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something good for mankind."And, hopefully, making out with my boyfriend. Oh, yes, and discovering
that I am a skilled shingle layer. Hey, you never know. "Remember Prince William? He spent a YEAR
after high school inChile helping the poor. I'm just going toWest Virginia , and only for five days. I think I
can gold out for five days of getting up at six A.M."
Grandmèrejust took a sip of her sidecar and pettedRommel , her semi-bald toy poodle.
"Suityourself ," she said. "But I hope this doesn't mean you are going to start going about in native
wear, like those bulky Chilean sweaters Prince William started wearing. You know how wool gives you
a rash."
I toldGrandmère they don't wear sweaters inWest Virginia , and she asked what they do wear, then,
and I had to admit I didn't know. That's when she stabbed a finger at me and went, "Ah ha! I'll tell you
what they wear inWest Virginia ! Gunnysacks! That's what they wear inWest Virginia !"
I toldGrandmère that contrary to what she might believe, the Depression is over and nobody wears
gunnysacks anymore.
But I don't know. I mean, what about that movieNell , starring Jodie Foster, where she played that deaf
mute who lived way out in the woods and was always going on about "dancin'een theweend "? I am
pretty sure that was set inWest Virginia .Or one of theCarolinas . Close enough. And she was wearing a
gunnysack.Or a housedress at the very last.
Oh, my God, I hope they don't expect us to dress like the natives in order to blend in! I don't own a
housedress! I don't even think you can buy one of those inNew York !
Friday, March 11, 11 p.m., the loft
I was so worked up about all the gunnysacks and Gatorade that when I got home I asked Mr.Gianini if
there was something he maybe wasn't telling me about his past trips with Housing for the Hopeful. Mr. G
has never actually been toWest Virginia before, but he went toMexico and someTexas border towns
with H for the H. He went, "Really, Mia, I can't say enough positive things about the experience. It really
taught me to appreciate all that I have."
Which is fine, but didn't really answer my question about the gunnysacks.He did say I could borrow his
hammer, though.
So I went online and instant messaged Michael, because after all, he is my heart's desire, and the only
person on earth who can soothe me when my soul turns fractious as an injured pony.
But even though he is my reason for living and all of that, Michael was totally unhelpful about the whole
gunnysack thing.
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LINUXRULZ: Mia, the people we are going to build homes for are poor, not demented. I am sure they
are going to be wearing something other than bags. I mean, it's not going to be like inDeliverance .
I have never seenDeliverance because I don't like movies where things jump out at people from behind
trees, but I pretended like I had, because I want Michael to think I am mature for my age. After all, he is
a senior and I am only a freshman. I have to do what I can to keep him from remembering I am only
fourteen and three quarter years old.
FTLOUIE: I know. But I mean, did you ever readChristy ?
This is kind of a stupid question to ask a guy, since the only guy I know who has readChristy is my
neighbor Ronnie, who is now a girl.But whatever. Michael is way well read, for a member of what my
mom likes to call the cult of patriarchy.
FTLOUIE: becauseChristy takes place in theSmokeyMountains , which are practically the same as
theAppalachians , and everybody in it gets typhoid because of the unsanitary conditions, including
Christy, and I am just saying, maybe that's why we're not supposed to touch the animals....
LINUXRULZ: Mia, stop worrying so much. If it were really unsafe, do you think Principal Gupta would
be going?
FTLOUIE: Principal Gupta does some very strange things sometimes. Remember when she agreed to
play OfficerKrupke in the drama club's production of West Side Story?
LINUXRULZ: Mia, instead of obsessing over the possibility of contracting typhoid and/or having to
wear a gunnysack, why don't you try to keep in mind the most important aspect of this whole trip?
I thought maybe he meant the fact that we were going to get to make out beneath theWest Virginia stars.
But since that seemed unlikely, given our last few conversations, I decided he must mean the whole thing
where I might possibly find out that I am good at something besides recording every single last detail of
my existence in this diary, which is not exactly a worthwhile skill.
But when I realized he couldn't possibly mean that, because I hadn't mentioned my secret fantasy that it
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turns out I am an excellent plasterer, or whatever. So instead I wrote:
FTLOUIE: You mean the part where we are helping the poor to self-actualize?
LINUXRULZ: No, I mean the part where you and I get to spend five whole days together without any
interference from your grandmother.
Oooooh! So heis catching on, after all!!!
Michael's right. Who cares about typhoid when there'skissing ?
Saturday, March 12, 5:30 a.m., on the bus toWest Virginia
Well, the kissing hasn't started yet.
That's because before we'd even gotten to the Lincoln Tunnel, Boris got carsick and had to throw up in
a paper bag, and Lilly said no way was she sitting by him anymore, and told Michael to move so she
could sit by me, and when Michael said no, Boris threw up some more, only this time he missed the
paper bag, and it went all over the floor, and Principal Gupta and Mrs. Hill had to clean it up, but they
didn't do a very good job on account of not having any paper towels or anything, so we all had to move
to the back of the bus, away from vomit fumes, and Michael was the only one who volunteered to stay
with Boris and make sure that next time he threw up in the bag.
My boyfriend is so cool. Not only is he incredibly smart and a very talented musician and skilled with
computers and an excellent kisser and all of that, but he is also extremely compassionate. Maybe he will
be a doctor someday, and discover a cure for cancer. I certainly hope so, because that's the only way
theGenovian Parliament is going to approve me marrying him.
I am not worried, though. Michael is a man among men, and will doubtlessly do something extraordinary
with his life that will win the hearts of theGenovian people, just as he has won mine. If only I had as many
useful talents as Michael does. It would be nice if I could play the guitarand knew html.
Anyway, even though I offered to sit up in the front of the bus with Michael and help him pass paper
bags to Boris, he said, just like Daniel Day-Lewis inThe Last of the Mohicans, "No, Mia, save