2016
May 21, 2016
One place Chloe really cleaned up was ballet recitals. Following in Faith’s footsteps, Chloe enrolled in ballet classes at around 5 years old. Because they were the youngest and the hobby in question was ‘gender appropriate’, Chloe had a full row of cheerleaders (and bouquets) for most performances.
JUne 6, 2016
One thing Chloe and I always had in common was time spent at our grandmother’s. Though for different reasons, Chloe and I’s parents relied on our grandmother (‘s drivers license) for childcare. We spent days through the summer in the guest room of her duplex. The antique floral sheets had followed us to every one of my grandmother’s homes.
First in her marital house in Arlington, TX where our parents were born are raised. Then to the duplex and eventually a retirement community on the other side of town. I didn’t know then how much this set of photos would mean to me, but they caught the eye of my teacher, and he let me make prints and hang them up in a school hallway. At that time all the images were tinted to match our shared sadness, and titled Purple Suburbia.
JUne 6, 2016
It’s funny to consider how many images were made of Chloe in their backyard. The trampoline was a gift that kept on giving, but so too was a swing set. Their backyard nestled safely in the suburbs had room for a porch-style bench and a horse-shaped tire swing, both tied to the same tree.
The bench was nice because we could sit together, even with a dog (mine or Chloe’s). But the tire swing was fun because it felt secure enough to push someone so high, the thing might have flipped over if there weren’t horse-ear-shaped handlebars to hold. The sound of the rope scratching against weathered tree bark, bookmarks the memory in my mind.
July 4, 2016
For a while, Christmas and 4th of July were the only days I was sure I’d see Chloe and Faith. To this day I associate both holidays with horseplay among the cousins. We’d play ridiculous make believe games in our grandparent’s pool and watch fireworks from the grass after the sun went down. Almost every adult in our extended family spent these gatherings three sheets to the wind, so the grandkids were mostly self-sustaining.
Faith and I played house with an eager Chloe and an eye-rolling Davis. We’d sneak around the house, playing spies and pito-chating on our Nintendo DS. Our meals were built squarely off of peanut butter pretzels and cookies from a bear-shaped jar. We fought over who got the googles and who dripped all over the bathroom. If we needed something, we huddled and sent Chloe to go ask for it like a diplomat. As the final grandkid, Chloe had that special ‘youngest’ sway over grown-ups, it was always our best chance.
September 24, 2016
If it wasn’t clear already, Chloe has more attitude per square inch than most American children. I’m not sure if it’s genetic, or if that’s the destiny for the youngest of a half dozen grandkids. But on this day I really noticed; watching Chloe play in my (limited) makeup collection was like watching a flower bloom. You could call Chloe brave but it was more than that, Chloe was unbothered, by looks or judgement or what ‘should be’.
C: Does this mascara have glitter in it?
S: Yes! I got it at a birthday party.
C: So why don’t you wear it every day?
December 31, 2016
Time spent with Davis and Chloe was a different kind of special, rare. Though further apart in age than Faith and I, they were the two youngest; I saw the recognition is Davis’ eyes that they’d be the last ones left after I was gone.
Chloe loved him the whole time. They shined under his affection made even sweeter by its rarity. When Davis was frustrated by Chloe’s youth and clinging arms, Chloe still wanted to around with him. Davis came around in his teenage years, go figure.