Once Upon A PipSqueak
So there she was this “30 and more years old” woman, who answered to the name Heather and thought she had at least some claim to the Boston Strong title. After all she’d windsurfed the questionable waters of the Charles, screamed herself hoarse at many a Redsox and Celtics game, and even survived an altercation with a pepper spray wielding city employee who really did not appreciate finer things in life like humor or parkour. And sure, while that might have been enough to give her the confidence to take her life in her hands by riding the T everyday, it was not enough to prepare her for this next venture. To put it plainly - she was about to get ROLLED. And by a pipsqueak.
A pipsqueak that hadn't yet celebrated her fourth birthday and barely stood head and shoulders above Heather’s knees. The pipsqueak went by Stella, Star, and eventually “DJ Stella Star Money” but that’s another story. (Click for another story). Stella’s Mama was dating Heather and introduced Stella to Heather at a Roller Derby event.
Stella immediately began calling Heather, “Feather” instead. As a child Heather hated being called Feather. When an adult called her Feather she would scream and drop to the ground wailing “WHHHHYYY??” as though she’d been stabbed. When a sister or cousin dared to call her that, it would be a knock-down, drag-out fight. And here was this little pipsqueak calling her Feather on repeat without a care in the world. Heather tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and slowed it down for her “If you can say Feather, you can say my name -HEATHER- its just the H sound instead of the F”
Stella beamed “OH..HEAVEN, I know that word!” If there was one thing Heather wanted to be called less than Feather, it was Heaven. “Okay ya know what Pipsqueak, Feather. Feather is fine.” The pipsqueak would out grow calling her Feather, soon enough thought Heather -who shall now only be referred to as Feather- because by the time ‘soon enough’ rolled around, the Pipsqueak had all Feather’s friends and Family calling her Feather too, even Mama began calling her Feather.
But back to Roller Derby. Stella liked cheering and high fiving all the players as they came off the track. Feather like cheering too, and when she noticed Stella was wearing super fast looking sneakers they raced up and down the sidelines together and Stella showed her how high her super fast shoes let her jump. Stella’s Mama got her a bag of cotton candy that she tried to eat like a dog in honor of her Paw Patrol friends. Eventually Mama tore it from her little paws and told her she’d have to wait til tomorrow to have more. All in all it was a fun evening.
On the way home Stella was feeling her sugar rush and begged her Mama to put on her Spotify playlist. Feather was introduced to the delightful phenomena of cartoon choirs with singing trains and snowmen and hits from Frozen. “Come on MAMA!” The pipsqueak squawked from the backseat. “Show ‘em how Boston does it!!!”
Mama obeyed by rolling down the windows and cranking up the tunes. The spring air was a little chilly for Feather’s taste but she followed Stella’s lead and rocked out. Eventually Mama turned the tunes back down and rolled up the windows. She handed a colored pencil case back to Stella so she could color, while she stopped in at a gas station. Feather stayed in the car with Stella while Mama ran her errand. Stella entertained herself babbling away and scribbling ferociously.
“I’M ALL DONE!” She called out suddenly and asked for her colored pencil case back. It only took Feather a minute to find it but by that time Stella had chucked the colored pencils up in the air and all over the car. Feather appraised the impressive mess “Nice one kid” she said not thinking Stella was really listening, but Stella immediately shot back- “Give me the cotton candy, KID!” Feather had just seen this little pipsqueak mean mugging and hollering Little Sally Walker into the wind, she’d seen her super fast footwork and now her quick wit. Feather new when she was beat. She handed over the cotton candy just as Mama returned to the car. “What is going on here??!” She laughed and snatched the cotton candy back. BUSTED. “Can we take your friend home now?” Stella asked. So Feather had failed at their first attempt at mischief together. She would have to make better next time…
Most of the rest of the ride home involved “showing ‘em how Boston does it!” And Feather arrived on her doorstep wind blown, with screechy cartoons still echoing in her ears and a new nickname. She didn’t know it yet but she had a feeling…She was in trouble, big trouble- The BEST kind of trouble. The kind of trouble you can only get in to with the Jacksons.