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Profile · Daria & Christian

Daria 10

Gets going while everyone else is still talking. Does math in her head at lightning speed and still skips the fine print.

“Why wait? Let's just start!”

To Daria & ChristianGo to Christian
Daria walking with her hands in the pockets of her olive jacket, wearing a striped shirt, denim skirt, dark tights, rust-red sneakers and a small leather bag
Profile
Age10
Gradefifth grade, class 5B
Height4'7" (1.40 m), same as Christian
Hairlong, dark brown and wavy, in a loose side braid with lots of strands escaping
Eyeswarm brown, freckles across her nose and cheeks
Always with herthe yellow idea notebook, a pen, a small brown leather bag
Good atmath, especially in her head
At homeonly child; four guinea pigs in the backyard that she shares with Christian
Her line“Come on. I've got stuff to do.”
Daria: Daria feeds them in the morning, Christian at night.
Daria feeds them in the morning, Christian at night.
Daria: Three ideas in the yellow notebook, every night.
Three ideas in the yellow notebook, every night.
Daria: The navy dress for parties. She baked the cake herself.
The navy dress for parties. She baked the cake herself.

What I like

  • Plans that start the same day
  • Flea markets where you can haggle
  • Doing the math in my head at the store
  • Grandma Lucia's lemon cake
  • New notebooks, yellow ones best
  • Riding my bike fast, wind in my face
  • When Christian laughs even though he's trying not to
  • Parties and birthdays, anything you can plan

What I don't

  • Waiting
  • “We've always done it this way.”
  • Fine print, even though she knows she should read it
  • “You're too young to understand.”
  • Cleaning up without music
  • Raisins in cake
  • Rain on the day of a sale
  • Losing, at least for the first ten minutes

Typical Daria

  • Stands up before the question is finished
  • Says “Come on” and is already out the door
  • Has three pencils and no sharpener
  • Writes ideas on the back of her hand when the notebook isn't around
  • Chews on a strand of hair when she's thinking
  • Gives everything a company name
  • Hands out jobs before anyone asks
  • Apologizes loudly and means it

Daria is ten and has a new idea about once an hour. She walks right up to grown-ups, sells lemonade to joggers and negotiates, politely and stubbornly. While other people are still wondering whether something might work, she's already started. That's her strength. Sometimes it's also her problem.

She does math in her head faster than anyone in her class, Christian included. That's exactly why she sometimes gets it wrong: in her mind she's already on the next step. She doesn't like reading the fine print, and once she signed something way too fast. Ever since, she and Christian have had a deal: if one of them pushes, the other one gets to say stop.

Daria is an only child. In the backyard behind her house there's an apple tree, a garden shed and the pen for Rocky, Mr. Grey, Toffy and Mojito, the four guinea pigs she shares with Christian. She feeds them in the morning, he does at night. On Wednesdays she's at the Limonaia, her Grandma Lucia's café, where she gets to write the chalkboard.

She's loud, warm and honest, even when it costs her. When she's steamrolled somebody, she apologizes fast and means it. Right now she's learning that being brave doesn't only mean starting. Sometimes it means stopping for a second and listening.

My lines

I've got an idea.

Daria

One second. Not two.

Daria

Okay. Plan B.

Daria

Then we'll just build something bigger.

Daria

Stories with Daria

Daria & ChristianShe says: Let's go. He says: Hold on.Daria has a new idea every hour and wants to start on it right away.→
Daria and Christian working on the soapbox car with the number sevenSpeed & Caution · Daria and Christian · 5 min read

Just Five More Minutes

Daria thinks Christian’s endless checking is just stalling, and she rides off without his okay. Christian noticed that a wheel was loose but only said so in between a lot of “maybes.” Whose fault is it when caution was right but nobody was listening anymore?

Read the story →Daria and Christian at their stand, Daria wavingMoney & Honesty · Daria and Christian · 4 min read

The Wrong Change

Daria made a math mistake and just wants to keep the two euros, since the customer will never notice. Christian thinks it still isn’t their money and starts explaining why, at length and in detail. Is something less wrong if nobody notices?

Read the story →Christian with a magnifying glassCuriosity & Privacy · Daria and Christian · 5 min read

The Secret in the Yard

Daria wants to know what’s in the box, and she wants to know now; one twist and the lock would pop. Christian wants to know just as badly, but he thinks the box belongs to someone else. Are you allowed to find out everything just because you could?

Read the story →Daria sulking with her arms crossedFriendship & Keeping Your Word · Daria and Christian · 4 min read

You Promised

Christian cancels last minute and picks dance rehearsal over the guinea pig hutch. Daria feels let down: it’s going to freeze, and he promised. How much can you expect from a promise when the other person has something that matters to them too?

Read the story →Daria raising her arm highFairness & Success · Daria and Christian · 4 min read

Somebody Has to Win

Daria wants to win, so she rebuilds their shared idea overnight without asking Christian, and his math gets cut. In the morning Christian sees a poster with his name on it that isn’t his anymore. What is a win worth if you can’t share it?

Read the story →Daria looking unsureRespect & Courage · Daria and Christian · 4 min read

It Was Just a Joke

Daria laughs at a classmate because everyone else is laughing and she wants to fit in. Christian knows it’s wrong but doesn’t say a word either. That afternoon, each of them blames the other for what they did wrong, and they’re both right.

Read the story →