she spun around, slamd the door,  and hollerd "sorry for not knocking. i forget. tell me when you are not naked."

ramin blinkd in shock. when he heard the word "naked" ray felt shame that she announced it... he realized that he had not yet felt shame when she saw him... 

pyjamas around his ankles... coverd only by blue briefs. he said "please wait five minutes... on a clock this time then knock.--okay, dont be such a grouch--and my birthday is next week silly--no its not! i know its friday."

ray silently lifted his ryt leg and first puld his pyjama off it, standing balanced on his left leg. the order is trivial... he shoud not even think about it...

the door opend again as he stood awkwardly on one leg. his sister's long shiny blond hair faced him "did you hear me? i said today is friday...." she paused then continued "why wont you answer?--i said wait five minutes--okay! on a clock; i get it... i am already four you know." then she mischevously turned like a little imp and lookd at him just a brief glance before she ran out the door again, shutting it.

next he yanked the pyjama from his other leg and the anklet felt tyt so he puld hard to get it over his ankle. the recent weeks he had trouble tucking in his shirts. they were long enuf to reach his pants but not long enuf to stick inside. also they started feeling tyt by his armpits.

luckily his parents had bought new briefs before he needed to awkwardly ask... and they knew he liked various colors. so he now had 2 packs, adult size, each containing several colors. so far he had worn green, dark gray, dark blue and red. his parents had already laundered the green so he wore it again today before the ugly yellow one. he felt like throwing the yellow in the trash due to its gross color reminding him of mustard and looking like urine dried. next he pulled off his old blue briefs that he slept in. althoe they were old, he had not grown too big instead they had stretched and were not tyt. he had not really been naked when Qali had seen him. only naked in her ideas. 

he usualy had not slept with briefs, but now expecting the leak, that his pa had warnd him about, he grabd this one, last nyt for the first time. he swapd removing this old brief for the new green one, freshly laundered insted of pulling a new one from the pack.

next his jeans. again he balanced on one leg and jamd his left leg into the jeans. he noticed that before he had started with the ryt, pulling off, now he had swtched starting with left... it was trivial... but he had switched that was inconsistent! he comforted himself that such actions did not injure anybody... same as his dad had said if he chose to squeeze out the white liquid before sleep... that also woud not injure anybody and it would keep his pyjamas dry... but this order issue... he should not even notice the order just yank them on.

he thout about qali's room a mirror of his room. her door was touching his door. she had a narrow aisle with her bed on the ryt side of entering. the same side at the foot of the bed was a dresser with drawers. she did not have a calendar yet. 

next the undershirt. he puld another drawer and grabd the top wyt shirt. its underarms were yellow. they lookd like pee despite laundering... was that part of growing up? his shirt-armpits were never yellow until now? he hoped it was the deoderant stain. he decided to get colored undershirts too.

as he thout about the yellow stains on his shirt, he yankd on the shirt and noticed that he had not noticed which arm he did first. victory! he was free of exagerating trivial stuff... the gross yellow stain on the shirt had helped.

finally the shirt. it was dark blue. a close frend had given it to him for his birthday last year and he enjoyed the color and the memory that someone cared about him... especially ursulo, who he felt comfy around. it hung beyond the jeans so it should tuck in but this time he did not even try. he let it hang over his jeans.

now he sat on his bed and puld on his soks. and last his sports. he ripd the two "ribbons" apart and sliding down the curved tool jamd his foot in. he faild... the front of his foot was stuck on the panels, so he stretched the edges apart and almost got his foot inside. he had grown beyond his shoes. he also had sandals but the weather was too cold for sandals... what would he do?

a deep voice came from the door, "five minutes. can i come in?"--"yes kayy-leeee" he dragd her name out stretchng each sylable. she knokd and opend the door a bit so it was ajar. she whispered "are you still naked?--no.--good." then she hollerd "happy birthday ray", as she threw the door open suddenly, put a tube in her mouth and blew a toot.

ray smiled and clapd applause "good performance qali". she bowd as if on stage [meaning same as if she would be] and exited facing him walking backwards.

ramin took his dress shoes with laces, loosened the laces and pushed the edges wide then he slid his foot down the curved tool and his feet entered.

ryt foot in... then he doubted... to  tie it now or left shoe? he felt COMPELLED to think about it. still he was not compelled to do any order. yesterday he had inserted and tied the ryt shoe together first so today he would vary it... his actions would be free... despite the inconsistency. ryt shoe on he loosened the laces of the other shoe, jamd in his left foot and completed the mission for that shoe by tying it. the sweet taste of victory now THAT mattered.

last he reviewed: shoes v, soks v, jeans and briefs v... green this time. stained shirt v blue shirt v spectacles x. as he walked away he realized his other shoe was not tied ! oof better to finish each shoe... he considered that with the strips this woud not be an issue but the sports were too small for his new feet... so he needed laces and needed to tie so he tied.

he stepd out of his room facing the shower room door. its ryt wall had a window same as his room, but under the window was a long pink tub. it had a broad plastic curtain colored with rainbows which qali had chosen. beside the tub facing the door was a tiny toilet also pink ceramic to match the tub and pink tiles. did he use it? obviously. then since the room had no sink he used the tub to wash his hands. he exited the shower room, and turned ryt passing the door of his parents room. it was the width of qali's room plus the stairway that led down to the lower level. the kitchen with its oven was under the parent's room, behind the steps.

he hurried down the carpeted steps of the tiny narrow home. it was better than the apartment he grew up in but still felt small. when qali was born they had already moved into this home with more bedrooms. the upper level where he slept had two narrow rooms above the dining room. at the foot of the stairs was a second toilet room, for anyone returning home and when the bed levels toilet was temporarily occupied.

at the foot of the stairs on his left side was the dining room with the long table along the wall below his room. qali was eating flakes in milk, but he was in the mood of scrambled eggs. ramin opend the frij under the stairs, and searched for eggs, but the row of the egg section was empty. so he askd "no eggs?" qali answered "you ate the last ones yesterday and we dont shop on "thusdays" [that was what qali always called it]  kuz too many people shop that day... and today is friday so its your birthday."

ray squinted... he had not eaten eggs yesterday... had he? and if so why would he crave them two days in a row?

as ray shut the frij, he announced "i'll just skip this time..." but his pa said "not these years. you MUST put in the briks to build yourself." ray knew that pa was correct this time. but he wanted eggs... he re-opend and scand the frij. yogurt... too sweet for him to enjoy, plain yogurt too sour... milk too watery. then he saw cheese.

he grabbed two wrapped slices from the pack. then opend the freezer to get some bleached bread. he shut the freezer door and turnd and lay the bred on the table beside qali. then freed his hands by laying the cheese on the table... qali grabd one and started peeling the wrapper "hey..." ray started protesting, but qali interrupted "for you kuz its your birthday". by the time he puld two sices of frozen bread out from the bag, she had peeled open both wrappers and lay cheez still stuk to its plastic on the table. next he turnd left to the microwave on a shelf in the kitchen beside the window facing the grassy backyard. he knew that he was under the tub. below it. he lay the 2 slices of bread on the paper plate in the wave oven and presd the button for defrost. a gentle heat as he watched the timer countdown... 30, 29, it FELT like forever... he should just skip... qali was behind him "you forgot to melt the cheez--good idea kay!" she lay the cheez in his hand and sat again by her flakes, and returnd to munching. finally after a year, the 30 seconds ended. he lay the cheez on each slice of bread tapd start and watched. as the timer counted down 30 seconds he saw at 18 the cheez was starting to melt, 17, 16 stop. he puld out the plate and grabd the next paper plate ready beside the micro, to insert. a short distance to the table he sat beside qali facing the white wall. he ate the cheez and bred. then out the door... "wait!" shouted his ma. "why are you wearing fancy shoes?--my feet grew--awww" ma cood like a proud bird. "and his soks dont match" whispered qali as if only ma would hear. he bent up to kiss his ma's cheek before leaving when qali shreikd "he's NAKED again". indeed he felt a cold breez between his shirt and his jeans. she saw his skin and started taunting in a tant tune "i saw you naked i saw you naked" she meant now but did she mean in his room?

quickly he announced "she SEES my skin now". ma replied "we will buy you new shirts saturday. "saturn-day" hollerd qali, trying to correct her ma.

finally he left the house and walkd the short distance to the nearby school. it had a flagpole and three levels. school was over before he could feel the time pass and he was walking home.

the next day as pland, they went shopping for shirts. his parents let him choose which shirts he liked so he chose the style that ursulo had given him. many colors in adult size. lyt blue dark blue, dark green blak. "four is enuf" ray announced to pa. "no way. we have too much difficulty planning laundry trips. you get enough for 9 days." so he picked 2 more blues and two more greens. pa handed him one with stripes. "stripes are for kids" snarled ray. "adults wear stripes" insisted pa. ramin liked the colors so he accepted. "now choose new larger jeans." offerd pa. so he tried on some. pa reminded him "make sure its loose so you will grow into it, and long we can role the legs up and later unroll them." so he found the size like that description and got 9 jeans in that size. he could reuse his belt which still fit. what would he do with his old shirts? he would make the ROYAL rag-dolls. but before they left he recalled his yellow armpits. "pa i need colored undershirts, please--why?-- the armpits are yellow--that is caused by the deodorant and nobody sees under your short--THAT'S a relief." but ramin did not feel relieved... he knew he would see the ugly yellow stain every day... day after day after day... his comfort was his plan to make royal rag dolls, to repurpose the fabric.

to be continued.