BATTLEFIELD

Back To School

David and Steve walked to school on the right hand side of the street and they talked about David's birthday party this last Saturday. Then on the left hand side of the street was a group of girls walking to school too, four fellow 8th grade girls actually, and one of them was Zenja Javadi! 

 Steve looked over at the four 8th grader girls and said, "Hello over there."

Three of the four girls said, "Hello Stevie!"

Steve smiled and waved at the girls. Then David said to Steve in a sarcastic tone, "Hello Stevie!"

"Oh, shut up! I can't help it my adoring fans can't get enough of me," Steve said laughingly.

David inquired, "So Zenja Javadi is not one of your fans? She didn't say hello to you!" 

"Zenja Javadi is no one's fan and she doesn't say hello to anyone. You know how quiet she is," Steve replied instantly to explain Zenja's behavior.

"Then why is she the most popular girl in the entire 8th grade?" David shot back at Steve's logic.

"Because she's absolutely gorgeous, her dad owns the biggest grocery store chain in town, and she is the fastest field and track runner in the county, maybe the fastest in the state," Steve answered David's question in a matter of fact manner. 

Yes, Zenja Javadi had a gorgeous face and hair. Her smooth skin was a medium brown without any acne and her hair was jet black running four inches past her shoulder. However, it was her eye lashes and eyes that was her most outstanding feature. Zenja's eyes must of been the same eyes Helen of Troy possessed when she drove the Greeks and Trojans crazy with her beauty. Though, Zenja did not have a bodacious or coca-cola bottle like body. Instead, she was thin bodied and rather short standing at five foot one inch, but she did have zero body fat and ran like the wind. 

Zenja's family was originally from Iran and Zenja was born in that country, however she did not remember much of their native land, because she came to America only three years-old. Zenja spoke with a very American Midwestern accent and was on the honor roll, but was always so quiet and overly polite. Zenja was a nice girl and seemed not to be interested in boys. 

In the mid 1960's, Zenja's father had opened a Piggly Wiggly grocery store in town and over the years had expanded his business up to five stores. Zenja's Father, Aksel Javadi, was one of the hardest working men in town, who had lived without his family for eight years (except for yearly visits back to Iran once a year), before bringing his family to America in 1972. Zenja's mother, Ulla Javadi, was a most unique woman, who was the mother of nine daughters, a Geography professor at the state university, and the owner of a world import shop called The Good Life, at the town's big shopping mall.

The Javadi Family did not just have nine daughters, but they were made up of four grandparents, eleven aunts and uncles, fifteen nephews and nieces, and god knows how many cousins all living in town. They were all overly hard working, lively, and fun loving people, except for Zenja, who was not outgoing and did not enjoy talking too much. She wasn't weird, she was gentle and quiet. The only time she really expressed herself was through her running  and through her writing. Zenja had the writing skills of Barbara Tuckman and Parvin Estesami, which merged into a writer capable of explaining factual matters into an understandable format and describing natural events into episodes of sheer beauty. Simply put, Zenja was a poet and had already been published in small journals. She wrote of beauty and love, but she had not journeyed into love, yet!

"Why don't you try to charm Zenja and make her one of your harem?" David said to Steve to challenge him.

"I would never do that! Zenja is a nice girl. I think you and Zenja would make a nice couple," Steve challenged David right back.