Cactus

Hello. My name is Angela. And when I was about 4 or 5, I had a cactus fetish. No, you don't have to adjust your eyes or play with you screen settings. I, Angela, had a cactus fetish. Call me weird, call me crazy, call me a freak... but I am what I am, and that's all that I am, and that's something you will never be. (Ha! Some self taught confidence for ya...)




So, yes. Cactus.



We had a huge walnut tree in my parents backyard. It would drop walnuts all over the place, so before dad would mow the lawn.. I had to run around collecting walnuts so they wouldn't get stuck in the lawnmower. One day, I had just finished my walnut duty.... and something caught my eye. On the back porch, sitting so perfectly, was a cactus. A cute, perfectly round cactus plant with lots of little needles and a few pink flowers. So intrigued, I reached out and grabbed the cactus. I wrapped my entire little hand around this ball of pointy needles.. and then freaked out, because IT STUNG! Sooo bad! I tingled in pain. I remember sitting on my poor, throbbing hand to make the sting stop.



Most people would have learned their lesson. But, not I. Oh no, Not me. The cactus and I now had a special relationship.



I can not even begin to count the number of time I touched that cactus. It became a weird OCD thing, where as long as I was alone, and the cactus was staring at me.. I was going to touch it. And not with one finger. But my WHOLE palm. I would GRAB this dang cactus. And not let go until it hurt. And I never told a single soul about it.



We ended up moving from the house with the cactus, and I don't think the cactus came with us. I quickly forgot about my weird obsession. Until... about 15 years later. Sitting at my best friends house, while chatting in her back porch.... There sat a pretty round cactus in the middle of the patio table.Staring at me. Glaring at me. Begging me to touch it. I didn't touch it. Apparently my willpower had strengthened over the years. I instead decided to tell my best friend about my weird cactus days, and she has made fun of me ever since.



I had to confess this. I feel better now. I have let the whole world know about my cactus fetish. And I am a better person because of it.



True Story. (Sadly..)