solegraphy :: like calligraphy, only better

I was cuddled up on our big chair, plunking away at my friend’s senior seminar paper when I heard it.

“And this is the amazing Danakil Depression.”

I sat up and looked at the ridiculously boring “Planet Earth” episode I had been so intently ignoring. My eyes widened and I shouted, “That’s in Ethiopia!” My dad peeked his head into the room and looked at the programme he was recording. “The Danakil Depression! That is in Ethiopia!” I continued to shout. “That’s up north! That’s where the people from the British Embassy in Addis were headed when the Eritrian military kidnapped them!”

It was then that my dad first learned that this was occurring while I was living in Ethiopia.

Ooops. Did I forget to mention the European hostages? From Addis? Silly me.

I suppose I don’t think about these things as I should. Tanks with snippers during shopping trips in Kosovo? Convoy of British nationals from Addis yanked into Eritrea by military forces? You would be surprised, it doesn’t come up that often in conversation. I wouldn’t say I was intentionally withholding information, but if it is on CNN, I consider it public knowledge.

When my mom arrived home, my dad proceeded to tell the events – adding tortures and various other atrocities to make my mother gradually more and more appalled. I kept interjecting “Not true! Lies! Ok, maybe not that part, but everything else!” throughout the entire conversation. Then, my mother turned wide-eyed to thrash me within an inch of my life.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I looked at her, white with shock, and felt rather pitiful.

“I thought you knew…” I weakly replied. “It was on the news.”

She did not look pleased, but she turned to clean something to distract herself. I took a deep breath, feeling as if I had narrowly dodged the bullet.

“You should hear what is going on in South Korea right now!” My father shouted from his perch in front of the computer.

“There is nothing! Nothing at all going on in South Korea! Stop with all the lies!” His manical laughter echoed throughout the room.

After very little thought and deliberation, I believe revenge would be very sweet in this instance. Any suggestions or methods of mental aggrevation would be much appreciated.