“Weeeeeeeeeeee!” Pippi slid down the banister of the escalator on her way down to baggage claim, while Annika and Tommy were fast-walking but mostly running from excitement. They were so happy to have landed in Boston after a long flight, and were ready for the journey that lay ahead of them.
Pippi grabbed everyone’s luggage and carried them like a pizza man would carry pizza boxes, or a waiter would carry plates – with no effort and high over her head so all Tommy and Annika could see as they walked outside was their luggage floating over the crowd of people staring into their phones and walking with their heads down to their next destination.
Old Man the horse had arrived on the cargo flight just a few minutes later, and the three friends and all of their luggage rode into the city whistling and excited. Tommy was the first to be dropped off, and as Annika shed a few tears for her brother, she waved goodbye and rode off with Pippi west of the city.
Only approximately thirteen miles away from the city, the two girls and horse and Mr. Nilsson stumbled across a small town, where the streets were lined with the most beautiful lampposts and a brick tower lay in the distance as they looked to their left.
“Pippi, we’re here!,” shouted Annika and she almost fell backwards off of Old Man in her excitement. Riding up to the very modern looking building, Pippi exclaimed, “This building looks like someone stronger than me just picked it up and plopped it in the middle of this campus! It doesn’t match with anything!”
“Oh Pippi, you know that there isn’t anyone as strong as you,” replied Annika. Pippi cartwheeled off of Old Man and helped Annika onto the ground, unloaded the suitcases and carried them up the small hill to their assigned dormitory.
Walking into her new room, Pippi put down the suitcases and started jumping and doing flips on the bed, while Mr. Nilsson climbed the pipes in the corner of the room and perched himself in a little L-shaped nook laughing. Another student heard the noise coming from the room and made herself at home, entered the room, and with her hands on her hips said, “Well, now you don’t look much like a Wendy, do ya?” Annika walked in shortly afterwards and cautioned Pippi to be careful to not hit her head on the ceiling, and to help her unpack.
“Actually, my name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim’s Daughter Longstocking, but you can call me Pippi! This is my friend Annika.”
“Oh, my name is Zhang Wei, but you can call me Julie.” Annika introduced herself, Julie left the room, and both girls continued unpacking. Pippi was supposed to be helping her but instead, she was trying on her best dress and clean stockings to be ready for a meeting with her coach in a few minutes.
Pippi walked into the coach’s office, and he stood up to greet her.
“Welcome! You must be Pippilotta. I must say, you’re shorter and much skinnier than expected! Especially for someone who can lift as much as you can!”
There was a silence in the room. Pippi was standing straight as a board, saluting her coach. You see, growing up on a pirate ship where her father was the captain, she had learned the importance of patience and waiting to speak until it was your turn.
“Permission to speak, sir?”
“Oh, Pippilotta-“
“Please, sir, call me Pippi!”
“Well, uh, Pippi, please don’t call me “sir,” but you can call me “Coach.”’
“Ok coach, so what can I do for ya?,” asked Pippi as she sat down, and kicked her feet on the desk in front of her.
“Well, first of all, you’re really not a Wendy, are ya?”
The rest of the meeting was a blur. Pippi was so confused. Why had Julie called her Wendy, and so had the coach? She looked down at her dress. It did not read “Wendy” anywhere on a nametag, or on her application to the college. She had never even met a person named Wendy before!
Who was this Wendy everyone was speaking about?
Pippi was determined to find out. She walked around her orientation programs and everyone she spoke to, she asked about this mysterious Wendy character.
One girl was shocked, “O.M.G. you’ve NEVER heard of WENDY?”
“No, could you describe her to me?,” asked Pippi.
Another girl chimed in, “Well, Wendy represents the oppression of people’s individuality on campus, because she is an ideal-“
The other girl interrupted, “Ok, wait. She needs the basics. She’s always dressed well for class, and has very fair skin. She is usually wearing earrings and a necklace. She has extra pencils for taking notes in class, and has always completed ALL of the reading assignments. As difficult as it may be to get an A, Wendy gets A’s. She has had an internship every single summer, and never completes an assignment late. She has a very type-A personality, and always wants to lead group projects. She’s an overachiever, but has the mentality that she will one day make a difference in the world.”
Pippi thanked the girls for their help, and walked away. She thought to herself, “Wow, in all my adventures, I’ve never met anyone quite like Wendy!” She became more determined to find her.
She stood on a chair and loudly shouted, “Would Wendy please raise her hand?”
Everyone turned to face Pippi, and slowly raised their hands. Someone shouted from the crowd, “We are all Wendy.”
Annika grabbed Pippi and pulled her down from the chair. “Pippi, what are you doing?”
“Annika, WHO is Wendy? Have you met her?”
“Pippi, Wendy exists within every one of us! She is in a sense our role model, but also who we strive not to be. We are all a part of this beautiful community, because we are somehow close to Wendy, but what makes us stand out as women who will make a difference in the world is how we develop and bring to life the things that make us not-so Wendy. The things that make you Pippi, are what will make you happy.”
“Oh Annika, I’ve been confused all day! Thank you so much!” The two friends hugged, before Annika walked away. Pippi was left thinking. She learned from Wendy that not everything needs to have a purpose, and that life is about following your passions and what allows you to smile and be happy. She knew that she would learn and live better that way.