Smile Stained Mask

Blink away tears never cried
As you lie awake and wonder why
Was it what you did or what you said?
Or are you simply better off dead?

There's no arm to hold you
Not a hand to stop the tears
So just hold it all back
And make it disappear

'Cause it's better to live in a fantasy world
Than to live in a hell
Decided by someone else

Now paint on a smile
Create your own mask
Whatever it takes
To make sure they don't ask

For if you hide the pain
Embeded within
Surely they'll believe
The twisted words of your lips

No explanation needed
Just the fabricated truth
Maybe a smile or giggle will do

If they think you're ok
Then there's no questions asked
You'll always be safe
Behind a smile stained mask

MCJROTC Assignment - Leadership Essay: Introspect of a Leader

    One must be able to honestly examine oneself in order to be an effective leader. If you cannot be honest with yourself you cannot be honest with others. Therefore, in not allowing yourself a truthful introspection, you diminish your ability to make credible decisions for others. As a commanding officer, platoon leader, and officer candidate, I am very aware of the necessity of introspection. The foundations by which Marine Corps cadets are encouraged to construct themselves upon are the Marine Corps leadership traits and principles.

    Endurance is a leadership trait I believe I surpass in. Endurance is the ability to withstand pain, fatigue, stress, and hardship. As a cheerleader I am required to physically persevere throughout every routine no matter what the given conditions are. Yet as a sister, daughter, and leader I have to mentally persist. When my family is mourning a loss or hardship I do not let it reflect on my face in front of them because seeing others grieve only builds the tension. When things could be better at home I do my best to leave my problems at home and deal with them after practice. Leaders have an obligation to their subordinates to always be there for them physically, mentally, and emotionally. All the same, a leader must always be able to make sound and timely decisions for their people.

    The act of enduring ones own discomfort at the expense of the comfort of others is unselfishness. This, too, is a trait in which I have acquired. From sharing my lunch with a friend who could not afford her own to lending my sweater to friends, cadets, and family that forgot theirs, I have displayed this trait often. It is easier to tolerate your own discomfort when you know that it is the cause of someone else’s comfort. Unselfishness becomes difficult when you are in the cold and freezing even as you wear your sweater, and then noticing another person is in need of one. Still, that is trait that enables you to take off your sweater and give it to the person without.

    For everything we excel in, there is another we fall short of. Tact is the ability to deal with others without creating offense. I notice that at times when I am put in a situation where I am already under stress, my tact is not as good as it could be. Despite the fact that my intentions are usually good, sometimes I let my relationship with a person illustrate itself in my reaction to a situation. When I first joined MCJROTC, I could hardly talk to a particular cadet without being snide because that cadet was a constant reminder of a person I have chosen not to associate myself with. While I can now hold a civil conversation with this person, I still catch myself, every now and then, being sarcastic to this person without reason. Consequently, I have become aware of my need to improve on obtaining tact.

    Knowledge, while it is of great importance to the MCJROTC program, is another trait I struggle with. Knowledge consists of several aspects. Among these are: comprehending a science or art, the array of one’s information, and understanding your Marines. The aspect in which I falter most in is that of the array of information. If you give me a topic I am eager to learn about, I can memorize facts and regurgitate them like it’s my second language. However, when it comes to mathematics and other subjects I do not take interest in, it is hard for me to analyze, process, and the understand the given information. Knowledge is crucial to everyone but most importantly to leaders because you cannot expect your followers to learn something you yourself refuse to study.

    Know yourself and seek improvement. This, to me, is a primary principle. No one is perfect. No one will ever so much as near perfection, but it is important to strive to be the absolute best person you possibly can be. I know where my weakness and strengths are and that is important because how can you improve yourself if you do not know what you do and don’t excel at? I do trust that there is always room for improvement; however, I also believe that you should strengthen your weakest links before improving the ones that are already strong. When I make a mistake of course I get frustrated with myself, but I listen to and accept the constructive criticism given to me. Sometimes I know I have made a mistake but I am not told where my mistake was. In this event I look for the mistake myself and if I do not find it I will ask others what I did wrong and how I can correct it. Knowing yourself is how you figure out what to improve. Improving yourself creates a better you.

    On the contrary, I am weakened when it comes to keeping my cadets informed. Keeping your Marines informed is a highly important principle that I must attain a better grasp on. There have been several occasions in our JROTC program where changes have been made and a few cadets did not receive the word. Sometimes it is due to my own forgetfulness and other times it is simply a bad communication system. There have been times when I know I explained something to every cadet in the platoon and there was still a cadet or two that did not understand due to the way I explained it. As a leader I need to develop a better communications system and improve my communication techniques.

    All Marines and Marine Corps cadets are encouraged to build their leadership off of the 14 traits and 11 principles. As a leader I have done introspection and will continue to do so throughout time. Every leader must be able to look within themselves and make enhancements in accordance with their self-evaluations. Introspection and improvement are two things that should never cease to occur. Accompanied by the Marine Corps leadership traits and principles, introspect and improvement will construct excellent leaders.

Book Report- Willow by Julia Hoban

In this book Willow accidentally kills her parents in a car accident and becomes a cutter to rid herself of emotions. We all have emotions. How we deal with them is our choice but forcing ourselves to feel something just makes it worse. From personal experience I can relate to Willow because Willow did not like to talk about things. She kept to herself a lot. Willow knew what she could and couldn't share with other poeple. I often keep to myself as well. I don't like to talk about what's wrong and I frustrate my friends when they ask what's bothering me and I tell them nothing. It is easier to hide things because it hurts less. Talking about things can be like reopening a wound sometimes. However, what I have learned is that some wounds must be reopened in order to heal the right way. Some wounds never heal right and some wounds never heal at all. But I also learned that embedded in every wound is a lesson, a story that we carry with us as a reminder. Poison sang "Every rose has it's thorn". In that same sense, every person has their own wound and their own scar. Some are worse than others. Some people have more than others. Yet I firmly believe that God will not give me anything I cannot handle. When I realized running from my emotions wasn’t going to work, I found someone I can tell anything to. Every time I need to talk she is there and she understands that sometimes I don't want to talk. She doesn't force me to feel what I am really feeling and that is good because emotions are something we need to discover on our own. They are also something that we cannot always deal with on our own. Yes, sometimes it hurts unimaginably bad to rip the scab off but we have to let the wound finish bleeding for it to heal properly. When it finally does heal though, you feel so much better. Willow discovered this in the novel and I have discovered this in life. I believe everyone must come to understand this before they are ever fully healed from the past and present.

Assignment #17 - Smoke Signals

The movie Smoke Signals told an incredibly emotion evoking story. The movie also forces you ponder so many other thoughts that it feels like your brain is on overload. Ultimately, Smoke Signals left me with questions. At the end of the movie Thomas says, “How do we forgive our fathers? Maybe in a dream. Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often, or forever, when we were little? Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage, or making us nervous because there never seemed to be any rage there at all? Do we forgive our fathers for marrying, or not marrying, our mothers? Or divorcing, or not divorcing, our mothers? And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness? Shall we forgive them for pushing, or leaning? For shutting doors or speaking through walls? For never speaking, or never being silent? Do we forgive our fathers in our age, or in theirs? Or in their deaths, saying it to them or not saying it. If we forgive our fathers, what is left? I found this to be an immensely powerful quote. How do we forgive, not just our fathers but also anyone who has inflicted some kind of pain unto us? Is it possible? Will we know when we have forgiven them or is it the type of thing we never really contemplate doing? “How do we forgive our fathers? Maybe in a dream.” Some of us dream of forgiving people for the “unforgivable” but never accomplish this in our reality. We can lie to ourselves and to others and say we have let go of our grudges against them. But…what if we never really do? What if we have held that grudge so long that all that we have left to offer is our anger and our hatred? Can we forgive them for leaving or for staying when we know things would have been best vise versa? What if we do accomplish absolving the others for the destitution they have inflicted upon us? “If we forgive our fathers, what is left?” What if it is only fury and agony left? All the unanswered questions, how do we get the answers I forgiving the actions does not answer them? What if it’s your brother or sister that has afflicted you this way? Is it easier to forgive them than your father or mother? Furthermore, how do we motivate ourselves to forgive the very people that have caused us to feel such revolting feelings? And if our forgiveness is not accepted, how do we react? The questions without answers and the actions without reactions are some of the hardest things to overcome. It is so because how are we supposed to let go of something we never resolved? Maybe forgiveness is just a figment. Maybe some things can never be over looked. Maybe we are the only things standing between forgiveness and us. Between internal peace and us. Maybe God is the only one who can forgive. Yet even God does not forget the actions for which he has chosen to forgive. Does that mean it is impossible to forgive and forget? That drowning out the unwanted memories is a waste of time? How do we learn how to cope with the haunting of our past? The haunting of the ones we love? If we never forgive, does that make us mean or ugly? And if we never forget, does that make us weak or vulnerable? The questions are infinite but it seems the answers are few. We hunger for the answers. No. We hunger for the right answers! Maybe we have found the answers to the proposed questions but we ignore them because they are not right in our minds. Or perhaps we have ran from things so fast that we did not notice the answers. Are the answers in the mirror? Are they lost in the past? Smoke Signals wrought in me all these questions. However, it is up to me to find the answers as I have come to understand that the answers may vary from person to person. 

Duke City Drill Meet 2010



Congratulations to all AHA MCJROTC cadets who competed in the 2010 Duke City drill meet. The results were as follows:

Un-Armed

1st Place - Overall

1st Place - Regulation

3rd Place - Exhibition

Armed

2nd Place - Overall

2nd Place - Regulation

Female Color Guard - 2nd Place

Kudos goes out to the Un-Armed team who beat Grants, a nationally ranked high school drill team. I'm proud of you ladies!!!!

Assignment #16 - The Journey

The air was frigid. Even inside the fire heated cabin I could feel it. I sat up on my bed and pushed myself to my feet. I could feel the cold linoleum through my socks as I jadedly walked my way to the kitchen. Overwrought by sleep I pushed aside the curtains and peered out the window above the sink. It was the only window in the small cabin I called my home. Outside it looked like my favorite weather. Dew was resting on the grass and the fog was so thick you could no longer see the mountain from here. Driving would be highly frowned on. The clouds were dark and thunder boomed in warning of the down poor that would soon follow. The sun was not visible. I was sure it was day but I had no clock to verify time. I washed the few dishes that were left and laid them on the counter to dry. I went back to the corner were my bed was and stripped the linens off it as they need some washing. The closest that held my small assembly of clothes was by the door. To the left of the door was a desk and a chair. I had no need for a couch or television as I prefered writing, hikes and long walks to staring at screen. The kitchen was to the right with a dining table that seated four. Directly across from it, on the other side of the cabin, was the restroom. The restroom consisted of a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a petite mirror over it. All the walls in the cabin were unpainted as it was a log cabin. The only light came from candles placed on nightstands and end tables skillfully placed to provide enough light throughout the cabin. I made my way to the coat rack behind the door and slipped on some comfortable snow boots and a modest jacket. I left the cabin without needing to lock it because there was no one around for miles. I walked the dirt path that divided the misty grass into two separate patches, each lined with daises and lilacs of different colors. Every now and then I would see a rabbit pass by. There was more moose and cows though. I was always intrigued by the intricate spider webs that had made their marks on the large trees, though the spiders were rarely there. At this time the animals were usually sleeping, or that’s what I assumed, in whatever it is they made their shelter from. I continued up the path with pollen swirling in the air. I stopped at the stream to admire the minnows and gold fish. Somehow the broken twigs and rocks that rest at the bottom of the stream always made me marvel over the beauty of this land. There was no bridge as it was easy to just step over the undersized body of water. On this side there was no path and the grass appeared a bluish green. Orange marigolds with soft yellow trims popped up in random places. Blue jay birds decorated the sky along with chickadees, hummingbirds, and other various creatures of the air. I trudged a little further to the base of the mountain. The cattle was more visible now. I loved to trek across the winding trail of pebbles and fallen leaves. The different shades of brown, red, and smoky orange never cease to catch my attention. I had made it to the top of the mountain but journey was far from over. There was a large rock which I had sat upon to mourn. I screamed in a whirlwind of emotions and I wanted to jump of the mountain. I wanted to be done with the trails of life. I stood up on the rock and this…This is where I found God.

Assignment #15 - Multiple Intelligence

“You want to know what made me this way?” The old man was speaking to an adolescent of no more than 16 years of age. He was his probation officer. The boy rolled his eyes but the man continued anyway. “It was exactly what made you the way you are now. It was myself. I am this way because I chose to be this way. Let your troubles bring you down and they will. But let them build you up and they will too.” It was almost as if the old man could see his words float right above the boys head. “Here’s what I want you to do. Every time you feel burdened I want you to pick a rock that you think is about the size of your burden. Put that rock in your backpack and take it with you everywhere. At the end of the week, come back to me.”  The adolescent had no choice but to do as he was instructed. The first day he went home, his mom was drunk and cursed at him and beat him until he finally made his way out the door. He saw a rock nearly the size of his fist. The boy picked it up and took it home to place in his backpack. On the second day, a proud jock tripped him on the way to class. At lunch he found a rather small rock and added it to his collection. This continued for the rest of the week. The weight caused him to become angry and consequently he got in more trouble with teachers and parents. By Friday the boys backpack was so heavy he could hardly lift it. Not only that, he now had two referrals and was nearing suspension. In addition, he had to leave home early just to make it to class on time because the rocks weighed him down. On Sunday he returned to his probation officer. The old man lifted the boys back and said, “What did you learn?” The boy looked dumbfounded and replied, “Rocks slow you down.” There was not even a slight pause. “Exactly!” The old man seemed over excited and the boy did not understand. Knowing the boy did not comprehend, the man proceeded, “Tell me something you are good at.” This time there was a long pause before either of them spoke. “Uh basketball I guess but I don’t play much.” The boy was unsure as to where the mans questions were leading. “Now for the following week”, the probation officer began, “Every time you feel burdened you will go outside and shoot some hoops. You will not return home until you feel you have made an exceptional amount of baskets.” The boy thought that this task couldn’t get an easier. He was pleased to have a reason to shoot hoops without his parents beckoning him back home. That night he shot 5 successful hoops after realizing his grade point average had plummeted. The next day his parents engaged in another fight to which the blame was placed on him. He shot about 25 hoops, 20 of which were successful. Around mid-week the boy realized the more anger he had, the more hoops he shot. He also apprehended that when he took his anger out with a basketball, he did not get in as much trouble. When he returned to his probation officer he told him what he had come to understand. The old man replied, “Now tell me why I had you carry rocks the first week but this week I had you play basketball.” The boy pondered this for a moment. “The first week I resembled myself and the rocks were burden of negative energy.” The boy stopped to observe his P.O as he was unsure if this answer was correct. The man motioned him to continue. “The rocks slowed me down and made me angry like my burden had. During the second week I took something that I was good at and used it as positive energy. The basketball was my burden but it was also my gift.”

Golden Anchor Drill Meet 2010

Congratulations to all Atrisco Heritage Acadamey MCJROTC cadets. We competed in the Golden Anchor drill meet at Highland High today. The outcome was as follows:

Unarmed
Regulation Drill - 1st Place
Exhibition Drill - 1st Place
Sweepstakes - 1st Place
Commander - 1st Place

Armed
Regulation Drill - 1st Place
Exhibition Drill - 1st Place

Combined
Inspection - 2nd Place

Congrats and good luck at Duke City next week!!!

Assignment #14 - Persausive Essay: Uniforms

      It is a common misconception that enforcing a strict uniform policy makes for a more well-organized school. This is a false statement. Uniforms cause discomfort and distraction from school studies. They do not impair the segregation between students of different social classes, and furthermore, uniforms will cause more rebellion. You do not have to have uniforms in order to become a good systematized and structured school. There are many negative outcomes that can, and feasibly will, arise if uniforms are imposed amongst our school.

    Being told what you may and may not wear causes not only physical discomfort but mental discomfort as well. The students are very much aware of what they intend to wear as opposed to what they are required to wear. This subconscious awareness will cause students to focus their efforts more on this subject matter than on the curriculum being taught in class. The student becomes more concerned with why they have to be in uniform and what’s going to happen if they are not abiding the dress code. This takes away from the attention guided en route of the lesson plan. Not only this, but students do not always feel that their complexion works in favor of the specified uniform. Then the students become more concerned with how they look and why other people can pull off a uniform better. Again, this is energy that should be exerted on the studies within the classroom, not on a uniform.

    Students tend to separate themselves in accordance with different social classes. It is presumed by many that uniforms may be a valid means of managing this issue. This presumption is also false. You can tell the divergence in quality of clothing rather it be uniforms or blue jeans. Students who really care about social classes will recognize when another student is not of the same social status. Unless uniforms are bought from the school and are, therefore, of the same eminence and brand name, students will still segregate. However, it would be very time consuming to organize a uniform store at the school. Also, schools should be focused on academics and NOT on uniforms.

     Adolescents, it seems, are all about doing the opposite of what we are told. You tell us to be home by 10 and we will come home at 11:30. You tell us to clean our room and we will sneak out to go to a concert. Why would uniforms be any different? If you tell a teenager to tuck in their shirt and wear a black belt with khaki pants, do you really think they are going to do it? As a current high school student who went to a uniform middle school, I know they will not. Students would much rather get suspended and spend a day at home than tuck in their shirts. And expulsion? Even better! If you get kicked out you have more of a chance to go to a school that does not enforce a uniform policy. The punishments for not abiding these rules are usually more of a reward in the students’ eyes.

    Uniforms can cause a variety of problems. In fact, most people would agree that they cause more problems and hassles than they solve. So why try so hard to enforce them? Having to enforce a uniform policy is going to be a lot more work for the staff and administration. This is added stress that no one in the school needs. Allowing the students to dress as they wish will also allow the teachers and other staff to learn more about the individual as much of our personality is reflected in our clothing. Students will be uncomfortable and focus less of their attention on school work. Many problems, such as social segregation, will remain unresolved, and finally rebellion will most likely increase. I advise the school board to take this into consideration as they make their final decision on whether or not our school should impose a uniform policy.

James Morrison - Please Don't Stop the Rain

(Chorus)

If it's going to be a rainy day
There's nothing we can do to make it change
We can pray for sunny weather
But that won't stop the rain

Feeling like you got no place to run
I can be your shelter 'till it's done
We can make this last forever
So please don't stop the rain

(Let it fall, let it fall, let it fall)
Please don't stop the rain
(Let it fall, let it fall, let it fall)
Please don't stop the rain

Assignment #13 - Holloween Haiku

The meaning behind Halloween is not to trick or treat with candy.
There are saints who long to hear your prayers of proclamation on these days.
As well as souls who need your prayers to save them from Hell’s condemnation.

Assignment #11 - The Concrete Rose

Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk without having feet.

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air.

Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.

- Tupac Shakur

    “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?” When I read this line of Tupac’s poem I see myself as that rose and my parents are the concrete. Roses are not supposed to grow from cracks in the concrete. My dad was not supposed to be capable of having children. My father was told that after his accident at Las Alamos he would be sterile. Needless to say, I was a surprise. I was the rose that grew from the crack in the concrete.

    “Proving nature’s law is wrong it learned to walk without having feet.” My parents both came out of bad marriages before they met each other. My mom had already had three kids and my dad willing took them in as his own. They were both wounded from their first marriages. They were walking without feet and love was their crutch, but the unique thing about a crutch like this one is that it is shared. Neither of them were ready to get back in the dating game but they kept running into each other like it was just meant to be.

    “Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air.” It was hard for both of them to let go of their pasts. My mom had just left a very abusive husband and was a young mother of three. My father was a soldier of 6 years asked to leave the Army due to the stories his wife was making up. My mom told my dad she would not date any Hispanic man under 30 and my father was both. My father did not plan on dating as he had full intentions of reenlisting as soon as things cleared up with his ex-wife. Well, both my parents had time to “breathe fresh air” and they found new dreams with each other. By holding onto these dreams they have been able to live them in contentment.

    “Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.” To my parents, it seemed as if no one but them cared about their lives and aspirations. My moms pregnancy with me is what caused them to get married and here they are 17 years later, still married despite all the trials life has given them. No matter what obstacle is placed on their path they will always overcome it. In this case I would say “Long live the concrete that bore the rose when no one else ever cared.” My parents being the concrete and I being the rose that they bore.



Assignment #10 - Bullying

   

    Just because no physical harm has been done unto you does not mean you have not been bullied. Bullying can happen in many ways and often goes unnoticed. However, sometimes the bullying goes unnoticed because the bystanders do not want to see it. If you see someone being harassed and do nothing about it, you might as well have harassed that person yourself. You silence confirms your consent!

   One question this essay is supposed to answer is have I ever been bullied. The question did not limit me to a specific type of bullying so I will address this question with one answer and two examples. My answer, first off, is yes. I have experienced this both physically and emotionally. I remember one time in elementary school my moms son punched me in the face right in front of my teacher. My teacher pretended not to see this but I knew she did. I do not recall why he hit me but I do recollect that the teacher failing to acknowledge what she clearly saw, hurt more than being hit. Did she just not care or she just figured it was easier to literally look the other way? I will never know the answer to that question. Now the second example also contains physical and emotional bullying. This was after my moms son had moved back in with us for the final time. I was walking home with him and he was outraged that I did not cross the street with him! When we got home he shoved me against the wall by my throat. This did not hurt and I was not scared. What hurt was his remarks. One of which he retorted that I was a “worthless bitch”. What scared me was thinking of the possibility that that statement could be true. Now he moved out a few years later and I have not permitted myself to speak to him since he moved back to NY but it is not so much the physical actions of someone that you remember most. Words can cut just as deep. Did I do something to provoke this? Yes I did. I failed to cross the street. Was this reason enough to become outraged? No.

    In both events I felt torn. I felt like something inside of me broke. Was I really such an awful person? I like to think not but I know I have my flaws. I have seen people be bullied a number of times and, as you may have guessed, I was the silent bully. I did nothing. I am not content with the actions, or lack of actions rather, but I will not make that mistake again. The question I was asked is if I have ever bullied someone. My answer is yes. I didn’t harm this person in any physical manner but I did not act upon the bullying either. As I said before, if you see someone being harassed and do nothing about it, you might as well have bullied that person yourself.

    Bullying a person does not only affect a person physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Not only do you leave this person with contusions or lacerations, etc. you also leave them with questions. What did I do to deserve this? Am I a bad person? Do the bystanders not care? These types of questions are not easy to answer and come to terms with and they may cause the victims to think less of themselves. This is why there are so many suicides. If bullying were to reduce I believe teen suicide would as well. Even if bullying was just dealt with more, suicide would most likely be less probable.

Assignment #9 - Alien Contact

   

    She slammed on the brakes but it was too late. The windshield shattered into pieces so small they were hardly tangible. All she saw were oncoming headlights. Then her world went black as she was claimed by unconsciousness. An off duty officer was passing by the damaged car and called it in. Ambulance rushed to the scene but there was a delay. The reported victim in need of immediate medical care was no longer in the vehicle. The car had been pried apart and not by the Jaws of Life. There was no other vehicle within miles of the accident, and no witnesses could be found. The police searched everything within the near by perimeter and accomplished nothing. Flummoxed by such a strange scenario, the police had no choice but to call of the search and return home.

    Sally returned to consciousness just as terrified and confused as she had been in that split second before she left it. That split second where all she could make out was the bright light and the sound of the tires protesting against the asphalt as she pleaded with the brakes on her car. Now she is surrounded by lights and what appear to be average people. Her head is throbbing so she blinks persistently in a failed attempt to clear this fictional place she has conjured. Dismayed, she begins to tremble in realizing this is no delusion. She knows she was in a wreck, she knows she should seek medical attention, but she also knows this is no hospital.

    Eager to run, for she is not yet aware of the actual situation, Sally struggles against the straps of the gurney. Wait a second...Gurney? Straps? “Is this a hospital?” Sally only means for this to be a thought but the words left her lips with great volume. The man nearest to her strides over, gracefully closing the distance between them in a matter of milliseconds, and studies her demeanor. She seems calm now. Maybe it’s the thought of being in an actual hospital, being close to home, or maybe she knows she will not get an explanation if she lets herself be overwrought by fear. Either way, she does not appear to frantic and this humbles the man.

    “You are not in a hospital but you are in good hands.” The man’s voice is so genuinely tender Sally almost completely ignores the words his voice has formed. “I’m sorry?” Sally is unsure whether he noticed her lack of consideration to whatever this man said but she is hoping an apology will buy her another chance to hear his stunning accent. He clears his throat and tries again. “You were in accident Miss, in which I sincerely apologize for on behalf the ship. We…” Sally cuts him off. “Ship.” She’s not really asking, rather she is trying to collect her scattered thoughts and make sense of this puzzle. “Not a hospital. Good hands. Ship.” Her fragmented thoughts are given volume yet again. “Yes ma’am”, the man is unsure if she is about to become frantic but he does not want to give her the time to do so, “Our ship had a malfunction. We did fix it but unfortunately we did not fix it fast enough. The edge of our ship slashed the front end of your vehicle causing horrible destruction. The guilt we felt was tremendous and we knew we had to take you into our care. You are aboard our ship and will remain so until you are well enough to return to normal human conditions.” His words come out fast and all she understands is that he is not referring to himself as human. “Hu-human? Normal human conditions?” She stammers and this time it is a question. “Look Miss..” He pauses and waits for her interjection. “Sally, n-no Miss, j-just Sally.” Still stuttering she manages a response and he continues, “Sally, I may explain things to you under one condition.” He is scrutinizing her again. Upon finding no change in her now concerned character, he proceeds with, “You will not speak of this again to any other human.” There is a long pause before she realizes she must respond. “I…I…Sure, of course, you h-have my word.” The man contemplates this and says, finally, “We are not of your species but we cannot have permanent contact with humans until we are sure how they will react toward our kind. Do you understand?” Without thinking Sally blurts out, “You mean to tell me I am aboard a UFO and aliens are providing my medical care!? Aliens!? But you all look so much like humans and you’re so…so” it takes her a while before she finds suitable words, “civilized and kind-spirited.” Now the man is irresolute as to if he should feel flattered that she thinks highly of them or insulted that she assumed such undermining things of them. After much deliberation he decides to remain neutral. “Sally, do you believe everything your human media spits at you? This is why we cannot reveal ourselves to your people. Humans do not wish to adapt to even the smallest changes. So we are not of your world. That is what makes us outcasts? We have so much to offer you as you have much to offer as well. Still, humans will not easily accept an”, he pauses to recall the manner in which Sally referred to them and tries to mimic her, “an ‘alien’. Dear Sally, please understand that we are not outcasts. As a black man is different from a white man merely in skin pigment, we are different from you only in culture.”