BABE’S BLOG

WHO I AM . . .

I came all the way from California with its much higher energy level and much denser population. In California I had (have) a boyfriend, Perry, who seemed to instantly appreciate me and managed to fall in love with me in just a few short weeks. We both like to write and . . . well, we both like to write. We were inseparable, until we were separated last week, just two days after my seventeenth birthday.

Dad left first in order to get started at his new job and prepare a home for Mom and me. Thankfully, I was allowed to stay behind to finish up my junior year of high school in California. I was sad but not heartbroken to say goodbye to Perry. After all, adaptability is one of my strengths and I knew that in one year I could choose my own future and plant my roots wherever I decided to plant them, just like my older brothers. Perry and I were going to apply to the same colleges and Skype with each other every night during our year apart. A short trip back to California wasn’t out of the question, according to my parents, who obviously felt extreme guilt for the transient life they’d forced me to live. It wasn’t the end of the world.

Or was it?

I suppose I should mention that my father’s a golf pro. My life has been an endless parade of country clubs at a time when golf and country clubs are almost a relic from the past. In this economy, golf is once again becoming the elitist sport it used to be. The price of a golf membership at some country clubs is equal to the cost of buying a home, which is why we never stay long in any one place. Costs are up, incomes are down, and golf pros like my dad have to go wherever they can find work.

My name is Babe, after Babe Didrikson Zaharias. I usually don’t bother to explain this to people because nobody my age has ever heard of her, even though she was one of the greatest women golfers ever. My parents, who met on the golf team of their college, thought it would be the perfect name for their only daughter. Their two sons, my older brothers, are both scratch golfers who play for their colleges. Their names are Arnold and Jack.

Me, tennis is my game. I’m pretty good at it, but I’m honored to be named after Babe Zaharias. She was tough and fearless and paved the way for other women to succeed in a world of men. I must admit, I’ve had to put up with a fair amount of teasing because of my name, but I’ve never regretted it, not even once.

Comments:

Sweetness: hey it’s me again and this is totally sad *crying* but i thin its really cool that youre named after soemone whos so strong

Babe: Thanks, but I wish you wouldn’t think my life is so sad because it’s not.

Sweetness: im telling all my friends about ur blog and i just wanted to say that i totally know someone on facebook who lives in cali and his name is perry and was wondering if thats ur bf

Babe: I doubt it’s the same guy but I’m not going to say his last name because it wouldn’t be cool.

Sweetness: oh ya i know that but i was still wondering

Sandman: Babe! haha. r u a babe?

Babe: No comment.